# Monkey stick > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Monkey_stick > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Monkey_stick.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_stick > Source revision: 1309018090 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) This article is about the musical instrument. For other uses, see [Mendoza (disambiguation)](/source/Mendoza_(disambiguation)). A **monkey stick** (also called a **mendoza**, **mendozer**, **Murrumbidgee river rattler**, **lagerphone** or **zob stick**)[1] is a traditional [English](/source/England) [percussion instrument](/source/Percussion_instrument), used in [folk music](/source/Folk_music). Some musicians have taken to fixing a small stuffed toy [monkey](/source/Monkey) to the tops of their instruments. The instrument is constructed from a stout pole with metal "[jingles](/source/Jingle_(percussion))" fastened at intervals along the shaft. These are commonly beer-bottle tops with a 1-inch washer in between the tops and the shaft. A boot that might be attached to the base of the pole is a recent 'Zob Stick' addition. When played on a wooden floor (common in [ale-houses](/source/Public_house)), the sound produced is a combination of a [bass drum](/source/Bass_drum) and [tambourine](/source/Tambourine). It can also be played with an additional small notched or serrated stick held in the other hand, allowing it to not only be shaken or hammered onto the ground, but also "bowed" to produce a combined clicking and rattling sound. Bands such as [Groanbox](/source/Groanbox), [Zapoppin'](/source/Zapoppin') and [Dr. Busker](/source/Dr._Busker) have incorporated the monkey stick into their recordings and live shows. ## Other names and versions In [Australia](/source/Australia), this instrument constructed with beer-bottle tops is known as a lagerphone.[1] The same name and construction is found in [New Zealand](/source/New_Zealand). The town of [Brooweena](/source/Brooweena,_Queensland) in [Queensland](/source/Queensland), [Australia](/source/Australia) claims to hold the unofficial record when 134 people simultaneously played the lagerphone in 2009.[2] In [Newfoundland](/source/Newfoundland_and_Labrador), it is referred to as an "[ugly stick](/source/Ugly_stick)". In the Dutch province of [Friesland](/source/Friesland) this type of instrument is known as a '[kuttepiel](https://fy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuttepiel)'. In the American upper-[Midwestern](/source/Midwestern_United_States) states of [Minnesota](/source/Minnesota) and [Wisconsin](/source/Wisconsin), the closely related [vozembouch](/source/Vozembouch), [stumpf fiddle](/source/Stumpf_fiddle) or [pogocello](/source/Pogocello) originated in [Czech communities](/source/Czech_American) and adds small cymbals, strings, and a drum. A similar instrument, the batih, is found in [Ukraine](/source/Ukraine). The "zob stick" variation of this [instrument](/source/Musical_instrument) was constructed and named in 1968 by [percussionist](/source/Percussionist) and [songwriter](/source/Songwriter) [Keef Trouble](/source/Keef_Trouble) of the [band](/source/Band_(music)) [Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts](/source/Brett_Marvin_and_the_Thunderbolts) and [Terry Dactyl and the Dinosaurs](/source/Terry_Dactyl_and_the_Dinosaurs), and included a sprung-[boot](/source/Boot) attached to the bottom of the pole and a metal sleeve round its centre, to be hit with a serrated wooden stick. It is now, with the term ‘Lagerphone’, the most commonly used name for this instrument.[citation needed] The term '[zob](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/zob)' was taken from the British [naval slang](/source/Naval_slang) term for "penis". ## See also - [Turkish crescent](/source/Turkish_crescent) - [Bush band](/source/Bush_band) - [Ugly stick](/source/Ugly_stick) - [Boomba](/source/Boomba) ## References 1. *[The Bushwackers](/source/The_Bushwackers_(band)) Australian Song Book*, new edition 1981, published by Anne O'Donovan Pty Ltd, ISBN 0 908476 07 8 : *Lagerphone or Murrumbidgee River Rattler. An upright pole with two crosspieces upon which are screwed beer bottle tops. The noise is made by hitting the instrument on the floor, at the same time striking the middle section with a solid piece of wood.* 1. ["Unofficial lagerphone record set in Brooweena"](http://www.abc.net.au/local/videos/2009/06/09/2593526.htm). *ABC Wide Bay*. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 June 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2009. ## External links - [Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts](https://web.archive.org/web/20090120053424/http://www.brettmarvin.co.uk/home.html) (Web Site featuring [Keef Trouble](/source/Keef_Trouble) and the original 'Zob Stick'.) - [\[1\]](http://www.keithsayers.id.au/Lagerphones/lagerphones.htm) The Lagerphone Pages by Keith Sayers (Canberra February 2014) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Monkey stick](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_stick) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_stick?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.