How to clap your hands
Clapping is the percussion element in many forms of music. There are many ways to clap depending on how we align one hand with the other and the sound we make will depend on how fast we strike our hands and the force with which we do so. When we clap our hands we push away the air that is between our hands, this increases the air spaces near our hands. More air molecules are temporarily compressed into less space and this high air pressure wave reaches our eardrums causing us to hear the sound called a clap. This happens because our ears are sensitive to pressure waves and hence the clap of your hands.
Reasons for clapping your hands
Clapping your hands is usually a way to express happiness and to show appreciation. It can also be a form of gestural communication and this first started with wild female swamp gorillas to show enthusiasm or to attract humans. Clapping your hands once or twice abruptly is a way to say “stop now” or “look this way”.
In Tibet hand clapping is used to shoo away evil spirits. If you clap your hands this may also be a way to shoo away animals especially birds, cats or dogs. Parents also clap their hands twice firmly as a way for their kids to stop doing something.
Today almost everyone claps continuously at almost all public occasions for live occasions for sports, music or church. It is a way for persons to collectively say “I like what I saw or heard and I enjoyed it”. Usually it is children that clap their little hands every day whether in class or outdoor games. Hand clapping is a popular game in girls. They usually clap to the rhythm of songs that usually have repeated words.
Clapping is usually used at devotions of schools and forms the major component of music accompanying church songs. It is said to enhance the minds of the clappers and in some churches the worshippers could actually end up in frenzy.
Benefits of clapping your hands
Clapping your hands can also have significant health benefits such as improving your immune system. It is said that it stimulates the acupuncture points and it also removes obstacles from the main and collateral channels.
It is found by scientists that small children that clap each day had improved cognitive abilities, social integration and were more hard working. It sharpens the brains of children, their hand writing is neater and better, and they have fewer spelling errors.
Clap your hand in Music
A lot of songs have clapping as part of their music. Some songs even use clapping your hands as a part of the words of the song with the intention to keep the audience’s attention and keep the audience fit. So however fast, or loud or how many times you clap will have a different meaning to the person clapping and the person listening.