Clapping

<h2 id="musical-works-that-include-clapping">Musical works that include clapping</h2>
Classical works performed entirely by clapping

<ul><li><a href="/facts/Steve_Reich/D8zYTljV">Steve Reich</a>, <a href="/facts/Clapping_Music/kb0qd0AY">Clapping Music</a> (1972)</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Robert_Paterson_(composer)/FuEcB4Ld">Robert Paterson</a>, Voices (1988)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1">1</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Pascal_Zavaro/TfktXR1W">Pascal Zavaro</a>, Kino-Klap (2008)</li></ul>
Classical works which include clapping

<ul><li><a href="/facts/Carlos_Surinach/pIvhzNay">Carlos Surinach</a>, Ritmo Jondo (1953)</li>
<li><a href="/facts/David_Chesky/5vHSnQ8y">David Chesky</a>, Flute Concerto et Violin Concerto </li></ul>
The clapping patterns known as <a href="/facts/Keplok/9as3gTuT">keplok</a> are important in Javanese <a href="/facts/Gamelan/660zJnv3">gamelan</a>. A type of synthesized clap is popular in many <a href="/facts/Rap_music/0lsHpwAD">rap</a> and <a href="/facts/Hip_hop_music/0lsHpwAD">hip hop</a> songs as well. This is derived from and mimics the technique used in older popular music (e.g. <a href="/facts/Disco/BQu4rHxV">disco</a> and <a href="/facts/Funk/NVuzVek1">funk</a> of the 1970s), in which multiple instances of real handclaps were recorded or a single recording was made of a group of performers clapping in unison. This was usually done for the purpose of reinforcing the <a href="/facts/Snare_drum/IN9Arnh3">snare drum</a> beat on the 2nd and 4th beats of the bar (<a href="/facts/Off-beat_(music)/xJrxPJfS">offbeat</a>). Modern <a href="/facts/Contemporary_R%26B/rsafQLga">R&B</a>, hip hop, and rap often omit the snare drum, making the claps a more obvious and central feature of the beat.

<h2 id="acoustics-and-medical-applications">Acoustics and medical applications</h2>
Clapping is useful in (medical) opening up blocked blood circulation.
Clapping can be used in <a href="/facts/Acoustics/2GpQUymy">acoustics</a> to check the <a href="/facts/Reverberation/188vPg1A">reverberation</a> time of a room. This is determined by measuring the clap's <a href="/facts/Diffusion_(acoustics)/d1a2HtjS">decay time</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2">2</a>

<h2 id="pedagogical-applications">Pedagogical applications</h2>
See also: <a href="/facts/Counting_(music)/6FxWDJMN">Counting (music)</a>
Clapping is often used to help people recognize the rhythm in sounds. It can be used to help musicians count out rhythms.
It is also used to teach <a href="/facts/Phonological_awareness/Ud9BpShl">phonological awareness</a> to students learning the ways words are constructed. They often clap out <a href="/facts/Syllables/Ylt7pyJe">syllables</a> to learn to break words into their component sounds.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3">3</a>

<h2 id="sports-and-other-pursuits">Sports and other pursuits</h2>

During <a href="/facts/UEFA_Euro_2016/FT4X5tYG">UEFA Euro 2016</a>, Iceland's fans became widely known for their '<a href="/facts/Volcano_clap/09BDh1BT">volcano clap</a>' (or 'Viking clap') with a 'huh' chant, though it originated with fans of Scottish club <a href="/facts/Motherwell_F.C./e3Sp9ER3">Motherwell F.C.</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a>
<a href="/facts/Canberra_Raiders/E8MYPcPm">Canberra Raiders</a> fans subsequently adopted the 'Viking clap'.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6">6</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7">7</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8">8</a> Similarly, fans of the <a href="/facts/Minnesota_Vikings/BvYzMuoJ">Minnesota Vikings</a> have also adopted the 'Viking clap' to show support for the team, chanting '<a href="/facts/Skol,_Vikings/DM1ToWgB">skol</a>' rather than the original 'huh' chant.
In the mid 2010s, a practice of clapping as a way to emphasize talking points emerged among African American women, especially when clapping out individual syllables in words. This was pointed out in popular media by the comedian <a href="/facts/Robin_Thede/p1LeNgku">Robin Thede</a> on <a href="/facts/The_Nightly_Show_with_Larry_Wilmore/jNumcVE9">The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9">9</a> It has since become more widely applied both online, often using the "hand clap" emoji, and in person.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10">10</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11">11</a>

<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>

<ul><li><a href="/facts/Applause/KnYPwduc">Applause</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Chest_physiotherapy/zLA7ULa1">Chest physiotherapy</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/The_Clapper/51WmJVQ4">The Clapper</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Clapper_(musical_instrument)/09b0hgR4">Clapper (musical instrument)</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Clapping_game/yceHV8DR">Clapping game</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Concert_etiquette/23jzpQXg">Concert etiquette</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Finger_snapping/Tsno4tcF">Finger snapping</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Palmas_(music)/QM0ElJQp">Palmas (music)</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Pat-a-cake/glj5wAdv">Pat-a-cake</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Tejime/ad1T2WuR">Tejime</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/The_Clapping_Song/flrgN9sR">The Clapping Song</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="notes">Notes</h2>

