Bock-a-da-bock

Bock-a-da-bock
Classification	Hand percussion, idiophone
Playing range
	Single note

The Bock-a-da-bock is an idiophone type of musical instrument in the percussion family. It is made up of two metal discs, usually steel, formed into a domed shape.

Origin

The bock-a-da-bock was a Ludwig Drum Company product listed in their 1928 catalogue. Two small cymbals were mounted on sprung tongs which could be held by the drummer playing the instrument.

Sometimes the bock-a-da-bock was used to substitute a drum kit. Due to the recording limitations of the 1920s, drums were not always practical to be included in a recording.

Use and technique

The instrument is played with a stick in one hand, while the other hand (usually the left) controls the grip. The two metal discs are then pushed together to create a sound similar to that of a milk bottle being hit.

Players

Noteworth players of the bock-a-da-bock are Kaiser Marshall, who played it on several Fletcher Henderson records, and Zutty Singleton from Louis Armstrong's Hot Five who played a bock-a-da-bock on Armstrong's 1928 recording of "Sugar Foot Strut" (featured prominently in the introduction and ending) and "West End Blues".^{[citation needed]}

Songs that use audible bock-a-da-bock parts

"Black and Tan Fantasy" by Duke Ellington (1927)^[1]
"Sugar Foot Strut" by Louis Armstrong (1928)
"West End Blues" by Louis Armstrong (1928)

References

^ A Student's Guide to AS Music by Paul Terry and David Bowman. Rhinegold Publishing LTD, 2005; ISBN 978-0-946890-90-3

[1] A Student's Guide to AS Music by Paul Terry and David Bowman. Rhinegold Publishing LTD, 2005; ISBN 978-0-946890-90-3

[1]

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