Description
A bell tree, also known as a bell tree or Chinese bell tree (often confused with the marker tree), is a percussion instrument consisting of vertically nested inverted metal bowls. The bowls, placed on a vertical rod, are arranged approximately in order of pitch. The number of bowls can vary between about 14 and 28. An effective glissando is produced by sliding a triangular mallet, a glockenspiel mallet, or a xylophone mallet along the length of the tree. The bells are usually set to microtonal intervals and do not represent a formal scale. When a glissando is played, the inaccuracy in the pitch order of the bowls is imperceptible, creating only a fuller sound. The bell tree is often used to accentuate the beginning or end of musical passages with a "bright," "shimmer" effect, adding complexity. Chick Corea and his group Return To Forever occasionally used the bell tree (i.e., the album Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy), as did the group Santana. Isaac Howie has occasionally used the bell tree in his compositions. The rock band America used one in "Bell Tree," a song named after the instrument, which appeared on their 1975 album Hearts. Neil Peart of Rush used this instrument for the song "The Trees" from the album Hemispheres (1978), as can be seen in the song's official music video and the live album Exit… Stage Left.
