Peitsche

As Printed on a Score

The German label for the whip on a percussion line, usually written out in full (Peitsche). Each note is a single crack, so it is written as short, often accented notes on a one-line staff or a shared percussion staff, and it stays with that player until the part names the next instrument.

How Composers Use It

Despite the name it is a slapstick — two hinged wooden boards slapped together — and it gives one dry crack, never a sustained sound. Use it for a single gunshot-like accent on a downbeat or at a climax; repeated quickly it sounds busy rather than powerful. The player needs a free moment to pick it up, and it should not be confused with the Rute, a bundle of twigs usually played on the bass drum.

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