Summary: Learn about the construction and use of a vibraslap in this free video series that will show you how to play this mandible and provide you with other percussion instrument techniques with these video music lessons.
Aaron Bland is a performer, recording artist, and educator
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A vibraslap, also known as a mandible, is a percussion instrument consisting of a piece of stiff wire that's bent into a handle-like shape and connected to a wood ball, which is then connected to a block of wood with metal teeth inside. When a percussionist holds the handle in one hand and strikes the ball, the metal teeth vibrate against the wood block, causing a distinctive rattling sound. This percussion instrument is the modern descendant of the jawbone and the vibraslap is frequently used in Latin American music.
When you're listening to a song and you think, "what is that cool rattling noise?" or "what instrument is THAT?" it's probably a vibraslap. If you can get your hands on one of these percussion instruments, our expert will take care of the rest. In this free video series, you'll get instructions on how to play a vibraslap, from constructing and holding a vibraslap to muting, sound effects and tuning. Vibraslaps aren't very commonly used, but they can be just the right percussion instrument to achieve a unique effect or style, or provide an added element that is missing from a song.
"I'm here to demonstrate vibraslap. This sound was used, it's used a lot be a group called, Cake. Jethro Tull used it. Rush used it. REM has a song called Orange Crush. Arrowsmith has a song called Sweet Emotion with this at the beginning. And what I think of is Ozzy Osbourne's track, Crazy Train. So you may recognize this from several studio recordings that you've heard. This is what's producing that sound. Now this instrument replaced and instrument called the jawbone, which was actually a horse's jawbone, devoid of all the gums and flesh, so you were just left with the bones and teeth intact. And when you hit the jawbone with your fist, it would cause all of the teeth to rattle inside of that skull creating that rattlesnake type of sound. Now, LP made this because it's a lot more durable and it's also kind of tunable more so than the organic skull of a horse. So, there's your vibraslap and it's application in a nutshell."
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