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Murphy used a ratchet thing in the middle part of that instrumental. Is it a metal instrument or a wooden one?
Have you ever thought about it?
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I found a very detailed critique of this record at , and the author states that the instrument you're asking about is a güiro. Here's the relevant section:
The B section continues the underlying disco groove as initiated in the A section, but largely drops the orchestral quotation. Aside from orchestral interjections of the "fate motive" that, almost mockingly, punctuate the end of phrases, the B section bears little resemblance to Beethoven's work. Instead, the listener is presented with a contrast of style and mood as the drama and tension of Beethoven's heroic opening theme area gives away to an ebullient keyboard solo over a syncopated disco-funk bass and drum groove, supplemented by periodic gratings from a guiro that inscribes a sense of exotic foreignness on the arrangement.
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Hi Everyone.
I'm a newbie. Been lurking here for a while but with all the folks here who actually know what they're talking about, I haven't had anything worthwhile to contribute. Until now, I think. So here goes.
Are we talking about the noise around the 1:03 point in the song?
That's a Vibraslap. Here's a really good youtube video comparing the vibraslap to a ratchet.
Last edited by Peter the K (July 10, 2023 8:36 am)
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Welcome to the board, Peter, and thanks very much for your post. Never heard of that instrument before, but I looked up the Wikipedia page on it and found out that I've certainly heard it on other popular records as well ... and sure enough, "A Fifth of Beethoven" is included among the ones that are mentioned there. Nice to finally know what's behind such an interesting sound.
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I noticed that the vibraslap is also used at the beginning of The First Symphony by Polish composer
Krysztoph Penderecki (1973).
from Wiki:
In 1972-1978 he was a professor at the School of Music of Yale University in the United States.
In 1973 he completed his first symphony, which premiered in Peterborough (England).
Last edited by mroldies (July 11, 2023 4:48 pm)
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I would like to try the vibraslap.
I'm already asking the local conservatory, the theater orchestra and the symphony orchestra if they have this instrument.
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Out of curiosity I checked the website of Long & McQuade, a major Canadian store chain that sells and rents musical instruments, to see if they had any vibraslaps ... and not surprisingly, they do.
They're not inexpensive, and it doesn't look like Long & McQuade allow them to be rented. However, I think that stores like theirs would usually allow people to try out an instrument without buying or renting it. So if you can't find one via the places you mentioned, you might see if you could do so at a good musical instruments store.
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In our country, you can buy a used vibraslap for 21 USD including shipping.
And the new cheapest vibraslap is $30 including shipping. If no one had lent it to me, I thought like this:
I'm curious so I'll buy it and after I try it out I'll dedicate it to some band...
I'm probably crazy, right?