The Tubular Bells (チューブラーベル Chūburā Beru) or Chimes is a musical instrument in the percussion family. A musician who plays chimes is called a chimes player, or more broadly and frequently a mallet percussionist.
Construction[]
The instrument is unique compared to other mallet percussion instruments. Rather than consisting of bars arranged horizontally, it uses a series of bells suspended vertically across a frame, still organized like a piano keyboard. Each bell is a tube 30–38 mm (1 1⁄4–1 1⁄2") in diameter, varying in length to determine the pitch, with longer tubes producing lower notes and shorter producing higher.
Tubular bells may have a sustain pedal attached to allow extended ringing of the bells. The instrument's frame with either have wheels, or the instrument will be mounted on a stand of some description with wheels, to aid mobility.
Performance[]
Chimes are played by striking the bells with one or two wooden mallets, which are larger and more hammer-shaped than other percussion mallets. Thus, a player can never have more than one in a hand at a time. Due to these limitations, chimes usually don't see as much melody as other mallet percussion instruments. Instead, the instrument is mostly used for accents and colour in music, and are required to stand out. A common joke among percussionists is that the chimes can never be loud enough.
Scoring[]
Tubular bells are primarily used in concert bands and symphony orchestras. They may also be used in pop, rock, or other genres of music occasionally as decoration instruments.
The instrument was initially designed to replicate the sound of church bells or carillons, and this is still apparent in most of its repertoire. Some pieces feature short solos for the instrument, often depicting such.
As portrayed in Hibike! Euphonium[]
- Saki Kayama plays tubular bells in Crescent Moon Dance.
- Sousuke Maeda plays tubular bells in Liz and the Blue Bird's fourth movement.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Yamaha Deagan chimes (from LA Percussion Rentals).jpg (1.4 MB)")
| Musical instruments in Sound! Euphonium | |
|---|---|
| Woodwinds | |
| Brass | |
| Strings | |
| Percussion | |
| Other | |