How the Tubular bells makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the Tubular bells belongs to the struck idiophones: the body is struck directly – bells, gongs, xylophones and cymbals.
More broadly it is one of the idiophones, where the solid body of the instrument itself vibrates, without strings or a stretched membrane.
Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.
From Wikipedia
Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are a percussion instrument consisting of pitched metal tubes. These tubes are generally made of brass and may be chrome-plated. They are about 30–38 mm (1+1⁄4–1+1⁄2 in) in diameter and tuned by altering their length. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillons, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate such sounds within an ensemble.
Tubular bells are usually struck on the top edges of the tubes with a rawhide- or plastic-headed hammer. A sustain pedal is usually attached to the instrument to allow the damping and un-damping of all the bells at once. Very loud, high-pitched overtones can be produced by vibrating the bottoms of the tubes with a violin bow.
Other struck idiophones
Frequently asked questions
What does the Tubular bells sound like?
As one of the struck idiophones, its sound comes from the way the body is struck directly.
What type of instrument is the Tubular bells?
It is classified as struck idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 111.232).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q178812 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Tubular bells – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by The original uploader was Bjornredtail at English Wikipedia . – CC BY-SA 3.0