Jingle bell

The jingle bell is a member of the shaken and scraped idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 112.1). Listen to 1 recording and learn how it makes its sound.

Listen to the jingle bell

S^ulPO2020 Jingle Bell

1:43CC BY-SA 3.0by 서울시립교향악단Wikimedia Commons

1:43

Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.

How the jingle bell makes its sound

In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the jingle bell belongs to the shaken and scraped idiophones: the body is shaken, scraped or split – rattles, maracas and guiros.

More broadly it is one of the idiophones, where the solid body of the instrument itself vibrates, without strings or a stretched membrane.

Players shape its sound through technique and materials; the resonating body filters the raw vibration, boosting some harmonics and damping others.

From Wikipedia

A jingle bell or sleigh bell is a type of bell which produces a distinctive 'jingle' sound, especially in large numbers. They find use in many areas as a percussion instrument, including the classic sleigh bell sound and morris dancing. They are typically used as a cheaper alternative to small 'classic' bells.

The simplest jingle bells are produced from a single piece of sheet metal bent into a roughly spherical shape to contain a small ball bearing or short piece of metal rod. This method of production results in the classic two- or four-leaved shape. Two halves may also be crimped together, resulting in a ridge around the middle. A glass marble may also be used as the ringer on larger bells.