THESE RINGERS REALLY ACQUIRE MY CAPRA

Tired of searching the behemoth of buying and selling known as eBay for varieties of cow bells, I decided to venture out into the realms of other livestock proximity indicators.  As stated in a previous post which you undoubtedly did not read, I deduced that if cows were fitted with bells in order to keep track of them, there must be other animals requiring such audible alarms with percussionary potential.

Now admittedly, so many sellers try to use all-inclusive headings for their wares that determining exactly what type of bells are actually used for each particular animal proves to be rather difficult.  This is why conducting a search for various livestock locators will almost always render you a long list of items called "COW/GOAT/SHEEP" bells.  Suffice to say, any metal bell with a clapper can be tied around the neck of a wayward animal and be labeled its bell, therefore precise classification of such tintinnabulators is subject to discussion and debate.

The way I see it, although authentic antique cow bells that were used in a traditional manner came in various metals, colors and sizes, and always employed a clapper, the modern "cowbell," which has evolved into a common, one-word percussion instrument, is now a rectangular steel bell either chromed or painted black that has no clapper.  So although a true cow bell can come in a myriad of forms and styles, I stick to the modern definition of this noisemaker that has really never been anywhere near a cow.

Other bells are not so simply defined, however, so an item that I might have decided to call a "sheep bell" might be a "cow bell" or a "goat bell" in someone else's estimation.  This does not mean that one of us is right and one of us is wrong, this is just a matter of personal preference and opinion.  As I said before, the appearance of any bell that hangs around the neck of any animal can vary greatly, so there is no need to engage in heated debate and get all upset if we disagree on terminology.  In summation, any bell strung around the cervix of a goat is a "goat bell," but when I remove it and place it over the head of a ewe, it immediately becomes a "sheep bell."  Livestock proximity indicators are completely interchangeable.

Having over-analyzed that for way too many paragraphs, this is a set of bells that I call my "Goat Bells."  This is because this is what I want to call them to distinguish them from my many other bells.  I have to draw lines of distinction somewhere or I may lose track of my vast collection of instruments.  I have seen them being sold as "cow bells" and also come across some that were called "Noah Bells."  Whatever the case, they are traditionally called "Khadki," which is Kutchi for "bells."  Craftsmen in the Kutch District hand-make these to tend their flocks and to ward off evil spirits.

These bells are made of a copper/iron blend, are equipped with wooden clappers, and have a very rustic look and sound about them.  Although they can be grouped together to form "wind chimes," I have custom mounted mine on a standard wooden chimes bar to individualize them and make them "drum set accessible."  Pushing on them causes them to swing and ring, and produce a pleasant echo effect.

In closing, here is a brief video clip to demonstrate the sound they make: