Difference Between Handbells and Handchimes | Hand Bells vs. Hand Chimes

The difference between Handbells and Handchimes. Learn about the history behind Hand Bells and Hand Chimes.
If you're in a hand bell choir or hand chime choir, you might be interested in the history behind these cool instruments.
Chimes and Bells are great instruments for teaching and performing a wide variety of music, so glad to see there are still choirs going strong today!
Check out my video on Handbell Playing Technique if you want more information about that, and please consider subscribing to the channel and liking this video if you learned something new!
Blessings, and as always...
Go in Peace!
#handbells #handchimes #enhymn

[@keepout5804]

Thank you for the information, very informative!

[@EnHymn]

Thank you for your kind comment, I’m glad this video was helpful to you!

[@rkmath4905]

Thanks for the clarification!! I have little to no experience with handbells, but I was an avid part of my elementary school’s choir as a kid and we used handchimes all the time. I have fond memories of preforming while singing and playing the handchimes. Specifically Christmas songs, those were the best lol.

[@EnHymn]

Absolutely! I don't know about you, but it's about that time for Christmas music again around my house lol

[@kawabewa_8w8]

The k-12 I was enrolled in had a bell choir that would revive and dissolve every few years. . . some of us got dragged into the next batch. Our group was small, but we few that could sight-read well enough were in charge of way more than two bells. It was a lot of fun and I'm grateful that there were many churches that would allow contribute to their worship service.

[@EnHymn]

Love the story! Funny how sometimes something we might not have chosen to do willingly turns out to be a great opportunity in hindsight. I'll tell you, I was in a small bell choir a number of years ago and had to cover just short of a full octave, and they were the big bells! Not easy, sounds like you know what that's like.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

Handbells could even be used by Vocal Choirs so they could accompany themselves if their Pianist is sick or if they wanted to get a new sound.

[@EnHymn]

That’s true! Creative solutions abound, thanks for sharing

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

@@EnHymn Let's hope more Vocal Choirs start using the Handbells as a way to accompany themselves (the newest set will be 10 Octaves from C0 to C10) because it'll make them very talented.

[@oneshotorgan]

Honestly, I think the hand chimes are beautiful sounding and like handbells, make great performance instruments.

[@EnHymn]

Me too! It's a real shame that they've gone out of vogue in schools and churches in recent years, but I'm hoping they make a comeback!

[@ilikebells]

I appreciate your video and it has some good information. I would like to mention that handchimes, made of extruded aluminum, aren't really more durable than handbells: they are suspectible to cracking just like bell castings and unlike handbells, handchimes can be over-rung resulting in cracked tubes. But, yes, a handbell casting is very brittle and expensive to replace if mishandled. Damping a handchime is not the same as a handbell. With a handbell the wrist remains in alignment with the arm. For correct and pain-free damping of a handchime, the wrist should be rotated in to avoid the clapper and touch the tines to the chest. To comfortably accomplish this, open the bottom 3 fingers of the hand to allow the chime to rotate more easily, retaining your grip with thumb and first finger. If you notice, it puts strain on muscles to damp using the same motion as a handbell and is quite awkward. It also takes more time to prepare for the next ring with the chime tipped to the shoulder virtually upside down as you did. Just something to think about. For more details about all things handchime, check out www.chimeworkscom

[@EnHymn]

Hey! Thanks for the kind words, and the pro-tips! I've always found damping the chimes awkward, but now I know why: I've been trying to do it the same way as I would the bells. Makes sense!

[@EnHymn]

I'm away from the office right now, so I can't try it myself, but I wonder... When releasing some fingers on the grip, does that make it easier to drop? I'm thinking in the context of a children's chime group specifically, I think adults would be fine.

[@ilikebells]

For an an adult, I don't think so, unless it's a really large chime. The thumb and first finger are considered to be the "circle of support" which also applies to a handbell grip. The other fingers are just there for extra support and control. For chldren the size of their hands and the adjustment for damping are a consideration in assigning chimes to them - sometimes that's why children or senior citizens ring only one chime so they can damp with the other hand. Experiment and see what you think. Just some food for thought. Happy ringing!

