What makes fingers snap

The Guinness World Record for the loudest finger snap is decibels by Bob Hatch in California, in , which is considered comparable to a rock band loud. I was expecting some difference related to finger strength and muscle mass affecting the resonance. In a lame little Facebook survey, more of my friends indicated the right-handed snap sounded higher.

I think my right might be slightly higher, but I am left handed. So I don't know what to make of this, although there is that even handed thing. I would expect that people with bigger palms and maybe longer fingers would have a lower sounding snap. A musician I know noted that curling your remaining fingers also affects the tone of the snap.

Friday, May 18, What causes the snap? What affects the loudness of the snap? What affects the pitch of the snap? The materials vibrate in slightly different ways, giving us all kinds of sounds to hear and music to make.

Bennefield is really interested in how we can use snapping in making music. Think about how that sound can bring a certain emotion or feeling to the song. Maybe you can even try some snapping experiments of your own. Try a snap in your right hand. Now try the left. Did you notice any differences? Now, try playing with some different rhythms.

Snap at a nice, slow steady pace or pick up the pace for a quicker rhythm. If you are up for the challenge, see how many snaps you can do in a minute. Record your results. Often people start off with something simple, and if the symptoms persist or return, a more invasive treatment may be recommended. Some of the simplest treatments include splinting of the affected digit, physical therapy, and giving the problem some time to see if the symptoms resolve. Ligaments hold joints together and are often damaged when a finger is sprained or dislocated.

The ligaments can be partially or completely torn. Common symptoms of a ligament injury include pain along the side of a joint after injury, and swelling of the joint. Finger osteoarthritis can cause the wearing away of the normal smooth cartilage surfaces of the joints. As arthritis worsens , joint movements can become limited and painful. Finger arthritis can cause popping and snapping as a result of small bone spurs around the arthritic joints.

The joints may pop or snap because of uneven surfaces or alignment abnormalities. Patients may notice a small bump around the arthritic joint called a mucous cyst. It is interesting to note that osteoarthritis of the hand is more common in women over the age of 50, and there is also a strong genetic component linked to it.

This means that having a parent with osteoarthritis of the hand especially the one who is the same gender as you appears to increase your risk of developing it. Smoking and handedness may also play a role, but it is not as clear. Finger snapping, popping, and clicking has not been shown to be a cause of arthritis, despite what you may have been told—a common misconception. However, that is not to say that finger clicking is never a problem.

The most common sign of a problem that is related to snapping or clicking is pain associated with the noise.