Do you use a cowbell?

Midnite Zephyr

Platinum Member
I do. There's one thing that every song can use a little more of....more cowbell! I think it's one of the
single greatest pieces of persussion, right next to the snare drum, of course.
morecowbell.jpg
 
I use a cowbell on songs that require or (in my opinion) benefit from it. It's not something I use arbitrarily, for example instead of a ride or hat.

Bermuda
 
I do. If a tune prominently features a cowbell, there's really no substitute. A band I played quite a few gigs with last summer wanted me to perform a drum solo during Black Magic Woman and the cowbell was perfect. If I don't bring a cowbell, invariably there comes a time during the show when I wish I had it. It's like the smallest piece of equipment we play, so I figure why not just bring it all the time.
 
I haven't played set drums in years, but when I did, I used one quite a bit. But, they were in vogue more then! There are some clips of Ricky Nelson on You Tube, and there is one where the drummer plays only cow bell (hand held).
 
Probably the most useful accessory you can strap onto a kit. How are you going to play Brown Sugar without one? Not to mention lots of Latin or New Orleans stuff. I actually have two and sometimes stack them on the same mount for a tick-tock thing in Latin songs. I know a Latin guy who is really good at this. He puts them between the hat and shell tom and plays them with either hand as part of some really cool patterns. I go back and forth between trying to copy him and putting one in the typical place on the kick hoop. The second thing that usually goes there is one of those plastic wood blocks. Makes for a change up playing blues rhumbas instead of hitting on the hoops.
 
In my old wedding band, when drunk people were guaranteed, at least once a night, to come up to the band EVERY GIG and say something about "more cowbell" that they thought was clever and original, I came up with the "cowbell medley" that we would go into in response. We also countered the annoying "Freebird" thing by playing the first verse of Freebird and going into an L.S. medley. Clients really appreciated the way we handled the heckling, and we actually got several referrals because of our antics. Oh, and then there was our mic check song which always got a laugh. Ah, the good old days.

...nah, I hardly ever use cowbell anymore except for musicals. I don't play much Latin jazz around town...
 
I am aspiring to use more, but tastefully. There are the classics like Mississippi Queen with basic quarters that sound so good live and relatively easy to play. Recently, I have been working on and off to add a little life to my cowbelling. Mostly inpsired by this (a DW member posted this in My Playing section months ago)-

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=muqJIrsTcGM
 
I am aspiring to use more, but tastefully. There are the classics like Mississippi Queen with basic quarters that sound so good live and relatively easy to play. Recently, I have been working on and off to add a little life to my cowbelling. Mostly inpsired by this (a DW member posted this in My Playing section months ago)-

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=muqJIrsTcGM

Yes, I bought mine way back when specifically for that song and Motley Crue's Live Wire song. But lately I've been trying to work it into Fire on the Mountain and a feww free form jams here and there. I've found that playing good cowbell and tasteful cowbell is quite a skill working it into fills and whatnot.
 
I have two that are about an octave apart. Indispensible part of my set. Large bell on the BD hoop, small bell on the same rod as my drum set mounted tambourine. Between the 2 bells and the tambourine, it adds a very welcome sonic diversion to my drum beats. I use the cowbell in places you wouldn't normally use one, like during "Chain of Fools". Something about the chords, at least the way my guy plays them, just screams for cowbell. It really works well.

I use them in:

Black Magic Woman
Take Me To The River
Chain of Fools
Born on a Bayou
Suzie Q
Standing on Shaky Ground
Low Rider
Honky Tonk Women
American Band
Mississippi Queen

Plus during solos.

I need my bells.
 
I use a cowbell.
Mostly I use it when we do covers, but I have used it on a few original songs over the years.

I really like the one I have. LP Chrome Bongo Bell.
Sounds like Peter Criss' cowbell on KISS ALIVE!
 
Of Course! I have four cowbells and always have one on the kit at all times.
 
I am trying to learn left foot clave with a cowbell mounted one of those foot pedal thingies. Crap, is it hard!
 
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