Bell tree
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Percussion instrument | |
---|---|
Classification | Idiophone |
Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 111.242.221 (Sets of hanging bells without internal strikers) |
A bell tree, also known as tree bells[1] or Chinese bell tree[2] (often confused with the mark tree), is a percussion instrument, consisting of vertically nested inverted metal bowls. The bowls, placed on a vertical rod, are arranged roughly in order of pitch. The number of bowls can vary between approximately 14 and 28. An effective glissando is produced by sliding a triangle beater, a glockenspiel mallet, or a xylophone mallet down the length of the tree. The bells are usually pitched to microtonal intervals and do not represent any formal scale.[2] When a glissando is played, the inexactness of the order of the bowls' pitch is unnoticeable, merely creating a fuller sound.[3][4]
The bell tree is often used to accentuate the start or end of passages of music with a "bright", "shimmer" effect, adding complexity.[5]
References
- ^ Beck, John. Encyclopedia of Percussion. Taylor and Francis, 1995.
- ^ a b "Bell tree · Grinnell College Musical Instrument Collection". Archived from the original on 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
- ^ "Bell Tree". Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary. 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
- ISBN 0769233651. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
- ISBN 978-0739049648. Retrieved 2012-11-24.