Few instruments are as immediately recognisable as the castanets. A pair of small wooden shells pressed against the palm of the hand, struck by the fingers, capable of generating an entire rhythmic vocabulary. 

They are, for many travellers, the most «Spanish» sound on Earth, yet their story is far older than Spain itself, and their relationship with flamenco is more nuanced than most visitors imagine.

This guide covers everything you need to know about flamenco castanets, their history, how they are made, how they are played, and the question almost every flamenco aficionado eventually asks: are castanets really part of flamenco?

What are castanets?

Castanets are a percussion instrument consisting of two small concave shells, traditionally made of hardwood, joined by a cord and held in the palm of the hand. Each pair includes a higher-pitched piece (the hembra, or «female») and a lower-pitched one (the macho, or «male»), one for each hand. 

The player produces sound by striking the shells against each other with the fingers, generating sharp clicks, rapid rolls and complex rhythmic patterns.

The instrument is simple in design but extraordinarily expressive in skilled hands. A great castanet player can imitate the rolling thunder of a zapateado, dialogue with a flamenco guitar, or carry an entire melodic line during a bolero.

A long history: where do castanets come from?

The castanet is one of the oldest known percussion instruments in the world. Variants have been documented in ancient Egypt, Phoenicia and Greece, where small clappers made of wood, bone or shell accompanied religious rituals and theatrical performances. 

The Phoenicians most likely brought early forms of the instrument to the Iberian Peninsula during their Mediterranean trade routes more than 3,000 years ago.

In Spain, castanets settled, evolved and reached a sophistication unmatched anywhere else. Many countries play them in their traditional dances, but it was in Spain that their sound was refined, their use codified, and their place in stage art secured.

The regional names of castanets in Spain

One of the most fascinating signs of how deeply castanets are rooted in Spanish culture is the sheer number of local names they carry across the country. Each region has shaped the instrument, and named it, in its own way:

• Valencia: postizas
• Asturias: tarrañuelas
• Lorca (Murcia): castañotes
• Aragón: pulgareles or jotaneros
• Andalusia: palillos
• Canary Islands: chácaras (a particularly large variant)
• Galicia, Castile and other regions: further local names and variants

In Andalusia, the cradle of flamenco, the most common word is palillos,  literally «little sticks.» When you hear flamenco dancers or critics talk about tocar los palillos, they are talking about playing the castanets.

What are castanets made of?

Traditionally, the best castanets are carved from hardwoods with dense, resonant grain. The most prized materials include:

• Granadillo (African blackwood), the most respected wood among professionals, producing a clear, bright, projecting sound.

• Ebony and rosewood, dense, dark, with deep tone.

• Pomegranate wood, historically associated with Andalusia, traditionally used for high-quality castanets.

• Other woods: boxwood, oak and other regional varieties.

In the 20th century, fibreglass and composite castanets were introduced. They are louder, more durable, and less sensitive to humidity, qualities that made them popular for professional stage use, especially in large theatres. Purists still prefer wood for its warmth; many professionals own pairs in both materials.

Are castanets used in flamenco?

Here is where things get interesting, and where most general guides get it wrong.

Castanets are not, strictly speaking, a flamenco instrument. Pure traditional flamenco — the cante jondo, the soleá, the seguiriya, the tientos, does not use them.

The rhythmic accompaniment in those styles comes from the guitar, the cajón, the palmas (hand-clapping) and the dancer’s own feet (zapateado). Adding castanets to a soleá would be considered a stylistic error by most purists.

Where castanets do appear is in:

• Escuela bolera: the Spanish classical dance tradition that flourished from the 18th century onwards. Many ballet-trained Spanish dancers learn castanets as a core technique.

• Folkloric dances: regional dances such as the Aragonese jota or the fandango, where castanets are part of the local tradition.

• Certain lighter flamenco palos: such as some interpretations of alegrías, garrotín or farruca, where castanets can be added without breaking the style.

• Stylised flamenco for stage and theatre: large theatrical productions sometimes incorporate castanets for visual and sonic effect, especially in pieces inspired by Spanish ballet.

So if you visit an authentic tablao flamenco, you will typically not see castanets on stage, and that is not an omission, it is a fidelity to the tradition. If you see them in a flamenco performance, it is usually in a piece consciously drawing from Spanish classical dance.

