Washboard
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Image:Washboard morguefile.jpg
A washboard is a tool designed for hand washing clothing. With mechanized cleaning of clothing becoming more common by the end of the 20th century, the washboard has become better known for its (originally) subsidiary use as a musical instrument.
The traditional washboard is usually constructed with a rectangular wooden frame in which are mounted a series of ridges for the clothing to be rubbed upon. For 19th century washboards, the ridges were often of wood as well; in the 20th century, ridges of metal became more common. In the late 20th century and early 21st century, ridges of galvanized steel are most common. Washboards with brass ridges are still made, and some who use washboards as musical instruments prefer the sound of the somewhat more expensive brass boards.
The washboard used for laundry
Image:Glass washboard.jpg Though the washboard is generally used as a musical instrument or sound-making device, many parts of the world still use them for washing clothes.
The washboard as a musical instrument
Image:WashboardPiano.JPG The washboard and frottoir are used as a percussion instrument, employing the ribbed metal surface of the cleaning device as a rhythm instrument. The washboard is used in many diverse forms of music such as jazz, cajun, jug band, and old time music.
The washboard is mounted in a wooden frame, but the frottoir is made only from the metal ribbing and is hung around the neck. The frottoir is also called a Cajun or Zydeco rub-board and is a late 20th century variation on the washboard, designed specifically for musical use. It was (almost certainly) invented by one of Clifton "King of Zydeco" Chenier's associates (or, possibly, by Mr. Chenier himself).
The frottoir or vest frottoir (from Cajun French "vest to be rubbed") is played as a stroked percussion instrument, often in a band with a drummer, while the washboard generally is a replacement for drums. In Zydeco bands, the frottoir is usually played with bottle openers, to make a louder sound. It tends to play counter-rhythms to the drummer.
In a jug band, the washboard is stroked with a single whisk broom and functions as the drums for the band, playing only on the back-beat for most songs, a substitute for a snare drum. In a four-beat measure, the washboard will stroke on the 2-beat and the 4-beat. Its best sound is achieved using a single steel-wire snare-brush or whisk broom.
Image:Yoyogi-park07.jpg However, in a jazz setting, the washboard can also be played with thimbles on all fingers, tapping out much more complex rhythms, as in the Washboard Rhythm Kings, a full-sized band.
Some washboard players may add other small percussion devices to the washboard, such as a cymbal, woodblock, or cowbell, which can periodically be struck to vary the effect.
A frottoir is played with a stroking instrument (usually thimble-gloves or a pair of bottle-openers) in each hand. In a 4-beat measure, the Frottoir will be stroked 8 to 16 times. It plays more like a Latin percussion instrument, rather than as a drum. The rhythms used are often similar to those played on Guiro.
Quotation
From the song "Coney Island Washboard":
- The thimbles on her fingers make the noise,
- She plays the Charleston of the laundry for the boys.
- She can rag a tune right through the knees
- Of a brand-new pair of BVD's.
- Coney Island washboard roundelay.de:Waschbrett