Chime Bar

The Chime Bar is a musical instrument in the percussion family that is designed to give color to music; the effect of the bar chimes can be magical and ethereal. It is also known as mark tree and chime tree. It has several cylindrical chimes made of metal.

The sizes of the chimes are different; they have various lengths all mounted hanging from a bar. The musical instrument that was invented in a studio, has spread around the world and is being featured in various musical genres; orchestral inclusive.

In 1967, a studio percussionist expert Mark Stevens invented the bar chimes. However, Mark could not come up with the name of the instrument; it was Emil Richards who gave the percussion instrument Mark tree. Emily Richards got the name from Mark’s name.

The Chimes Bar is a series of twenty to forty metal tubes hung from a long wooden bar by thin nylon cords. The tubes can be glass, brass or aluminum and they are arranged from the highest pitch to the lowest pitch in single or double rows.

The musical instrument gives a series of delicate high pitched bell-like sounds that can be described as a shimmering glissando.