[@EnHymn]

Great tips, really appreciate it!

[@IMightBeVanny]

Both excellent sounds that I will incorporate into my aesthetic!

[@EnHymn]

We love to hear it! Appreciate you

[@samanli-tw3id]

During WW2, church bells were used only as air raid alarms so a change ringing could only be done by handbells.

[@EnHymn]

Hey! I didn't know that, learned something new today. It would make a lot of sense for the church bells to be used as a city-wide alarm system in Europe at that time. I wonder if it had any impact on the expansion of handbell groups after the war?

[@emilymorales5887]

This was helpful and excellent, thank you!

[@EnHymn]

Thank you! Glad it was helpful

[@peterignacio4534]

What a wonderful sound. I’ve used just a plain bell for a walking meditation in nature sometimes around a pond with wildlife responding happily. I could imagine just walking and playing c5 and g5 with great result. But I can’t find your bells anywhere on the internet. Could you guide me to a retailer. Thank you.

[@peterignacio4534]

Any retailers you can recommend or can I buy from you. Thanks

[@EnHymn]

Hey Victor, sorry for the delayed response, I sent a reply but I think it got auto-deleted because it had a link. In the video, I’m playing Malmark handbells. If you look up “Malmark Bellcraftsmen” you’re sure to find them. Their website sells bell sets and singles I think, but you’d be buying professional grade instruments, so you’re paying professional prices. Another good manufacturer is Schulmerich, can’t go wrong with either maker really. Hope that helps!

[@EnHymn]

For the chimes, I’m playing a Suzuki set. They’re solid, too! You may check secondhand sources first to see if maybe a church or school is trying to sell sets of bells or chimes. Facebook Marketplace, EBay, Craigslist, places like that might have a good deal if you catch it right.

[@peterignacio4534]

Thank you for your time and great information. Enjoy your content very much. Good luck and blessings in all your endeavors. Victor

[@ryanmiller3020]

Hi. I think you might have recalled that I commented earlier on the same video about how handbells are not made of brass, but rather polished bronze. That metal is actually 80% copper and 20% 10 according to. Malmark. But you might be interested to know that some Belle choirs, particularly The Raleigh Ringers, use the hand bells, in addition to hand chimes. They’re not just used as a teaching tool anymore. In fact, I know that that particular group uses. Malmark instruments. Because that particular company sells their music at their gift shop. You might also be interested to know that they make other kinds of bills out of rejected castings, that is, castings that don’t quite pass the sound test. I happen to have three dinner bells that they make, and although they don’t advertise, the fact, one of their representatives told me that they are, in fact, made from rejected hand bell castings. I wondered why the polishing and tone were so familiar. But no. Touching a bell, casting with your bare hands does not cause the metal to corrode. It causes it to discolor, that is, if you have particularly acidic sweat. That might corroded a tiny bit. But if your hands are very dry, like mine are, They won’t tarnish the bell at all. I know this because I was able to touch a bell casting, and my coworkers pointed out that they weren’t tarnished the least bit where I touched it. Although they are so shiny that they leave fingerprints. Touching it won’t affect the tone of the bell, but improperly polishing the bell will.

[@EnHymn]

Good info! I did know about the rejected casting repurposing, I DID NOT know about Raleigh Ringers using chimes as a primary performing instrument!! Are they on par with their handbell instruments as far as how much they’re used for performance?

[@ryanmiller3020]

No. In their actual studio work, the chimes are actually used as part of the performance, as secondary is to the handbells. If you listen to their rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody, you’ll know what I mean. Malmark is one of two companies in this country that make hand bells and handchimes. Their lineup of hand chimes is called. Choirchimes. As for the repurposing of castings, dinner bells aren’t the only thing that they do with them. The rejected castings are also used to make candy dishes, vases, pencil holders, and the smallest castings are used to make Christmas ornaments. you can even purchase a bottle full of bronze shavings that are shaved away, while the bells are being turned on a lay for tuning. In addition to these three dinner bells, though, I also have a bronze tavern bell. It’s a rather large bell with a solid brass clapper. It’s about 5 inches tall and 6 inches at the widest part of the casting.

