Bar Chimes

Bar chimes (from English bar chimes – rod chimes) is a percussion musical instrument related to traditional Asian wind chimes. Another widely used name for this instrument is the mark tree, named after its inventor, studio percussionist Mark Stevens. He invented the bar chimes in 1967, but when he couldn't name it, percussionist Emil Richards called the instrument "mark tree." In Ukraine, the name "bar chimes," or simply "chimes," is more commonly used.

Sound

Metal tubes of different lengths produce sound when they collide with each other. A musician playing the bar chimes runs their hand or a metal stick along the tubes, causing them to move. This movement can create both ascending and descending sound waves. The tubes of the instrument are not tuned to specific notes, but the sound differences between adjacent tubes can vary from 1/5 tone to a semitone or more.

Materials

For the bases of our bar chimes, we use high-quality hardwoods, which add aesthetic appeal to the instrument and provide the necessary strength to hold the tubes. The tubes are primarily made of duralumin and occasionally brass. The Dili don workshop continuously experiments with new metals and sound variations, striving to achieve the perfect sound.