How do you play castanets?

The technique looks simple but takes years to master. The basic mechanics:

1. Holding the instrument. A cord wraps around the thumb of each hand. The shells hang against the palm, with the four fingers free to strike them.

2. The basic strike (called a golpe). A single finger taps the shell, producing one clean click.

3. The roll (carretilla). All four fingers strike in rapid succession, pinky, ring, middle, index, generating the characteristic rolling sound that, to the untrained ear, sounds like a continuous trill. This is the technical signature of advanced castanet playing.

4. The pitos. Both hands striking together for an accented beat.

5. The media carretilla. A shorter roll, played with two or three fingers, introduced by Pilar López in the 20th century to expand the instrument’s vocabulary.

Coordinating both hands, each playing its own pattern, in different pitches, at high speed, is what separates a casual player from a professional. Top performers practise for years to keep the wrists relaxed, the rolls perfectly even, and the rhythm precisely locked to the music.

The great masters of castanets in the 20th century

The castanet went from a folk instrument to a serious concert vehicle through a handful of legendary figures, most of them based in Spain or working between Spain and Latin America.

Antonia Mercé, «La Argentina» (1890–1936)

Born in Buenos Aires to Spanish parents, Antonia Mercé is the artist who elevated the castanet to concert status. 

She commissioned castanets with one shell hollowed deeper than the other so the two hands produced contrasting tones, and developed dynamic control, true forte and piano, that nobody had achieved before. Her recitals brought castanets to the world’s greatest stages.

Vicente Escudero (1888–1980)

A revolutionary figure, Vicente Escudero experimented with metal castanets, explored new rhythmic patterns and pushed the instrument into avant-garde territory. 

He brought a male, percussive aesthetic to castanet playing at a time when it was still associated mainly with female bolero dancers.

Pilar López (1912–2008)

Sister of the legendary «La Argentinita,» Pilar López introduced the media carretilla, refined the technique, and trained generations of Spanish dancers in the proper use of castanets. Her teaching shaped the entire 20th-century school.

Emma Maleras (1919–2017)

Catalan dancer and pedagogue, Emma Maleras turned castanet playing into a fully notated discipline. She created a bigram system that transcribes castanet rhythms on a two-line staff, the most influential method ever written for the instrument. Her work transformed castanets into a subject taught in conservatories.

José de Udaeta (1919–2009)

A disciple of Maleras, José de Udaeta gave castanets a theatrical and concert dimension previously unimaginable. He performed as a solo castanet player with major orchestras around the world, proving that the instrument could carry an entire concert piece on its own.

Castanets in opera, ballet and beyond

Beyond the Spanish stage, castanets travelled into the European classical repertoire. Bizet’s Carmen is perhaps the most famous example, Carmen’s Habanera and Seguidilla are inseparable from the castanet’s clicking. Ravel’s Bolero and works by Manuel de Falla also feature the instrument prominently.

In opera and ballet productions of Spanish-themed works, castanets remain a standard element of the orchestral or stage palette, even when the performers are not Spanish.

Frequently asked questions about castanets

Are castanets used in flamenco?

Not in pure traditional flamenco, where rhythm comes from guitar, cajón, palmas and the dancer’s feet. Castanets are core to Spanish classical dance (escuela bolera) and appear in lighter flamenco palos and stylised theatrical productions. Most authentic tablaos do not feature them.

What are castanets called in Spanish?

The general Spanish word is castañuelas. In Andalusia they are commonly called palillos. Other regional names include postizas (Valencia), tarrañuelas (Asturias) and chácaras (Canary Islands).

What are professional castanets made of?

Top-tier castanets are made of dense hardwoods such as granadillo (African blackwood), ebony or pomegranate wood. Fibreglass castanets are also used at professional level for their volume and durability.

How long does it take to learn castanets?

Basic patterns can be picked up in a few weeks. Becoming proficient enough to perform with a dance company typically takes several years of consistent practice, often as part of a Spanish dance education.

See live flamenco in Barcelona

If reading about castanets has made you curious about the wider world of flamenco, the best next step is to see the real thing. At Tablao Flamenco Cordobes, the historical tablao of La Rambla since 1970, you can experience pure traditional flamenco, guitar, voice, dance, palmas, in the intimate setting where this art was always meant to be heard.