Tone Chimes

Have you ever seen a bell choir? If not, it’s a group of people who perform songs like a choir, except they don’t use their voices to make music, they use hand bells. The group will stand in a line with many hand bells, from the size of a small wine glass to the size of a basketball, laying on a padded table in front of them. The choir director leads them as they in unison grab different bells, each with a different tone or note, and ring them at just the right time so all the bells together create the song. It is a very impressive thing to see. For some reason, one of my favorite aspects of the whole performance is the fact that all the musicians wear gloves while ringing the bells. There is something about the gloves that tells you the group knows what they are doing, don’t ask me why…

Handbells can be very expensive, bulky, difficult to transport, and technical to use. Fortunately a similar instrument has been created that creates a similar sound and experience, but is much more affordable, portable, and easy to use. This instrument is called the Tone Chime. Tone Chimes are hollow, square shaped tubes about 12 inches long that have different length cuts down the side that create a different sounding tone or note depending on the length of the cut. The Tone Chimes have a small hammer with a felt head connected to the rod that taps the rod and creates the tone when it is in your hand and you give it a light flick of the wrist. Each Tone Chime has the note it plays clearly written on it so you know exactly what note it will make.

Tone chimes are beautiful sounding and give many people an opportunity to play a tune together.  I’m trying to recall the first time I heard or saw this instrument played?  I may have been looking through a catalog of instruments and dreaming a bit of what I would like to purchase or at least start saving for to buy at a later date.  Though Tone Chimes can be much more affordable than high end handbells, they are still quite pricey. When I saw what they cost, they seemed out of reach for me at the time, but then I kept going back to read more about them and the more I read the more I knew I just had to have a set.  They came in at about $1,000.00.  I knew that would take me a while to save, so began to dream and save.  I don’t remember how long it took to reach my goal but when I did I was so excited.  

The first students that I let use and experience these awesome tone chimes was a high school group of special needs students. This was a high functioning group who always wanted to try new things.  There was a school assembly coming up and their teacher and I decided that this would be a great opportunity for her students to share their talents with the whole school.  We selected a patriotic song for them to perform. The song had many notes the students needed to play which even had sharps and flats as the song called for. I wrote each note in big symbols on a poster board so the students could all see it and follow along. The students needed to know what note they were holding while at the same time it was crucial for them to keep their eyes on the poster while thinking of the melody and rhythm of the song they were playing. They had to know when to play the note they were holding and be able to play the correct rhythm. I had to teach them the proper way to hold and play the chime. They needed to flick it just a little bit from their wrist to make the best sound. I would direct them by pointing to each note in the correct rhythm of the song so that they would know exactly when to play.  Eye contact and following directions are a crucial part of playing this instrument.  They were told to not touch the felt part of the instrument and to dampen the sound they should just lightly touch the chime to their thigh.  There was a lot to remember and I was impressed with how they treated the chimes. We practiced a lot and they were successful in their performance. I was so proud of them, and even more I was so excited at the response the student body gave them when they finished.  It was a beautiful moment I will always remember, and their teacher and I were so excited.

This same group of students were invited to perform other songs with the tone chimes at a district student talent show, where they performed beautifully. I felt that the level of needing to really think and work together was elevated beyond what most any other activity could have provided. It was also a great confidence boost for the students to develop this skill and work together to share it with others.

I would take the chimes during the Christmas season and would play holiday songs.  That seemed to be a favorite activity for everyone. The number of students who could participate on a song depended on how many notes the song had. It was usually anywhere from 5-6 notes to 14-15.  It was a 2 octave scale and sometimes one note was prevalent and then there might only be one or two notes for a student to play. It took a lot of patience and concentration to be able to play.  As we played different songs we would give everyone an opportunity to try different notes so each person could play many times or play just a few notes.

I not only used them in a school setting but in my home.  At Christmas time I have many Carols written out on poster boards and adults and children alike have a fun time playing.

Even though this was an expensive purchase, I am so glad I have them.  It was well worth the time it took me to save for them for all the enjoyment I have received in using them with my family and sharing them with students. 

 Tone Chimes are an amazing unique instrument that can help your clients, students, or family members learn to work together to make confidence boosting and skillful experiences.