Mounted tambourine/cowbell placement and why?

Steve_tx

Member
If you use them, where do you mount your tambourine and/or cowbell?

I recently started using a mounted tambourine and cowbell combo for a couple of new songs in my playlist. I've tried positioning the tamb/cowbell mount where I've seen many other drummers put such items, near the hi-hat, above my rack toms, and other areas on the left half of my kit.

I have standard 5-piece kit with slightly off-set rack toms, both mounted on a stand over the left half of the bass drum. I found tamb/cowbell mount positions on the left-side awkward or crowded. I found that placing the tamb/cowbell mount to the right of my ride cymbal and just above my floor tom to be most comfortable. So that very well may be where I leave it, that area feels good to me. However, I've not noticed any other drummers mounting a tambourine or cowbell there.

So my question to those that have such items, where do you mount them? Why? Where else have you tried to mount them?

Thanks.
 
I flew the tamb off the hat stand....sometimes mounted to the rod but more often to a boom arm that had it positioned to the left of and a little higher than the hats. And the cow bell has either been mounted off the bass drum hoop or off a cymbal stand above the floor tom to my right.

Why? They were where I could reach them and they felt most comfortable, yet not in the way as they weren't used in every song.
 
It's been a while since I needed either, but when I did:

Cowbell off the right cymbal stand, so the bell is just above the ride.
I have long legs, and my knee rubs up against the bell if it's mounted off the bass drum.

Tambourine is off the hi-hat stand, just to the left of the hi-hat. So I can still play the hi-hat as normal, and do back beats on the tambourine with my left hand, or move my hand off the hit-hat and hit the tambourine that way.
 
Mounted just left of the high hat, tamborine just a bit higher than the hat, jam block just below it and then the cow bell below that. I also have a foot pedal mounted cow bell left of the high hat pedal and a hat trick mounted on the high hat.

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I keep my tamb and cowbell on the same rod off a stand that's near my hi hat. There's not a marimba in sight, I guess I'm not a virtuoso like SOME people...:p

Plus I have a larger bell on my bass drum hoop. Need my bells and tamb.

Chicks love cowbells, I've been told numerous times by women that they love it when I use the bell. Just last weekend a couple of 20 somethings were almost demanding it. Talking about my cowbell.
 
thats a sweet setup! do you have a cover over the shells or are those the shells?

That looks like a set of Peavey radial drums. Google them - it's an interesting design.

EDIT - to the OP, I have the tambourine above and slightly to the right of my hats, in between the hats and tom. I need it there because there are a couple songs on which I play sixteenths on it. The cowbell goes to the right of my ride, above the floor tom. Both mount to cymbal stands. In fact, I mount everything to two cymbal stands using clamps and arms.
 
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Tamborine to the left and slightly below the hats. Cowbells to the right and above the hats. Jam block at 10 o'clock above the snare rim if used.
 
I keep my tamb and cowbell on the same rod off a stand that's near my hi hat. There's not a marimba in sight, I guess I'm not a virtuoso like SOME people...:p

Plus I have a larger bell on my bass drum hoop. Need my bells and tamb.

Chicks love cowbells, I've been told numerous times by women that they love it when I use the bell. Just last weekend a couple of 20 somethings were almost demanding it. Talking about my cowbell.

Yes of course. Talking about your co-... Nevermind.

My tambourine is mounted to my hihat stand, and it sits to the left and below my hats. I like this positioning, since it allows me to play it in the same way I would my hats, and it just feels right to me. No cowbell. I hate the cowbell. I will never add a cowbell to my kit. In fact, it has even become a joke among my friends - they tell me if I'm ever a dick to them, they'll buy a cowbell, and mount it on my kit when I'm not home. Sure as hell keeps me in line...
 
Oh man I need a cowbell. Let's see, "Black Magic Woman" without a cowbell is not Latin sounding, "Suzie Q" without a cowbell is not Suzie Q. "Honky Tonk Women" is cowbell dependant, I use it on "Mustang Sally", and the Beatles "Baby You Can Drive My Car". I use it on "Chain of Fools" and on "Born on the Bayou" as well as "Take Me to the River". It really adds a lot to these songs. Not understanding the hate, especially when the women comment on it as much as they do. If the women like it, that's good enough for me. But hey, I can't stand the tone of a guiro so it's all preference.
 
I use 2 cowbells on my kit. Rarely at a gig though.

I have a small cha-cha bell on the bass drum and a mambo bell mounted off of a cymbal stand to my right so the cowbell sits just behind my floor tom.
 
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