What are clapsticks?
Clapsticks are a pair of wooden sticks struck together to keep rhythm in Aboriginal songs and dances. They are one of the most widespread traditional instruments across Australia.
Clapsticks are usually made from hardwood and can be smooth, carved or painted. One stick is often held still while the other strikes it, producing a sharp, clear beat.
They accompany songs during ceremonies and dances, and in northern Australia they are often played with the didgeridoo. Song leaders use them to guide the rhythm and tempo for dancers.
Names and uses
Different Aboriginal languages have their own names for clapsticks. In some regions, particularly in the south and centre, pairs of boomerangs are clapped together instead of sticks, and women may beat rhythms on rolled possum-skin cloaks.
Clapsticks are now widely used in schools and community programs to teach about Aboriginal music and culture, and they appear in contemporary Indigenous bands and orchestral works.
They are easy to play but take skill to master, as experienced song leaders change speed and pattern to signal different parts of a song or dance. Painted clapsticks made by Aboriginal artists are also sold through art centres.
Did You Know?
Clapsticks are often heard alongside the didgeridoo in recordings of traditional songs from northern Australia.