Living Water - Dissertations - Bass Ringer's Notebook - Playing A Chime

Playing A Chime

Playing a bass chime involves the same principles as bells (ring forward, make circles, etc.). The main difference in playing action is that the chime differs in shape and, therefore, mass distribution from a bell. Because of this, the most efficient way to play it is to push it directly forward, and then to pull it directly backward sharply. This will drive the clapper into the tine, and will simultaneously ensure that the chime is coming toward you rather than away from you ("toward you" means easier control when sustaining or damping the note).

Once again, the wrist is a connector rather than a fulcrum, and all the power comes from your upper arm and shoulder. A nice additional point when you're playing chimes below C4 or so is that you can put the muscular part of your forearm directly behind the lower part of the chime as you play it - if you do this, the bottom end of the chime will come back and hit your arm just as the clapper strikes, adding a little extra power to the impact.

A note: NEVER EVER martellato chimes, because the stress on the tines will eventually bend or crack them. The only solution to this problem is to get a new chime!

Just another little note: Malmark says in their documentation that chimes aren't intended to be played really loudly (trying to do this doesn't make much change in volume after a point anyway), and that trying to do so can eventually damage them. Keep this in mind!