Cowbells are usually referred to as “campana” in Latin America although other names may also be found to describe them such as “cencerro”. Due to its simplicity there is rarely one band member designated to playing only the cowbell and in practice it is usually the bongo player playing the cowbell as well. In this situation the bongo player is often referred to as a “bongocerro” a portmanteau combining the words bongo and cencerro.
Cowbells are usually made out of steel, copper, brass or bronze and come with a wooden stick to strike them with. Cowbells are usually 10 – 20 centimetres long although they can be longer. In Cuba cowbells are often played individually but they can also be mounted to drum kits, timbales or any other percussive instruments. As such their sizes and models are often referred to by the percussive instrument they are attached to or the other instruments their player alternates them with i.e. “bongo bell”, timbale bell”.
Cowbells are hollow inside and closed off at the top while open at the bottom giving them the shape of a rounded pyramid. The opening at the bottom is usually called “the mouth” of the cowbell and is usually rectangular shaped. The widest face of a cowbell is usually called “the flat” and is the area that is usually hit by the beater.
While some artists can produce various sounds from cowbells, generally speaking three sounds are distinguished. a soft and dry sound produced by a stroke with the tip of the stick on the flat, a loud sound produced by the shaft of the stick hitting the flat and finally a stroke with the shaft on the edge of the mouth which is usually the loudest sound.
