Schlägel

As Printed on a Score

Printed over percussion parts in compounds that name the stick — Holzschlägel, Schwammschlägel, Filzschlägel — or with an adjective (“gewöhnliche Schlägel”). It lasts until the next stick direction. Schlegel is an equally common spelling.

Also spelled: Schlaegel, Schlegel

How Composers Use It

The choice of stick shapes a percussion sound as much as the instrument: hard sticks give attack and definition, soft ones bloom and blur. German scores name the stick precisely, and percussionists expect to be told when to change and when to return to normal sticks. Leave time for each change.

Example

Mahler, Symphony No. 5, third movement (Scherzo), cymbals, m. 480: “mit Schwamm-” “schlägel” — the compound printed in two pieces, at f.

Related Terms