Thread: What type of instrument makes this sound?

So I'm not entirely sure what family this instrument belongs to but I assume it's percussion because it's used in a percussive way. It almost sounds like multiple sticks snapping and clacking at once. Generally used in tense or suspenseful scenes in movies and TV shows. It was used in Hans Werner Henze's "Fantasia For Strings" and Krzysztof Penderecki's "Polymorphia", which were both used in the movie "The Exorcist". I also believe it was used in the X Files but can't remember a specific scene. Here are some examples of where it can be heard:

right in the beginning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLm0DIS4fVo

at 0:24: https://youtu.be/_mkkFLy-12U?t=23

The sound at the beginning of the "Gotham" clip is simply violins (& cellos) with the bows being bounced on the strings. That sort of thing occurs frequently in Penderecki and his contemporaries.

Originally Posted by NoCoPilot

The sound at the beginning of the "Gotham" clip is simply violins (& cellos) with the bows being bounced on the strings. That sort of thing occurs frequently in Penderecki and his contemporaries.

Yes, I believe it's specifically the wooden part of the bow (col legno). It can also be heard at the beginning of Mars from Holst's The Planets. Isn't there also a certain playing style that bounces the hair of the bow on the strings?

Originally Posted by elgars ghost

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Ricochet, maybe?

Could be.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violin_technique

Under "Bowing techniques" there is "Jeté" (aka ricochet). That seems to fit.