They might appear to be essentially the same thing, but cowbells and agogo bells each serve their own particular purpose in the Afro-Latin percussion scheme of things. And while neither demand any great knowledge or insight for successful deployment as background percussion elements in non-Latin music, there are some key points to bear in mind when dealing with them in the context of the DAW.
Here, we’re presenting half a dozen suggestions and techniques for making more of your bells. Before we get started, though, we should point out that we’re not looking at synthesised cowbells here, as those are a very different proposition to their acoustic (sampled or recorded) counterparts, invariably sounding nothing like the real thing and thus being a subject for another time.
Appreciate the differences
Agogo bells and cowbells have a lot in common – both are nothing more than resonant metal chambers struck with sticks to generate a loud, clangorous percussive sound – but in order to use them ‘correctly’, you need to understand their differences.
The main point of differentiation, obviously, is that agogo bells come in inseparable sets of two (or sometimes three), while a cowbell is a single instrument (although stand-mounting two or more of them is fairly common practise). Cowbells are bigger and thus lower-pitched than agogos, and the round or elliptical mouth of the agogo yields a bit more sustain than the square opening and general shape of the cowbell. All of this defines the sound of and steers the playing style appropriate to each instrument, which can be summarised as lower in note density, heavier, atonal and more rhythmically ‘anchoring’ for the cowbell, and busier, defter and semi-melodic for agogos.
Learn how to play them
To be more specific on that last point, given their technical simplicity and monophonic/duophonic nature, playing or programming authentic cowbell and agogo parts via a MIDI keyboard or pad controller shouldn’t present too much of a challenge. Outside Latin music, where they’re used to imply the all-important clave rhythm, cowbells are often used to emphasise the four beats of the 4/4 bar in more energetic sections of a song – almost always an effective addition. You can, of course, be more adventurous with your lines than that, but do exercise restraint and keep an ear on the volume level and equalisation, as an overly busy cowbell can easily become overbearing.
Agogos, on the other hand, are all about more elaborate syncopated grooves, and funky pitched interplay between the two (or three) bells. Again, you don’t want to go overboard with your agogo patterns, but the lighter sound and multi-tonality of the instrument certainly lend it more rhythmic versatility than its – for want of a better word – clunkier sibling. Check out this video to get an idea of ‘standard form’ for agogos in Latin music, which also translates well to dance, pop and other genres.
Get a dedicated plugin
You probably already have some decent cowbells and agogo hits in your sample library, ready to be dropped into a sampler, where they can be programmed, pitched and processed to suit the needs of the track – and that may well be all you ever need. If bells feature heavily in your sound, however, it might be worth investing in a virtual instrument dedicated to their production. In Session Audio Shimmer Shake strike, for example, lets you shape and sequence a range of cowbells, agogos and other metallic alternatives; and numerous broader percussion libraries include excellent multisampled bells, such as Quantum Leap Stormdrum 3 and Toontrack Latin Percussion EZX.
Record the real thing
If you’re really serious about your Latin percussion, why not record your own actual cowbell and agogo loops? As we said, they’re among the easiest of instruments to play (to a certain level, of course – don’t expect to turn into Tito Puente overnight), and there are plenty of perfectly serviceable models available at budget prices – 20 quid will get you both. Check out a YouTube video or two to bone up on technique (most pertinently, switching between the tip and shoulder of the stick for variation), hook up a mic (dynamic, preferably, but any will do) and get busy.
The usual rules of home recording apply: deaden the room as much as possible (or just do it under a duvet), and set the preamp input level so that those deafening attack transients don’t cause inadvertent clipping. You’ll need to shape the sound using EQ and perhaps compression, but the result will be a bell performance you can truly call your own, and with a more genuinely live feel than you’ll ever get from a programmed MIDI part.
Sample the real thing
As well as enabling the recording of live percussion parts, investing in some real-world bells gives you the ability to make your own sampler instruments for MIDI triggering, so that you can always claim ownership of your cowbells and agogos without having to record them from scratch every time. Sample them being struck on the top surface with the tip of the drumstick, and on the edge of the mouth with the shoulder for two distinct articulations; and capture a range of hit strengths for velocity mapping into dynamically sensitive multisample patches.
Home-made bells
For a characterful (and free) alternative to the home-recorded bells described above, head into the kitchen with your microphone and a stick of any kind, and experiment with striking glasses, pots, bottles, tins and anything else that takes your fancy. A pair of glasses of different sizes always works as an intriguing agogos replacement, while a saucepan can make for a wholly convincing cowbell. This one might seem mildly ridiculous, but you’ll be amazed at how effectively these sorts of sounds can be turned into original, ear-catching bells through judicious in-sampler manipulation and effects processing.
What About You?
Do you like to keep it simple or go fully bespoke with your cowbells and agogos? Let us know in the comments.