# What is this (Brazilian?) musical instrument? (It's just a stick) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 4, 2018, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-brazilian-musical-instrument-its-just-a-stick/808188 "2018-02-04T21:05:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2018, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-brazilian-musical-instrument-its-just-a-stick/808188/1 "2018-02-04T21:05:09Z")
To make things brief: There’s a new Mickey Mouse cartoon out, with Mickey in Rio for the Carnaval. At one point, to aid in a Samba, Goofy [starts playing an odd instrument](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfFsXznB2UI&t=2m37s). Which appears, with the relative lack of detail in the animation taken into account, to just be a straw-sized stick, held up to the mouse, and clicked against the teeth with two fingers, and producing a wooden clicking noise. Neat. But I have no idea what this very simple instrument is, or what it’s called, and my efforts at searching for the answer—not exactly the easiest thing I’ve ever tried to pull off—have completely come to naught. Can anyone help me out? Before I go mad? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2018, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-brazilian-musical-instrument-its-just-a-stick/808188/2 "2018-02-04T21:19:50Z")
Nothing I’ve ever seen or heard of. Perhaps it’s meant to be funny because Goofy has big teeth? ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2018, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-brazilian-musical-instrument-its-just-a-stick/808188/3 "2018-02-04T21:29:13Z")
I’m pretty sure that’s the gag, he’s playing his teeth like they were a [wood block](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_block). ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2018, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-brazilian-musical-instrument-its-just-a-stick/808188/4 "2018-02-04T21:30:36Z")
I have never heard of an instrument that is played by clacking against the teeth. The sound might be from a legitimate instrument, but I doubt that it’s played as depicted. Immediately after that it shows Mickey making a sound with his mouth that is actually from another Brazilian instrument, the [friction drum](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVOtE1qSymU). So I would not assume this cartoon is an ethnomusicology documentary. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2018, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-brazilian-musical-instrument-its-just-a-stick/808188/5 "2018-02-04T22:10:37Z")
The clackamore isn’t far off: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/KiqKdXPxpcs/hqdefault.jpg "Clackamore Demo") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiqKdXPxpcs) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2018, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-brazilian-musical-instrument-its-just-a-stick/808188/6 "2018-02-04T22:15:25Z")
Benny Hill used to do that with a plastic spoon–playing William Tell Overture–then spit out “teeth.” ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2018, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-brazilian-musical-instrument-its-just-a-stick/808188/7 "2018-02-04T22:46:07Z")
As it so happens, I have been studying the Hornbostel-Sachs musical instrument classification. What we have here is clearly a 111 class _ **struck idiophone** _. Possibly classified as a 111.11: Directly-struck idiophone/ _ **concussion stick** _. Or a percussion idiophone (111.2 class) perhaps a 111.211 _ **percussion stick** _. That is all. > **[Hornbostel–Sachs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornbostel%E2%80%93Sachs)** > > Hornbostel–Sachs or Sachs–Hornbostel is a system of musical instrument classification devised by Erich Moritz von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs, and first published in the Zeitschrift für Ethnologie in 1914. An English translation was published in the Galpin Society Journal in 1961. It is the most widely used system for classifying musical instruments by ethnomusicologists and organologists (people who study musical instruments). The system was updated in 2011 as part of the work of the Musical In Ho... Dennis ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-brazilian-musical-instrument-its-just-a-stick/808188/8 "2018-02-05T11:26:21Z")
[quote=“yabob, post:5, topic:808188”] The clackamore isn’t far off: [/QUOTE] It sure does \*sound \*like the cartoon. He is not striking his teeth with that but there are two sticks that clack together, with the mouth acting as a resonant cavity and altering the tone. Also, the Clackamore is a one-off by one company, and not a Brazilian instrument. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-brazilian-musical-instrument-its-just-a-stick/808188/9 "2018-02-05T13:14:57Z")
It’s a joke. As **CookingWithGas** said, Mickey is in the next scene imitating the _cuíca_ with his mouth. Minnie is _rebolando_ and _sambando_ with such vigor that she begins to fly. Mickey chases after to save her. When she realizes she is flying “Minnie, you’re flying!” she looks down and immediately falls. He then tells her to samba again, she says no, he then tells everyone to start playing music for her. So Goofy and Mickey improvise their instruments in the heat of the moment. Neat little cartoon. ETA: By the way, Brazilians will beat out a samba rhythm on anything available to them–it’s called _batucando_ and is how everyone can contribute to the music. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-brazilian-musical-instrument-its-just-a-stick/808188/10 "2018-02-05T13:44:42Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Also, the Clackamore is a one-off by one company, and not a Brazilian instrument. Not arguing the ethnicity, but the Clackamore is not a new idea - I’ve seen that concept before somewhere (although it may not have been exactly the same - I think one rendition I saw comprised a Bic crystal pen resting on the lower lip, tapped with the finger and clicking against the lower teeth ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-brazilian-musical-instrument-its-just-a-stick/808188/11 "2018-02-06T19:16:20Z")
I have a friend who is a professional musician from Brazil. I am going to see him tonight and will ask him about it. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-brazilian-musical-instrument-its-just-a-stick/808188/12 "2018-02-06T23:40:48Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > As it so happens, I have been studying the Hornbostel-Sachs musical instrument classification. What we have here is clearly a 111 class _ **struck idiophone** _. > Possibly classified as a 111.11: Directly-struck idiophone/ _ **concussion stick** _. > > Or a percussion idiophone (111.2 class) perhaps a 111.211 _ **percussion stick** _. > > That is all. > > [Hornbostel–Sachs - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornbostel%E2%80%93Sachs) > > Dennis AAAHHH! Hornbostel-Sachs, required grad-school ethno flashbacks! I’ve had occasion to cite this before, but here it’s actually truly OP pertinent: [What’s the fundamental resonant frequency of an average adult human skull?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=572715) I believe I’ve cited it for it’s content once and for it’s demonstration of the quick and accurate resourcefulness of the GQ community. ETA: Memory chain: 1. tried to bullshit an answer for HS classification of bull roarer, which I had never heard of, and was publicly zinged by Professor. 2. On Music GMAT, or whatever they call it, was inordinately (and still am) I knew what a nail violin is. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-brazilian-musical-instrument-its-just-a-stick/808188/13 "2018-02-07T01:25:54Z")
My Brazilian friend said there is no such thing in Brazil. He said the sound is like when they play a tambourine with a stick. So I’m thinking they had a soundtrack and just put silly images to the sounds.