COWBELL

The 'cowbell' is a percussion instrument.

Contents

Background

As a musical instrument

Almglocken / Alpine Bells

Clapperless Cowbells

In popular culture

As noisemakers

Bands who use the cowbell in their recordings

See also

Reference

External links

Background

While the cowbell is commonly found in musical contexts, its origin can be traced to freely roaming animals. In order to help identify the herd to which these animals belonged herdsmen placed these bells around the animal's necks. As the animals moved about the bell would ring, thus making it easier to know of the animal's whereabouts. While bells were used on various types of animals, they are typically referred to as "cowbells" due to their extensive use with cattle. Cowbells are commonly trapezoid, cylindrical or cup-shaped.

As a musical instrument

Greek herdsmen often use several bells attached to principal animals which produce a distinctive chord. The scale on which this chord is based is then reproduced in the herdsman's pipe - so he can play along with the herd. Similar bells have been used in Western European classical music to evoke a pastoral mood.

Almglocken / Alpine Bells

'Almglocken', sometimes known as 'Alpine Bells', typically refer to bulbuous brass bells that are used to play music as a novelty act or tourist attraction in the northern Alps. Since they are tuned differently to distinguish individual animals, they can be collected "from the pasture" in random tunings, but commercial sets in equal temperament are also available. The metal clapper is retained, and they sound much more noisy than handbells, which are otherwise used similarly in ensembles.
Composers who included almglocken among their musical palette include Gustav Mahler, Roy Harter, and Karlheinz Stockhausen.
On October 21, 2005, Roy Harter gave a Verizon-sponsored televised alpine bell performance in Times Square, New York City. The performance was simulcast on the Viacom Jumbo-Tron Screen in Times Square, New York, and aired on the Nickelodeon cable television network.

Clapperless Cowbells

Clapperless cowbells made of metal are an important element in Latin-American and go go music. These cowbells are struck with a stick - the tone being modulated by striking different parts of the bell and by damping with the hand holding the bell.
In several parts of the world (notably in West Africa) pairs or trios of clapperless bells are joined in such a way that they can be struck separately or clashed together. The Brazilian name for these is "agogo" bells. Cylindrical wood blocks played in the same way are also called "agogo". In Cuban music the cowbell is called ''cencerro'' and often played by the same player as the bongos. In Caribbean music two or three are often mounted together with a pair of Timbales.
This type of cowbell can also be bowed with a double bass bow. This produces a high-pitched, ghastly noise.

In popular culture

There are numerous examples of the cowbell being featured as an instrument in popular music. An early pop recording example is Hugh Masekela's 1968 instrumental single Grazin' in the Grass. List of rock and pop songs featuring cowbell The Roland TR-808 drum machine was noted for its distinctive cowbell sound, which sounded almost nothing like an actual cowbell; the sound was highly electronic with a sharp, short decay. Regardless of its lack of realism, the TR-808 cowbell became a popular sound in 1980s R&B and hip hop music, popularized by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis-produced artists such as The SOS Band and Janet Jackson. Its distinctive and notorious timbre has enjoyed continued use by hip hop and R&B artists well into the 1990s and 2000s, as well as by bands in other genres such as the Super Furry Animals ("Juxtaposed With U") and the Dismemberment Plan ("You Are Invited"). DFA Records are noted for using a lot of cowbell in their remixes.
The cowbell gained popular attention as the subject of a famous ''Saturday Night Live'' skit popularly known as "More Cowbell." That skit parodied Blue Öyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", one of the more successful pieces of popular music to feature the cowbell. Rock band Queens of the Stone Age have also used the cowbell in many songs. The cowbell sound in their 2005 single "Little Sister" was actually achieved using a jam block, but when they performed it on Saturday Night Live, Will Ferrell, dressed like Gene Frenkle from the More Cowbell skit, played the jam block part on the cowbell.

As noisemakers

Cowbells are sometimes popular noisemakers at sporting events, despite attempts to suppress them. In the United States, they are most closely identified with Mississippi State University, whose football fans smuggle in cowbells by the thousands despite a ban on artificial noisemakers by its conference, the Southeastern Conference. SEC votes for football yardage penalties for cowbell use
Worldwide, in cross-country skiing, cowbells are often rung vigorously at the start and finishes of races. Cornell ice hockey fans who are also known for their zealous support of their team have cheers that feature use of a cowbell while in Lynah Rink. The San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League are also (in)famous for their fans' use of cowbells. In New Zealand, supporters of the Waikato Rugby Union invariably use cowbells at home matches; this has been carried over to home matches of the Chiefs, the Super 14 franchise centered on the Waikato region.
A small, intrepid band of Toronto Blue Jays fans at Rogers Centre frequently bring cowbells to Blue Jays home games. They are common enough at Tampa Bay Devil Rays home games that the stadium scoreboard graphics crew have a pre-built graphic that says "More Cowbell!!". They are also rung vigorously during cyclo-cross races. The Everett Silvertips fans also use cowbells, after the team watched the ''Saturday Night Live'' skit while on their tour bus in their inaugural season, and said they wanted the fans to have cowbells. They have a "more cowbell" that sometimes shows on the jumbotron.
At Shea Stadium, the home of the New York Mets a season ticket holder referred to as "Cow-Bell-Man" brings a cowbell to Mets home games to get the fans into the game and cheer on the Mets. He walks around all the sections of the stadium as fans go up to him to shake his hand and take a picture with him. Some Mets fans find him annoying but other appreciate his passion as a loyal Mets fan. At Shea during promotional Latin nights fans bring cowbells to the game. When Pedro Martinez is on the mound you can find a cowbell or two in the stands.

Bands who use the cowbell in their recordings

★ The Chambers Brothers

★ Blue Öyster Cult

★ Gov't Mule

★ Loverboy

★ Rush

★ The Beatles

★ Fleetwood Mac

★ Blood, Sweat & Tears

★ Mountain

★ LCD Soundsystem

★ Led Zeppelin

★ Local H

★ Eagles of Death Metal

★ Queens of the Stone Age

★ Guns N' Roses

★ Audioslave

★ The Donnas

★ Santana

★ Devo

★ The Rapture

★ New Found Glory

★ Pink Floyd

★ Every Time I Die

★ ill Niño

★ and many more

See also

★ Trycheln

★ Safri Duo

Reference

External links

★ Roy Harter's Alpine Bell website

★ Making music with pitched cowbells

★ Information on Olympic Winter Games Cheering Cowbells