How to "play" them or use them
Wooden spoons are always tied together either face-to-face or back-to-back. In both cases, they are held in a way permitting to alternatively hit the thigh and the inside of the other hand in a rhythmic way. They can also be scraped against the inner side of the fingers to imitate the noise of tne guiro or the rattle. Most often, a mixture of both techniques is used.
I have often been asked what to do with the bones or still,
how to play them. I think there is no elaborate method nor any
precise way on this subject and I think there would be as many
methods or ways as there are bone "players".
Holding the bones
On the above sketch, I intentionnally chose a light and a dark
bones to make explanations easier. The light bone is held rather
firmly between the thumb and the index, while the dark one is
held either between the index and the middle finger or, between
the middle and ring fingers.
Handling the bones
Here are a few ways to use them that I have observed.
One is to hold the light bone firmly enough so that it does not
move and the dark one rather freely, then, with an oscillatory
movement of the hand at the wrist level, let the dark bone hit
the light one.
Another way is to hold the dark bone more firmly and, using the
thumb, let the light bone hit the dark one.
Then there is the mixture of both ways. The important is being
able to produce rhythmic patterns.
Limberjacks are normally sold with a dancing board and a wooden stick to hold the dancer from the back. The board is inserted between you thigh and your chair, then holding the limberjack with one hand and hitting the board with the other hand, you let him dance!