[@EnHymn]

Wow!! How cool! I’ll check out their rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody right now

[@ryanmiller3020]

Actually, the Raleigh ringers don’t use hand chimes as a primary instrument. They do primarily use bells, but they use chimes in addition to i handbells. While the choir chimes are indeed used for teaching, they are a unique instrument in and of themselves. But I was wrong about them being made of brass. They are actually made of aluminum. That’s why they are so lightweight. A similarly sized hand chime made of brass would be much heavier. I happen to own, as of this past Sunday, a 12 note choir chime set from Malmark. My set ranges from C5 to G6. Handbells also have the note designation just below the bell logo on the handle, and the same thing as written on the nameplates on the choir chimes. And I do agree that it is harder to dampen acquire chime. If you ever listen to eternal flame by The Bangles, you will notice that they used hand chimes in the song.

[@EnHymn]

Congrats on the new set!!! I’m excited for you

[@EnHymn]

Hey everyone, thank you so much for watching! Let me know if you're a first time viewer or subscriber, and if you have any questions let me know here in the comments! Blessings!

[@franklyworship1032]

like these bell videos even thou im not a bell player at the church thanks learned a lot

[@EnHymn]

Never too late, Frank!!!

[@kathyparkins536]

THANK YOU

[@EnHymn]

Appreciate the encouragement 😁

[@showmethedata6846]

Thank you for take the time to prepare this demonstration. It came in handy when I was describing the difference between hand chimes and hand bells.

[@EnHymn]

Thank you, that really means a lot! Glad it was helpful.

[@musicformediagr]

Thank you, excellent video!

[@EnHymn]

Thank you for the encouragement! Really appreciate it.

[@ppheard1254]

3:06 Handchimes are basically Piano keys 🎹

[@EnHymn]

Yeah, that's a good way to think about it, like individual piano keys

[@ryanmiller3020]

There’s one aspect of it you’ve got wrong. Handbells are not made of brass, they’re made of bronze. The difference lies within the secondary metal in the alloys. For example, Malmark’s handbells are 80% copper and 20% tin. Brass, by contrast is an alloy composed of copper and zinc, and in all actuality, brass does not tarnish as easily as bronze does. That’s why in all likelihood, your hand chimes are probably going to be brass as opposed to the bronze of a hand fell. You might be interested to know that the companies that actually make these handbells, or should I say, one of them, actually re-purpose is there a rejected castings and re-purpose is them as gift bells. I happen to own three.

[@EnHymn]

Really? That's really great information, appreciate it! I'll need to look into this more, sounds interesting. Never really thought of brass as being a potentially confusing descriptor, we're just so used to calling it brass because of the resemblance to the metal used for our "brass" wind instruments. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure if they are actually brass either? Have to look it up now. Is it Malmark that does the repurposing? - Or another bell maker?

[@peggylaceycraig8631]

Thank you so much for making this video! I am getting ready to start a hand chime choir with the kids at my church. Do I need to purchase gloves?

[@EnHymn]

Hey Peggy! That's super exciting to hear you're doing that, I'm sure those kids are sooo happy! On the topic of gloves, for Handbells they are a MUST. For hand chimes, there is a fair bit of debate. I can say this, there's no reason NOT to, but also the reasons FOR are fairly superficial. Some directors like to use them because they're switching to handbells at some point, some use them for looks, some like to use them because it teaches kids that they need them when they make the switch to handbells. The primary reason to use gloves for Handbells is to prevent the finger oils from tarnishing and damaging the brass casting. Hand chimes don't have that same issue so far as I know, so it's really up to you. Hope this was helpful! If you want to go ahead and get some, I would be happy to do some research for you, just let me know. It's been a while since I've had to order gloves for my group. Blessings!

[@peggylaceycraig8631]

Thanks!

[@EnHymn]

Happy to help! Good luck!

[@eadsta]

I am a piano teacher and would love to use hand chimes in my studio. Can you recommend where to purchase a set of hand chimes? Thank you!

