KISS MY ICE...BELL - I KINDA LIKE IT!

Okay, so I was subjected to minor ridicule the other day because I have an icebell.  Apparently some drummers view this percussion instrument as a rather outdated, "eighties" kind of thing, asking, "Unless you're playing Hallowed Be Thy Name by Iron Maiden, why would you want one?"  They don't understand the justification of spending the money on one when they seem to be an item of very little versatility for the price.  Some went as far as to say that if you own an icebell, you're dumb.

Not to insult my dear friends and fellow drummers, but come on.  Where's your sense of creativity?  Don't you beat out rhythms on your steering wheel with your hands while you drive and listen to music?  Do you just pound out a one-note beat, or do you experiment with different surface areas in order to produce low bass-drum sounds, cracking snare-drum parts and various other inbetween tones?  Exactly.  An icebell can be lots of fun if you just give it a chance.

While it is true that an icebell is just another variation of the "bell" sound produced by a ride cymbal, the difference here is an icebell's sound is more of a ring than a "ping."  The tone is louder and clearer.  In addition, the icebell is small, only 7" in diameter (also available in a 9"), which makes it very easy to do a little "catching and releasing" to change up the sustain.  Don't think of it simply as a boring bell sound, think of it as another toy that you can bang around on and make different noises.  To demonstrate my point, here is a brief video clip of me playing around with my icebell.  See if your attitude changes a little after I give you a few new ideas of how this little cymbal-type percussion instrument can be used.

That's not exactly my most awesome playing there, but this gives you a basic idea of the different sounds I can make if I keep experimenting.  I say don't laugh or criticize any instrument until you've messed around with it for a while.  Maybe you're just not playing it right!  In fact, it doesn't even have to be an instrument for you to have fun with it!  Check this guy out!  He proves that with a little ingenuity and a sense of humor, you can have fun with anything lying around the house!




 How's that for creativity?  And you thought an ICEBELL was silly!  Dude, I gotta get me one of those recording devices.....