Clapsticks or clappers are a type of drumstick or percussion mallet that are used to serve the purpose of maintaining rhythm. Unlike drumsticks, which are generally used to strike a drum

Drum

The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...

, clapsticks are intended for striking one stick on another.

Music stick

As an ancestral instrument that traditionally accompanies the didgeridoo

Didgeridoo

The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...

, it is sometimes referred to as musicstick or just Stick. In the language of the Yolngu

Yolngu

The Yolngu or Yolŋu are an Indigenous Australian people inhabiting north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. Yolngu means “person” in the Yolŋu languages.-Yolŋu law:...

 Aborigines

Indigenous Australians

Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....

 of Northeast Arnhem Land

Arnhem Land

The Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National...

, Australia these clapsticks are called bimli. These sticks are used to keep time with the playing of the didgeridoo.

Recording signal device

A clapstick is also a piece of equipment used in the motion picture and TV industry to signal a synchronization point on film and audio track. Since the audio is often recorded separately, the clapstick snapping shut is used to provide a single spot in the film where there's a distinct noise and a visual cue (the closed clapstick) to put the two tracks together.

A clapstick is usually striped and may be mounted on top of a slate which contains the scene information. Modern movie-making uses electronic synchronizers instead of clapsticks, but clapsticks are still a popular and inexpensive choice for the budget-minded film-maker.

A clapstick can help with the Aboriginals voice chants to keep a rhythm.