Two by two: Paul shaking buns and tambourines for the "Hey Bulldog" recording session (11 Feb 1968)

So now, we have Paul giving the world some mind-blowing stuff. No, the Beatles don't just use A tambourine, they use TWO of them at once. And, they mix it up with a tea towel as well. This film introduces a tunable head tambourine with a metal hoop (something Ludwig or somebody would have made in the day) - a seven doubled pair affair with tea towel to mute the skin over-ring.



Open mode (11 Feb 1968)

In the video, the tea towel travels between the metal tambourine and the mojo tambourine. It's a very precise and determined art, this tambourine magic, you know...



Tea towel on the mangled one now with Paul finger-muting the head (11 Feb 1968)



More detail on the tieing of the tea towel (11 Feb 1968)

It's hard enough for some people to keep up the rhythm with just one tambourine. Try playing one with your weaker hand /arm and see how you do. Actually, playing two at once gives the player some balance and symmetry, so maybe it isn't as tough as it seems. However, this kind of technique might be considered nowdays as being just a wee bit "too happy"...



Ringo on the second verse of the "Hey Jude" video (4 Sep 1968)

As we move into the late summer of 1968, for the Hey Jude promo shoot, amidst the White Album sessions, it looks to be the jingles have migrated to different areas of the tambourine and some are missing. The mind games never end...

As the investigation of the magic of the Beatles' tambourine sound continues, these pages will be updated.

So, at the next campfire jam, pull out a few pins and jingles on the tambourine and show them how cool you are...

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