bell
Sign in to saveA bell () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that—when struck—vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an internal "clapper" or "uvula", an external hammer, or—in small bells—by a small loose sphere enclosed within the body of the bell (jingle bell).
AI overview
A bell is a percussion instrument made from a hollow cup-shaped object that produces sound when struck, either by an internal clapper, an external hammer, or a loose sphere inside it. Bells matter because their curved design creates an efficient resonator that vibrates to produce a strong, clear tone when struck.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Instrument.name
- Bell
- Instrument.image
- Parts of a Bell.svg
- Instrument.image_capt
- Parts of a typical tower bell hung for swinging:
- Instrument.background
- percussion
- Instrument.classification
- Struck idiophone
- Instrument.hornbostel_sachs
- 111.242
- Instrument.hornbostel_sachs_desc
- Bells: Percussion vessels with the vibration weakest near the vertex
- Instrument.range
- From very high to very low
- Instrument.related
- Chimes, cowbell, handbell, gong
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
28 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- History
- Styles of ringing
- Church and temple bells
- Bells in Japanese religion
- Bells in Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism
- Bellfounding
- Casting
- Bell tuning
- Major third bell
- Use in clock chimes
- Notable bells
- Usage as musical instruments
- Ancient Chinese bells
- Konguro'o
- Chimes
- Skrabalai
- Farm bells
- Dead bell
- Bell study and ringing organizations
- Gallery
- See also
- References
- Notes
- Citations
- Sources
- Further reading
- External links
A bell () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that—when struck—vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an internal "clapper" or "uvula", an external hammer, or—in small bells—by a small loose sphere enclosed within the body of the bell (jingle bell).
Bells are usually cast from bell metal (a type of bronze) for its resonant properties, but can also be made from other hard materials. This depends on the function. Some small bells (such as ornamental bells or cowbells) can be made from cast or pressed metal, glass or ceramic, but large bells (such as a church, clock, and tower bells) are normally cast from bell metal.