A ratchet (or noisemaker, Knarre) is an orchestral percussion instrument played by percussionists. Operating the principle of the ratchet device, a gearwheel and a stiff board are mounted on a handle which rotates freely. The player holds the ratchet and swings it around in circles.
History[]
This is the ratchet.
The ratchet is an extremely old instrument, being very popular in churches to alert people, so the ratchet's history goes way back, possibly before the bullroarer (an extremely similar instrument). Given the ratchet is so old, it’s first incantations are not known, but what is most likely is that the first version of a ratchet was a piece of wood loosely tied to a stick, then spun around. Later uses of the ratchet were used for warnings in wars, buildings, or in public. The most recent practical use for a ratchet was for warning signals in the First World War, which a ratchet was used to warn troops of an incoming attack. Nowadays, however, the ratchet is a piece of wood either glued or carved into a different piece of wood commonly used in orchestras, films, and television programs. The ratchet is more used as a toy than a serious musical instrument.
Similarites to the bullroarer[]
Now I’ve mentioned the bullroarer once in this article but I thought this would be important. The ratchet and the bullroarer have many similarities like:
- They both make a similar sound.
- They are both spun around in consistent circles.
The bullroarer, a very similar instrument.
- They are both used as a warning signal.
- They are about as old as each other.
- They are both spun slowly or quickly to make different sounds.
Those are similarities between the ratchet and bullroarer.
Now, how do you play the ratchet?[]
To play the ratchet you hold the bottom stick and spin the ratchet wildly in circles. The wind would wrap around the wood part at the top and make that sound.