Tambourine Throwdown!

Hewitt2

Senior Member
Let’s give it up for that sonic Wunderkind, the cowbell’s percussive brother-in-arms: the tambourine!

Can any of you name popular songs where the Tambourine plays a key role?

Here are some of mine to get the thread going:

- Rolling stones - satisfaction. That iconic tambourine part is so integral to the song’s groove

- Beatles - day tripper. You can’t play that intro in your head without that quick tambourine roll!

- Fleetwood Mac - go your own way. That chorus really benefits from the tambourine hits

- Genesis - I I know what I like (live). Phil’s sprightly tambourine dance wss a live highlight in their mid 70s shows. See below


Your turn!
 
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I like the tambourine, but if you're going to play it, you should know what you're doing because you'll be cutting through every other instrument. I don't know why, but a lot of people seem to think they can easily pick it up and play it; most can't.

Some songs I like with it:

King Crimson's Ladies of the Road (which has the dirtiest sax solo I've ever heard);

Leonard Cohen's Don't Go Home With Your Hard-on (good 'ole Phil Spector producing); and

Radiohead's Electioneering (with more cowbell, too!).
 
I saw a show, maybe 15 years ago, that consisted of a group of Mexican cowboys. One of the guys was a luthier, made all of their guitars. The percussion consisted of the guitar player's boots, and one guy on the tambourine, when needed. I've yet to hear anyone play a tambourine like this guy. The whole group was outstanding (wish I could remember their name).
 
you should know what you're doing because you'll be cutting through every other instrument.
Good point. ?

Most of the tunes on Rubber Soul have a tambourine.
 
Any famous metal songs have tambourine? I can recall some early dream theatre ( which I don’t really consider metal anyway) but it would be awesome if some intense thrash or death metal was rocking the tambourine.
 
Jack Ashford in the Funk Brothers


You can hear the tambourine part clearer in Aint Too Proud To Beg.
 
My only issue with the tambourine is when the lead singer, usually the tambourine player, feels it necessary to stick the thing right on the microphone. Way too loud. It's not a lead instrument.
 
Any famous metal songs have tambourine? I can recall some early dream theatre ( which I don’t really consider metal anyway) but it would be awesome if some intense thrash or death metal was rocking the tambourine.
I know I've seen video of Ozzy with a tambourine. I cant remember if it was Sabbath or solo, and dont remember what song.
 
One of my personal favorite performances featuring heavy use of tambourine, The Mothers' infamous BBC Live set cir 1968. Here is a 'snippet' (at ten mins long lol) of King Kong (noise starts at :31 and music starts around 2:30):

 
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