[@eadsta]

I just saw when you showed the close up of the chimes that they are Suzuki. Is that the brand you recommend?

[@eadsta]

I see 2 sets. One is G4 to G6 and the other has high and low chimes, C4 to f#4 and g#6 to C7. Do you recommend purchasing both sets?

[@EnHymn]

Hey Penni, thanks for all the questions, hope I can help. I like Suzuki because they make solid instruments. They're kind of like the Yamaha of the chime industry: they're not Steinway but really solid and prevalent in the market. That makes finding replacement parts or chimes from the maker a lot easier, especially in the resell market. If you want premium instruments, you can look at the standard bell maker's chime lines. Usually they'll be more expensive, probably by a couple hundred bucks for a set, but they have a lot of industry experience, especially with regard to repairs. Malmark especially comes to mind here. The exception to this is you may stay away from Whitechapel because the foundry closed in 2017, so I doubt you'll get much help with support if you need it. They make fabulous instruments, especially bells, but it was already a process shipping the instruments back to the UK, now I'm sure it's much more difficult to find help with repairs from the brand, even though I heard it was bought by another bell maker. Also, it depends a lot on your purposes. If it is just to accelerate or augment keyboard studies or music literacy exercises, you may not need all of those pitches, and you may be able to get away with cheaper instruments. But if you're starting an ensemble, that changes the math, especially if you want it to be a touring or competitive ensemble.

[@EnHymn]

Also, just so you're aware, handbells are transposing instruments. They actually sound 8va as written, so your C4 chime is actually a C5. That may be useful to you as a pianist, especially if you're planning to arrange your own music. The smallest common ensemble is 2 octaves, (written) G4-G6. 3 Octave ensembles are generally C4-C7. So, purchasing thise sets will inform what kind of music you can perform.

[@christineagnew7777]

Hello there! First time watcher:) Loved what we saw and heard, thank you! Where can we find/buy these? Both chimes and bells. What would you recommend? Thank you in advance.

[@EnHymn]

Hey Christine, really appreciate the encouragement! Thanks for watching. What kind of goals and expectations do you have of the instruments? - as that will change my recommendation. For example, if you need them for a small group of students to perform a public concert, it would be different than personal, at home use for just you.

[@christineagnew7777]

@@EnHymn My 8 year old son has had the opportunity to experience both chimes and hand bells at school and loves them. We were wondering what are the options for at home use and ease of learning. I've seen some colored kids sets on amazon from 30 to 260 dollars. And of course looking around at the "real deal" we realized the instruments are very expensive. What are your thoughts? Thank you for responding so quickly :)

[@EnHymn]

@@christineagnew7777 Okay, great! If it's just to continue the school experience, it wouldn't be worth it (if it were me) to invest in a professional set. Pro chimes start around $600 for a small set, Handbells at maybe $750. Unfortunately, I don't think there are really any good options for reduced or small (affordable) chime sets. Not worth it if it's just for fun! There are some decent handbell sets on Amazon, but they aren't created equal! www.enhymn.com/resources There are some links to handbell sets on that page, I would consider the "Reduced" sets listed, either the Adult or Child. The main difference is that the Child ones will look and play differently than professional bells because they are colored and have a spring clapper, but they should be fine for your purposes. It means they're really, really easy to make a sound on, the trouble is limiting the number of rings per swing. If your child is overly enthusiastic, it may take some extra control to limit the sound. The Adult ones are brass and more closely approximate the clapper on pro bells, but also take MORE force to ring! You could opt for the medium child set if you wanted, but I imagine the reduced would be sufficient. In general, the "Rhythm Band" brand seems to be the most reputable brand on Amazon right now for children's bells, but I don't own any of the sets myself. I chose them based on a combo of reviews, the materials used, price, and answers from people who did buy. Hope this was helpful!

[@christineagnew7777]

@@EnHymn Oh my goodness yes! This was so helpful! Thank you so much!!!

[@EnHymn]

@@christineagnew7777 It makes me happy that you're happy 😊 Thanks again for watching, let me know if there's anything else I can do to help.