<ul><li>Brown, T. Pierce (2002). "<a href="http://www.gospelgazette.com/gazette/2002/sep/page17.htm">Is Clapping Hands in Worship Appropriate?</a>", Gospel Gazette.</li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1">Voices Archived 2008-05-16 at the Wayback Machine, RobPaterson.com. <a href="http://robpaterson.com/works-notes/voices.html" target="_blank">http://robpaterson.com/works-notes/voices.html</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:2">Papadakis, Nikolaos M.; Stavroulakis, Georgios E. (2020). "Handclap for Acoustic Measurements: Optimal Application and Limitations". Acoustics. 2 (2): 224–245. doi:10.3390/acoustics2020015. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390%2Facoustics2020015" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.3390%2Facoustics2020015</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">Brown, Carmen Sherry. "Language and Literacy Development in the Early Years: Foundational Skills that Support Emergent Readers" (PDF). Language and Literacy Spectrum. 24 (Spring 2014): 35–49. Retrieved 17 February 2020. <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1034914.pdf" target="_blank">https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1034914.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">"WATCH: Are Motherwell the inspiration behind Iceland's 'volcano clap'?". Sky Sports. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2018. <a href="http://www.skysports.com/football/news/33867/10328533/watch-are-motherwell-the-inspiration-behind-icelands-volcano-clap" target="_blank">http://www.skysports.com/football/news/33867/10328533/watch-are-motherwell-the-inspiration-behind-icelands-volcano-clap</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:5">Dutton, Chris (4 September 2016). "NRL what we learnt: The Viking Clap to return for Raiders finals after record-setting win". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 8 April 2018. <a href="http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rugby-league/canberra-raiders/nrl-what-we-learnt-the-viking-clap-to-return-for-raiders-finals-after-recordsetting-win-20160904-gr8cv3.html" target="_blank">http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rugby-league/canberra-raiders/nrl-what-we-learnt-the-viking-clap-to-return-for-raiders-finals-after-recordsetting-win-20160904-gr8cv3.html</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:6">Helmers, Caden (21 August 2016). "NRL talking points: Raiders fans got nuts for 'Viking Clap' and the Josh Hodgson effect". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 8 April 2018. <a href="http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rugby-league/canberra-raiders/nrl-talking-points-the-canberra-raiders-viking-clap-and-the-josh-hodgson-effect-20160821-gqxjjb.html" target="_blank">http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rugby-league/canberra-raiders/nrl-talking-points-the-canberra-raiders-viking-clap-and-the-josh-hodgson-effect-20160821-gqxjjb.html</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:7">"NRL 2016 video: Canberra Raiders' fans do Viking clap before win over Parramatta Eels". FOX Sports. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2018. <a href="http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/teams/raiders/canberra-raiders-fans-perform-viking-clap-before-win-over-parramatta-eels-at-gio-stadium/news-story/06558a256cbc7155f6601c28f4284376" target="_blank">http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/teams/raiders/canberra-raiders-fans-perform-viking-clap-before-win-over-parramatta-eels-at-gio-stadium/news-story/06558a256cbc7155f6601c28f4284376</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:8">Helmers, Caden (24 August 2016). "NRL: Canberra Raiders Luke Bateman and Sia Soliola want the Viking Clap to stay". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 April 2018. <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-canberra-raiders-luke-bateman-and-sia-soliola-want-the-viking-clap-to-stay-20160823-gqz1po.html" target="_blank">https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-canberra-raiders-luke-bateman-and-sia-soliola-want-the-viking-clap-to-stay-20160823-gqz1po.html</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:9">"The Nightly Show - Women's History Month Report: Black Lady Sign Language". Youtube. Comedy Central. Mar 17, 2016. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 17 February 2020. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34PjKtcVhVE" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34PjKtcVhVE</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:10">Waldman, Katy (April 6, 2016). "Stop 👏 Emphasizing 👏 Your 👏 Point 👏 by 👏 Putting 👏 Clap 👏 Emojis 👏 After 👏 Every 👏 Word". Slate. Retrieved 17 February 2020. <a href="https://slate.com/human-interest/2016/04/tweets-with-clap-emojis-between-the-words-are-annoying.html" target="_blank">https://slate.com/human-interest/2016/04/tweets-with-clap-emojis-between-the-words-are-annoying.html</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:11">LaBouvier, Chaédria (16 May 2017). "The Clap and the Clap Back: How Twitter Erased Black Culture From an Emoji". Vice. Retrieved 17 February 2020. <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/jpyajg/the-clap-and-the-clap-back-how-twitter-erased-black-culture-from-an-emoji" target="_blank">https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/jpyajg/the-clap-and-the-clap-back-how-twitter-erased-black-culture-from-an-emoji</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
</ol>

Clapping open-in-new

Clapping