# The Sound Of One Hand Clapping

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sound-of-one-hand-clapping/60272>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [March 31, 2001, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sound-of-one-hand-clapping/60272 "2001-03-31T17:28:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Chaseman2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@Chaseman2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chaseman2000)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2001, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sound-of-one-hand-clapping/60272/1 "2001-03-31T17:28:06Z")

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I was searching through the archives of Straight Dope, when I found this article from 1984: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_049](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_049)  
Entitled: What is the Sound of One Hand Clapping?  
After reading the article, I had a sudden flashback to my slightly more immature days. It was of one of those old, pointless, now-cancelled Nickelodeon shows called “What Would You Do?” or something like that. The end segment would be a group of about four or five people who were pulled from the audience who sat on stools with cards stuck to their heads (they did not know what was on these cards). They then had to choose whether they would do what was on the card, or go to the Pie Machine and get hit by about 5 pies in the face (this brings back such good memories 🙂 ). One particular episode, a man from the audience chose to do what was on his card. Enscribed on it was: Special Talent.  
He then thought for a moment of what his special talent was, then told the host he could clap with one hand. He then started shaking his arm rapidly, and his fingers and hand stuck together to make a loud clapping sound as if he was using two hands. I just wanted to clear up the fact it is possible, and wanted to know if anyone could confirm my sighting.

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Chaseman2000

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**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2001, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sound-of-one-hand-clapping/60272/2 "2001-04-01T05:57:04Z")

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Ca’n’t confirm your sighting, but I can do it myself. The solution to the riddle ain’t so Zen, after all. 🙂

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**Author:** ![Synthoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5e9695/32.png) [@Synthoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Synthoid)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2001, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sound-of-one-hand-clapping/60272/3 "2001-04-02T21:54:21Z")

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On the Simpsons, when Lisa posed the same question to Bart, Bart’s response was to slap his four fingers against his palm, like a closing clam shell.

I thought it was particularly funny, because the Foley artist made a quiet “smack, smack” sound as accompaniament and it was hilarious.

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**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2001, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sound-of-one-hand-clapping/60272/4 "2001-04-03T06:51:22Z")

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I can do it - I can make a light, ‘polite applause’ kind of sound just my opening and closing my hand quickly, I can clap loudly by shaking my forearm and relaxing my fingers so they slap against the palm of my hand.