[@joanneswords-wang2854]

Jared, is $700 a good price to pay for 25 Suzuki tone chimes, used, G4 - G6?

[@EnHymn]

Hey Joanne, those should be the exact chimes that I use in this video. What kind of condition are they in? - Do you know?

[@joanneswords-wang2854]

@@EnHymn yes, i just contacted the seller and they are in very good - excellent condition. it seems it is a $1000 set when brand new. I think I'm gonna get these for my church.

[@EnHymn]

I think we paid just over $900 for our two octave set several years ago (NEW). The used market is tricky because of condition, though. I'd hate for there to be a cracked chime in there. I'm looking for comparable ones online, looks like most everything is in the $750-$1,000 range for that 2-octave set (NEW & USED). I hope that's helpful! Let me know if you end up getting them!

[@joanneswords-wang2854]

@@EnHymn The seller said there was very light wear, no damage. I think they are a store and this may have been a store sample. Their rating as a seller is very high. I'll let you know if we take the plunge! Thanks Jared.

[@guyrobertson9095]

would never have thought about that practicing Bell tower music would be for the whole town to listen to your mistakes!

[@jaredreiff]

HAHA, YES!

[@guyrobertson9095]

Glad I wasn't the only one who didn't know

[@EnHymn]

Yeah, I had to go get a degree to learn this 🤣🤣🤣 you get the fast track version!

[@yiphauyi7405]

I want to have handchime

[@EnHymn]

They're really neat instruments! Are you part of a handbell choir right now?

[@showmethedata6846]

I play in a hand chimes (tone chimes) ensemble. In your summary you describe hand chimes as having an internal clapper and handbells as having external clappers. I think you meant to say hand chimes have external clappers and handbells have internal clappers, as you did in your initial discussion. I recommend that you edit your summary to avoid confusing your readers. These would be classified by an organologist as idiophones because their "self" is the vibrator. Other musicians would describe hand chimes percussion that are not drums. Hand chimes can be easily damaged if dropped. They also have less dynamic range that hand bells. I have heard members of our audience say they sound like a music box. They are also more accessible for senior citizens, being more lightweight than hand bells.

[@EnHymn]

Hey, thanks for the insights. A lot to unpack here, but I agree with everything you've said. Sorry about the mistake there at the end 😬 I noticed shortly after uploading, but there's nothing I can do about it short of creating an all new video and uploading it. KZbin doesn't allow for edits, so my embarrassment will be as permanent as the internet I suppose. The accessibility of the instrument for Seniors is one of my favorite aspects and why I'm such a proponent of their use. And although they can be damaged, I've been involved in Bell and Chime ensembles for close to a decade at this point, and in all that time I've been witness to only a single instance of one cracking (chime). Perhaps it's just anecdotal evidence, but they seem much more durable to me than the Bells. Still, just one man's opinion.

[@CoxJoxSox]

Your handbell story doesn't ring true. I lived in several European countries and they loved their bell-ringing nights and real bell ringing is nothing like hand bells.

[@EnHymn]

Props for the pun. 👍 Love it. As for the history of the handbells, they were undoubtedly created originally as a practice tool for tower bells, although there is some debate about WHY. I live in a town that has one a really cool set of 6 mid-20th century (Schulmerich?) bells and have done some change ringing there once or twice. Really neat instruments, they're only rung on Sundays though and during high holy days. In order to practice the algorithm for new ringing patterns, that's exactly what the ringers do here: number handbells like the tower bells to practice the more complex stuff. To my knowledge, it's not so much about the playing but about the timing and sequencing that is being worked on in these cases. Obviously, handbells are completely different as far as ringing performance. In my reading and understanding of the history here, there are two primary reasons for the creation of handbells, both related to practicing tower bells. 1) To practice without annoying the city. This was, as you've said, not always the case. Plenty of towns experience night ringing, which is awesome, but I'm sure you can imagine how that might become annoying to some over years and years, especially if you were living on or around the church grounds in the 17th and 18th C. (To you and me, I'm sure that wouldn't be an issue, I really love hearing real bell ringing at any hour.) 2) To practice without freezing to death. Change ringing is active, but the towers were notoriously poorly climate controlled back in the day. Practicing during the winter months for extended periods of time would have been a real pain, so some adopted handbells in order to practice in the warmth of the indoor environment instead. There are plenty of resources out there if you aren't convinced, including a pretty nice article I read a couple months ago... handbellringers.com/handbell_history.html Might be worth a read if your interested. Really do appreciate your input on this topic! It's neat to know the ringing tradition is still alive and well in Europe!

