School glockenspiels

About the school glockenspiel....

The school glockenspiel is a musical instrument that works by means of tuned metal plates of different sizes, which together create a harmonious sound. For this purpose, it uses a wooden, plastic or metal mallet in each hand. These are idiophone percussion musical instruments, as they use their own body to generate sound, although they are also considered metallophones due to their metal plates.

The German name is glockenspiel and its literal translation would be "bell play" or "set of bells".

The school glockenspiel is very similar to other percussion musical instruments such as the xylophone, marimba and vibraphone.

Although the sound is quite similar to that of the triangle instrument, it is not as limited and allows many more notes at different pitches to be generated.

Context and some history

It is believed that the carillon or glockenspiel is a direct descendant of the celesta (also composed of metal plates). On the other hand, its origin is located in Germany, specifically as a set of bells in village churches, even before it became a musical instrument.

Already in the 16th century, the design was perfected in favor of a kind of "musical keyboard with rectangular metal keys" replacing the bells and began to become popular and manufactured as a small and practical musical instrument.

The instrument's heyday, which popularized it completely, was in the 17th century, with the premiere in Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker and also in some works by the famous composer Friedrich Händel. Later, in the 18th century, it would also be seen in some pieces by Amadeus Mozart.

Main parts of the modern glockenspiel

• The body of the instrument, on which the different metal keys are mounted.

• Metal plates of different sizes and tuning that run across the width of the instrument's body. The small ones are higher pitched and the large ones are lower pitched.

• Mallets and drumsticks necessary to strike the instrument and obtain the desired sounds through the vibration of the plates

The sound of the carillon and in which musical genres we can find it

The sound of the carillon resembles that of bells, and the sound can also depend on the type of mallet used. The carillon is written 2 octaves below the sound it produces, to avoid having to write extra lines on the staff.

It is one of the ideal instruments to enhance the brilliance and musicality of other sounds.

In the musical carillon, the duration of the sounds will also depend on the size of the keys and how they are struck.

This instrument is frequently used in military bands, melodic bands, marching bands, as school instruments for children and in some other musical settings.

How the musical carillon works

This idiophone percussion instrument requires a small mallet to make it sound, either ascending or descending in reference to the musical scale. The carillon is a relatively easy instrument to learn to play, especially if a series of basic tips are taken into account:

Hold the mallet correctly

This will be the first step to take to avoid bad habits and be able to play the school carillon comfortably. It is appropriate to hold the mallet gently but with enough force so that it does not slip. It should be grasped from the end farthest from the mallet head, approximately two and a half inches from the end.

Strike the carillon properly

Do not use the full force of the arm, or even the forearm; a wrist flick will suffice, trying to make it bounce with each impact.

Body position

This is a bit more irrelevant, as the school glockenspiel can be played both sitting and standing, but the idea is to be comfortable and keep the body relaxed and without unnecessary tension.

Instruments very similar to the carillon

First of all, it should be noted that we can find two types of school carillons depending on the register, either alto or soprano.

That said, it should also be mentioned that there are several instruments that are very similar and even have an identical functioning to the carillon:

• The xylophone was probably the instrument most similar to the carillon that exists, however, unlike the carillon, it does not necessarily have metal plates. On the other hand, we can find two types of xylophone: chromatic (with all the notes of the dodecaphonic scale and more appropriate for professionals) and diatonic (with the notes of the natural scale and more suitable for beginners).