Phonk cowbell
The phonk cowbell is a melody played on the cowbell of the Roland TR-808 drum machine, tuned up and down a minor scale and slightly distorted. Short, syncopated cowbell riffs over a half-time beat at about 130–160 BPM are the signature sound of phonk and drift phonk.
Also called phonk cowbell melody, 808 cowbell melody, cowbell riff.
Play it
- Bar 1Am
- Bar 2F
- Bar 3C
- Bar 4G
Faded lanes are a guide: they are there so the pattern has something to sit against. The loop runs over four chords, Am, F, C, G, one bar each. Tap any box to change it.
Try this
Try this · change one box
Tap the G on step 25 to take it out. Without the climb, the second bar sounds almost like the first and the riff stops going anywhere.
Learn this pattern step by step
The course builds up to it from Unit 1, which is free with a Google sign-in. It plays in your browser, like this page.
Pick up where you left off
Carry on with Unit 1, then Phonk cowbell comes in Unit 8: Sound.
Hear it without the grid
A short recording of the loop above at 145 BPM, made with Swung’s own sounds.
How it works
An 808 cowbell is two square waves just under a fifth apart, so it has a clear pitch. Tune it to different notes and it plays melodies: bright, metallic, and cutting through even a loud, distorted mix.
This riff uses six notes of A minor in a 3-3-2 rhythm: hits on steps 1, 4 and 7, then 9, 12 and 15. The first bar falls back to A; the second climbs to G and F before landing on E, so the pair sounds like a question and an answer.
The pattern in words
- G (G5): step 25 of 32.
- F (F5): step 28 of 32.
- E (E5): steps 7, 23 and 31 of 32, notes held for 1 and 2 steps.
- D (D5): step 9 of 32.
- C (C5): steps 4, 12 and 20 of 32.
- A (A4): steps 1, 15 and 17 of 32.
| Part | Steps, 1 to 32 | Plays on |
|---|---|---|
| G (G5) | ························x······· | step 25 of 32 |
| F (F5) | ···························x···· | step 28 of 32 |
| E (E5) | ······x···············x·······x– | steps 7, 23 and 31 of 32, notes held for 1 and 2 steps |
| D (D5) | ········x······················· | step 9 of 32 |
| C (C5) | ···x·······x·······x············ | steps 4, 12 and 20 of 32 |
| A (A4) | x·············x·x··············· | steps 1, 15 and 17 of 32 |
x a hit, o a quiet hit, 2 or 3 a quick roll inside one step, – a note held on, · nothing.
Variations
One bar only
The first bar on repeat: A, C, E, D, C, A.
On a bell
The same riff on a soft bell: the bite is gone.
With a distorted 808
The riff over a growling 808, the way phonk plays it.
Where it’s used
Also common in Memphis rap and Brazilian phonk.