Getting the clap

Get your mind out of the gutter and north of the border. I'm talking about handclaps.

I like guitars, drums, bass and all the instruments that go into a rockin' good song. I also like bands named after streets with large, black men playing saxophone.

But I believe I've already covered that territory.

Anyway, a sound I particularly love, and coincidentally the easiest instrument to carry, is handclaps. From streetcorner doo-wop groups in the Village in NY, to the polished sound of a studio album years in the making, handclaps bring an energy and reality to the song in a way nothing else can.

I have a few handclap favorites - there are hundreds of them.

Here, in no particular order, and without any regard for the quality of the rest of the song, are some for your watching and listening pleaser.

Oh, and one bit of handclap trivia: on the last one, the sound you hear really is handclaps and not a studio clapboard.

Please to enjoy.