[@JeffryParungao-g5i]

Were did you buy that bells and chime,nice sound,good for exorcism🔯🔔🛎️

[@madelynephinney2457]

nononononnonnoonononooooooo!!!! Just because chimes are cheapER that bells DOESNT make them CHEAP!!!!! AND they get damaged too! They aren't completly drop proof! They are STILL fragile and if you turn the chime 45 degrees away from your head, you can damp THE SIDES WITHOUT POTENTIALLY BREAKING THE HAMMAR!!!!! I don't mean to be very rude and mean, but chimes are instruments too! they aren't toys that can be thrown across the room... 2 can cost 1000 dollars alone!! Im soooooooooooooooooo sorry if this comes across as mean, but just looking out for schools that spend thousands of dollars on chimes, like mine.

[@EnHymn]

Thanks for the comment, Madelyne. You seem passionate about chimes, which is great. The world could use more passionate musicians. In fairness, no one said they were toys to be thrown around, they're obviously instruments. That's the whole point of the video, to compare two similar instruments. It's been my experience that chimes are really durable. Although they can be damaged, I've been involved in Bell and Chime ensembles for close to a decade at this point, and in all that time I've been witness to only a single instance of one cracking (chime). Perhaps it's just anecdotal evidence, but that's been my experience. Chimes are very inexpensive by comparison to bells. I would estimate you should pay maybe $40-$90 per chime if you're buying them one at a time. Most nice Suzuki octave sets don't cost more than $500. Bells are at least double that. I'm sure you could find a super expensive bass chime or something for $1000. Thanks for the tip on the damp! I feel silly looking back at moments of this video sometimes, funny how such a small adjustment can make such a large difference. Thanks again!

[@alexreiff991]

🙄

[@EnHymn]

If I may defend Madelyne for a moment, I appreciate that she is coming from a place of caring and passion for chimes, wanting to clarify that chimes are valuable as instruments and have the potential to be damaged. That's all true. I'm a little worried that you may have spent $1000 on a chime, though. Love that you and your school support the arts and chime ensembles, financially and otherwise!

[@DonnaAndrews47]

@@EnHymn Is it possible that handchimes can become "off tune" through dropping them and/or playing around with them (pulling on the hammer, etc.)? Our group at church has noticed that some of the chimes don't sound like they are in tune.

[@EnHymn]

Hey Donna, chimes are "tuned" by the size of the instrument that's being struck. Lots of things can impact this on instruments in general, like humidity for example. Those changes should be minor, but show how even the smallest change in size can make a difference in tuning. So you can imagine how a big alteration to the physical body of the instrument could alter the tuning. Like for instance, if you broke off the tip of a chime, it would change the length and therefore the pitch. Without being able to see your instruments, it's possible they're just being impacted by something small like heat or humidity. Maybe they need to be stored in a more temperate room, maybe away from windows? This might improve the tuning. It's also possible the instruments have been damaged by use, [and small]* alterations (cracking, chipping) have changed the "shape" of the instrument. The hammer is less likely the culprit, although it's possible that it's been set to a harder or softer position on the hammer itself. Some bells and chimes have that capability, and I would say while tuning isn't specifically impacted, tambre, or quality of sound, changes with the hardness of the hammer. It's also possible that if you're using other instruments, like a piano for example, to accompany the group, that it might be out of tune. Hope something in there is helpful to you! *Edited for grammar

[@fullmoozers8833]

this is pointless

[@EnHymn]

This video is created to compare two similar instruments, so perhaps the scope is pretty narrow.

[@nandocordeiro5853]

@@EnHymn I like my own comments

[@EnHymn]

Lol, appreciate you, too! Not a bad system honestly