Two-tone Block
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The Two-Tone Block is a percussion instrument used in bands. Each wooden, cylindrical side is hollowed out, and tuned to a different pitch. This is similar to the tuned Chinese temple blocks. When played with a wooden beater, the two-tone block gives a bright and penetrating sound with a certain hollowness not found in claves.
| Family |
| Percussions |
| Pitch range |
| None. |
| Material |
| Wood, usually teak. |
| Size |
| Variable. |
| Origins |
| Two-tone blocks became known through early jazz music. New bands - often composed of amateurs and street musicians - used two-tone blocks as a cheaper alternative to temple blocks, which, because they were imported from China, were often too expensive. |
| Classification |
| Idiophone: an instrument that produces its sound through the use of the material from which it is made, without needing strings or a stretched skin. |
| And also... |
| Composers have used two-tone blocks to imitate a variety of effects from horses' hooves to a dripping tap and a ticking clock. |
