The campana is the bongocero's hand bell in the bachata mambo: how it sounds and how to keep the count by it. Listen on its own and with the band.

What it is

The campana is a hand bell. The bongocero picks it up in the mambo — the song's instrumental climax, when the singer stops and the requinto solos.

The strokes

Mouth: a loud, open stroke. Neck: a short, dull one.

The mouth on 1 and 3, the neck on 2 and 4 — a stroke on every count.

The bell comes in at the song's most energetic part. It's easy to keep the count by: loud strokes on 1 and 3 (5 and 7), quiet ones on 2 and 4.