Cowbell Etiquette

[CowbellGuy]

It most certainly is metal. It has a plastic strip on it to keep the cowbell beater from being chewed up every time it's hit, but in my experience, hitting the bare metal side produces an almost identical sound.

[39]

Oh. Well then, just ignore me.  ::demented::

Keep up the good work :-P

[jtwcornell91]

CowbellGuy wrote:
I always go for volume, especially in a big building, but that requires enough concentration to stay close-to-form that if I accidentally dropped trou in the middle of the cheer, I wouldn't notice til I was done.

What if you accidentally dropped the beater? :-}

[Hillel]

Glenn Gould didn't smile while performing.
Fyodor Chaliapin didn't smile while performing.
Joe Strummer didn't smile while performing.

Some art forms are about power, not joy.

The cowbell is so much more than a cheer. It's... it's... Physics. Like "Let's Go Red," the cowbell should be the physical manifestation of a game's momentum. I think Adriano has extraordinary sensitivity with his timing, perhaps more than any of his predecessors. Because of this, I don't care how he looks when he performs it ...but a purple/dour face would be appropriate.



>>>>EDIT: How much does a new beater cost, anyway? I'll contribute.



Post Edited (03-31-03 19:22)

[CowbellGuy]

Not at all expensive. Just kind of a pain to find, but thanks :-)

[JordanCS]

All I have to say, Age, is you can't retire that beater until the end of the season.  Hopefully it will have 2 more happy games to play at.

Jordan

[paulspen]

Do you use the LP synthetic one or something else? I have an account at Drummer's World in NYC and get you one overnighted, but I think that if you have two more games in the one you're using, that might be best.

Here's the fact sheet on the synthetic. You'll probably never need another, I don't care how purple you turn!

http://www.lpmusic.com/Product_Showcase/Whats_New/pdf/lp-cowbell-beater.pdf

[jtwcornell91]

BTW, this discussion has inspired me to dig out a description of the cowbell cheer I wrote for a Polish friend in Switzerland after the playoff series vs Hahvahd a few years ago (edits to correct my grammar in brackets):
[Q]
Samstagabend war ich in einer Gruppe mit [dem] Kerl, [der] die Kuhglocke am Match spielt, und wir [zwangen] ihn, sie in einer Bar und vor dem Hot Truck zu spielen, was wirklich Spass machte.  (Nach dem Rhythmus schreien alle "FIGHT!", und dann schreit der Kuhglockenspieler "LET'S GO RED!" während sein Gesicht violet wird.)
[/Q]
The sentence in parentheses in particular sums up the cheer.

BTW, I predict Babelfish will translate the cheer as "LET'S GO TALK". :-P

Edit: corrected the preterite of zwingen.



Post Edited (04-01-03 09:18)

[dsr11]

Thanks to the magic of the internet, that translates as:

Saturday evening was I in a group with [ ] chap, [ ] the cow bell at the match plays, and we zwungen him to play her in bar and before the Hot Truck which really made fun. (after the rhythm all "FIGHT cries!", and then walk the cow bell player "LET'S GO TALK!" during its face is violet.)

You were correct about the lets go talk part :-)

[jtwcornell91]

Dan '01 wrote:
we zwungen him to play her in bar

That would have been even funnier if I had spelled "zwangen" correctly.  Try it again now, and strip out the square brackets.

[CUlater]

I guess joy is in the eye of the beholder then.  BTW, I have seen good cowbell players actually express some form of enjoyment that the rest of the crowd could see (BU in the early 90s).  But as I said before, it's entirely up to Age, at least until he decided to pass it down to a current student.

[CowbellGuy]

I've used a few of the LP wood ones to this point. The current one is so worn I've only got one tiny spot left that makes good sound. Finishing out the season with it would be nice, but getting the best sound possible in an enormous arena like HSBC might be preferable. I've had pretty good luck getting them from MarsMusic.com and there's plenty of time before the next games. I'll probably get one and bring both :-D

[Keith K \'93]

Yes, the superstitious among us stringly encourage you to make every possible attempt to use the old one.  Because we all know that the outcome of the Frozen Four hangs precariously on a fragile cowbell beater.

[paulspen]

You know how some percussionists play vibes with four mallets, well there's your tactic should the other one break completely. Use both, but by all means the old one MUST be in the mix somehow.

Let me know if you have trouble getting it.



Post Edited (04-01-03 14:25)

[CowbellGuy]

Heh. Never thought about that. I'm not worried about it breaking, but the wood is very splintered and separating, making it rather soft.