# What is this instrument?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-instrument/584498>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 6, 2011, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-instrument/584498 "2011-06-06T13:18:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-instrument/584498/1 "2011-06-06T13:18:23Z")

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From the _Catch Me If You Can_ opening theme, first heard at 0:29. It sounds like finger snapping or clapping, almost, but isn’t.

[![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWx7njfOzzg)

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**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-instrument/584498/2 "2011-06-06T13:34:14Z")

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Kind of sounds like a snare drum being played with brushes. Or perhaps a group of people shuffling their feet in synch on a soundstage.

At 0:55 there is some actual finger snapping or clapping.

There’s a very theatrical sound to what’s going on, kind of like a group of Broadway dancers on stage providing some percussive sounds to what the orchestra is playing.

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**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-instrument/584498/3 "2011-06-06T13:44:03Z")

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It sounds more like FX to me, rather than an instrument. I’d assume synthesizers can produce any number of sounds. Actually you record sounds and then manipulate them. So a simple brush on a snare sound could be boosted to make that sound.

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**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-instrument/584498/4 "2011-06-06T13:51:42Z")

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I’d say it’s either a [cabasa](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP0biK6td4E) or the band making that sound with their mouths. It’s not unheard of to have such a musical direction in the chart such as “say shhhhh”.

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**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-instrument/584498/5 "2011-06-06T15:10:35Z")

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I would say it a cabasa with some post production fiddling.

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-instrument/584498/6 "2011-06-06T17:47:35Z")

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Yup, sounds like a cabasa, or several of them. Thanks.