is cowbell's really that worth it to have?

I don't think I own one any longer.

But I can trigger it.
The only time in my 30+ years of playing that I actually used a cowbell was when playing We are not gonna take it and Killing in the name of (for that last one I actually had a small and a regular sized cowbells so it sounded correct). They were not mine, they belonged to the guy that somehow managed to bring his drums, guitar and assorted gear onboard and was allowed to keep it. (Personal storage space is a luxury in a military ship unless you are a high ranking officer which I am not). To me it's not worth to own one for only 2 songs, and yes I can trigger it too if I really need one. The Alesis DM5 has a surprisingly decent amount of percussion samples that are very usable.. But I also have the Roland TD-11 so one of them will have the right sample.
 
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Let’s put it this way: you will be asked if you have a cowbell to cover certain songs long before anyone asks if you have a double bass drum pedal.
At least a cowbell is way cheaper but in my particular case I have never been asked if I had a cowbell and I have been asked several times if I can play double bass...
 
At least a cowbell is way cheaper but in my particular case I have never been asked if I had a cowbell and I have been asked several times if I can play double bass...
I didn’t say there wouldn’t be any exceptions, but I think for the majority of working drummers - being able to play a good Latin groove is a bigger call then double bass. In my entire career nobody has ever asked me if I could play double bass or ever made that a requirement.

I do recall Gregg Bissonette being asked for a big double bass solo when he initially auditioned for David Lee Roth back on the 80s - and that guy delivered. But I still contend most of the work involving wedding bands and cover bands (which I think outnumber rock n roll acts) the cowbell is still king.
 
I didn’t say there wouldn’t be any exceptions, but I think for the majority of working drummers - being able to play a good Latin groove is a bigger call then double bass. In my entire career nobody has ever asked me if I could play double bass or ever made that a requirement.

I do recall Gregg Bissonette being asked for a big double bass solo when he initially auditioned for David Lee Roth back on the 80s - and that guy delivered. But I still contend most of the work involving wedding bands and cover bands (which I think outnumber rock n roll acts) the cowbell is still king.
In both of my bands (a classic rock covers band and an original indie-Latin rock band), there are several songs that require cowbell, and so I have one on my kit for almost every gig. I can play either gig without using double bass (and have many times).
 
Main problem with the cowbell, IMO, is the cow. Hard to transport her to the gig, too big for most stages, poops and pees all over the floor (hard enough packing up drums as it is), ass facing out to the crowd. But despite all that Bessie is an important part of the band!
But if your band covers any Milli Vanilli, you can just sit back and milk it through those tunes.
 
If I promise to take a 3rd Pfizer shot, can we close, lock and burn this thread?

...and why are they called cowbells anyway?...they don't sound a thing like cows.

(sorry, it appears Jerry Seinfeld just possessed me)
 
If I promise to take a 3rd Pfizer shot, can we close, lock and burn this thread?

...and why are they called cowbells anyway?...they don't sound a thing like cows.

(sorry, it appears Jerry Seinfeld just possessed me)

"Who are these cows?"
 
CowbellSongs.com has an exhaustive list of songs--by artist--featuring this beloved instrument.
 
If I promise to take a 3rd Pfizer shot, can we close, lock and burn this thread?

...and why are they called cowbells anyway?...they don't sound a thing like cows.

(sorry, it appears Jerry Seinfeld just possessed me)
Hey, hey, hey!
Leave that "Seinfeld" stuff for the Bass guitar forums!
 
If I promise to take a 3rd Pfizer shot, can we close, lock and burn this thread?
Or, at the very least, fix the thread title? It's triggering my grammar police disorder every time it pops up on my screen.
 
My issue with Cowbells is how they feel when I play them. The stick rebound is weird and I always seem to drop sticks when I play them a while.

Lately I’ve just been using a Roland trigger module and the trigger and setting as my cowbell sound. To me it feels so much better
 
Two recorded cowbells I actually don't hate happen to be played in opposite extremes. Don't Fear the Reaper, in which it's played so much throughout the song that it's no longer a traditional cowbell effect, and The Wizard, where Ward plays ONE syncopated cowbell note.

My issue with Cowbells is how they feel when I play them. The stick rebound is weird and I always seem to drop sticks when I play them a while.

Lately I’ve just been using a Roland trigger module and the trigger and setting as my cowbell sound. To me it feels so much better

My problem with triggered sounds like a cowbell is you don't hear the attack, the crack of the stick. This is the same problem with triggered cymbal sounds. You don't hear the sound of the note played in the present tense, you hear it in the passive perfect participle, i.e having been hit rather than being hit.
 
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The dance floor is open for your pleasure....

 
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