How to Play Handbells
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Have you ever heard a handbell choir play? Many handbell choirs are part of church music programs, but you can use handbells to play any kind of music. A set of eight colorful handbells is another fun instrument that can be used with the Up-a-do Unlimited song pattern books. Most handbells will not match the colors of the Popular 8 Note Songs music pattern books, but Up-a-do Unlimited also offers a music pattern coloring book so that the note blocks of the songs can be colored to match any instrument. Plus, there are instructions online for using the coloring book and free audio tracks too!
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You can play handbells on your own by picking up each bell and ringing it, but it can be more fun to form a handbell choir with your classmates, family or friends. One way to think of a handbell choir is like a piano where each person controls only a few keys. With four people, each person can ring two bells and all the eight notes songs can be played.
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The bells should be kept in keyboard order, lowest to highest, when going left to right in chromatic order, as much as possible. Inside the bell is the clapper which is the part that strikes the bell and causes it to produce sound.
To start playing, pick up two bells and hold them in front of your chest with the bells facing straight up. Ring one bell by moving it forward and away from your body in a circular motion and then snap your wrist which will produce a sound. Finish making the circle with our arm until the bell comes to rest in front of you where it started. |
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If you do not want the bell to keep ringing, stop the vibration by touching the bell lightly to your chest. This is call “damping the bell.”
In the Popular 8 Note Songs music patterns, the colored blocks are different sizes to indicate the different time lengths that the notes are held. If you have a long note to hold with your bell, you can make a bigger circular arm motion. If you are playing short eighth notes, the bell will not move far from your body.
In the Popular 8 Note Songs music patterns, the colored blocks are different sizes to indicate the different time lengths that the notes are held. If you have a long note to hold with your bell, you can make a bigger circular arm motion. If you are playing short eighth notes, the bell will not move far from your body.
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As you play in your handbell choir, remember that you only control one or two of the notes of the whole eight note keyboard, so you must work to play together with the members of your choir to sound like one instrument.
It is important to keep a good beat. Choose one member of the group to nod his or her head or tap a foot to the rhythm to keep everyone together. You can practice along with a metronome, too, and there are some free options online. |
Most of all, enjoy the community building experience of making music with the wonderful people in your life!