One does exist at what used to be called the crystal Cathedral in California -- you can find videos of it on TH-cam. The bells have a very weird puffed-out profile, but they do sound absolutely lovely. The major overtones do make a lot of music much more recognizable on it, but the fact that ALL bells have fixed overtones still makes them a bit challenging.
1. I wish to do spectrum analysis like this on other instruments. What are things I should pay attention to when recording and choosing the program to analyze? 2. Is it possible to mimic different instrument timbres using another instrument? Other than training the ear to listen, are there tricks I can employ to ease with the writing? 3. I'd like to see you react to other idiophones. Especially the non-standard tuning ones like Gamelan.
Thanks for the questions! I'm not an acoustics or audio expert, so I can't answer these as well as others. (If others here have good advice, please weigh in!). 1. I used Adobe Audition to analyze this waveform, and I liked being able to play around with the specific FFT algorithm and sample rate. 2. This one I'm not really sure how to answer. I don't know of a way to mimic another acoustic instrument with a different acoustic instrument. Digitally, of course, there are ways. When writing in digital notation programs, you can always use a patch for whichever instrument you are writing. 3. Cool! I hadn't considered doing that, but I like the idea. Maybe I will sometime :-)
2nd question is difficult to answer precisely. You’d have to do some experimenting. For example, you can replicate the sound of a tin whistle/recorder by having two violins doubled an octave alongside a flute at the register the flute sings best in.
That C/E chord sounded really bluesy! The Bb overtone in the G bell and the high Eb overtone from the C bell made the chord sound like a C7#9, often known as the Hendrix chord (from it's use in the song Purple Haze). You didn't talk that much about the overtones in the other chord tones of a chord. I would imagine that the G overtone in the E bell should make that note a bit more consonent, no? I'm also wondering, when playing minor chords, do you sometimes leave the actual minor third bell out of the chord, when in root position? Like in a C minor, when the Eb is already present as an overtone, adding the Eb bell would add a Gb overtone to the chord, which might make it sound less stable.
Great questions! Yes, the E will naturally give a G overtone, lending a bit more consonance to that chord, but I find it's the thirds of the root that most people really hear more. Check out my video on diminished scale, by the way - I get a bit more into stacking overtones: th-cam.com/video/0BNtaNNfUR8/w-d-xo.html And yes! Especially if I want a thin texture, just playing one bass bell is enough to get a minor chord :-)
Very nice video, but - sorry, I have to disagree. Even with those tricks, major-key harmonies on carillon still sound bad. One can perhaps get used to this sound, but IMO it just goes against the grain, it's like transferring a solemn piano part to kazoo or an expressive violin solo to tuba. Not to say it can't be done, but I only see it making sense as a joke or caricature. That sad, there is a legitimately effective way to use carillon in major keys: by avoiding the root notes altogether and have them played by other instruments instead.
I think that's a valid position to take. There's something to be said for getting used to the sound. I've been playing and listening to bells a long time, so the minor overtones really don't bother me too much. But, I still do stand by the need to play music in major keys on bells. People want to hear Pachelbel on the bell tower at a wedding, or Pomp & Circumstance at a graduation ceremony. I have to play it, and so, I might as well play it in a way that minimizes that clashing of overtones
@@reloup38 I didn't diss the tuba. Sure it is a good instrument of its own right with good uses... including, to accompany carillon with the root notes in a major key! But you can't claim that taking any nontrivial violin part and squeezing it through a tuba would sound good.
Me when there's major chords inside minor keys
Great video! For me as a composer it's really interesting to work with instrument with such a specific harmonic series as a bell!
Thank you for this informative video! It would be really interesting to hear a carillon full of Major Bells.
One does exist at what used to be called the crystal Cathedral in California -- you can find videos of it on TH-cam. The bells have a very weird puffed-out profile, but they do sound absolutely lovely. The major overtones do make a lot of music much more recognizable on it, but the fact that ALL bells have fixed overtones still makes them a bit challenging.
or, since the Eb is technically louder than both C tones, you could always play an Eb major chord over a C pedal for some spice
I like that!
1. I wish to do spectrum analysis like this on other instruments. What are things I should pay attention to when recording and choosing the program to analyze?
2. Is it possible to mimic different instrument timbres using another instrument? Other than training the ear to listen, are there tricks I can employ to ease with the writing?
3. I'd like to see you react to other idiophones. Especially the non-standard tuning ones like Gamelan.
Thanks for the questions! I'm not an acoustics or audio expert, so I can't answer these as well as others. (If others here have good advice, please weigh in!).
1. I used Adobe Audition to analyze this waveform, and I liked being able to play around with the specific FFT algorithm and sample rate.
2. This one I'm not really sure how to answer. I don't know of a way to mimic another acoustic instrument with a different acoustic instrument. Digitally, of course, there are ways. When writing in digital notation programs, you can always use a patch for whichever instrument you are writing.
3. Cool! I hadn't considered doing that, but I like the idea. Maybe I will sometime :-)
2nd question is difficult to answer precisely. You’d have to do some experimenting. For example, you can replicate the sound of a tin whistle/recorder by having two violins doubled an octave alongside a flute at the register the flute sings best in.
That C/E chord sounded really bluesy! The Bb overtone in the G bell and the high Eb overtone from the C bell made the chord sound like a C7#9, often known as the Hendrix chord (from it's use in the song Purple Haze).
You didn't talk that much about the overtones in the other chord tones of a chord. I would imagine that the G overtone in the E bell should make that note a bit more consonent, no?
I'm also wondering, when playing minor chords, do you sometimes leave the actual minor third bell out of the chord, when in root position? Like in a C minor, when the Eb is already present as an overtone, adding the Eb bell would add a Gb overtone to the chord, which might make it sound less stable.
Great questions! Yes, the E will naturally give a G overtone, lending a bit more consonance to that chord, but I find it's the thirds of the root that most people really hear more.
Check out my video on diminished scale, by the way - I get a bit more into stacking overtones: th-cam.com/video/0BNtaNNfUR8/w-d-xo.html
And yes! Especially if I want a thin texture, just playing one bass bell is enough to get a minor chord :-)
Joey, Do you still do tours for the rockefeller carillon?
No, I left Chicago in 2022 and am based out of Denver now. Rockefeller still offers tours though during academic quarters!
@@joeybrinkbells oh well
Very nice video, but - sorry, I have to disagree. Even with those tricks, major-key harmonies on carillon still sound bad. One can perhaps get used to this sound, but IMO it just goes against the grain, it's like transferring a solemn piano part to kazoo or an expressive violin solo to tuba. Not to say it can't be done, but I only see it making sense as a joke or caricature.
That sad, there is a legitimately effective way to use carillon in major keys: by avoiding the root notes altogether and have them played by other instruments instead.
I think that's a valid position to take. There's something to be said for getting used to the sound. I've been playing and listening to bells a long time, so the minor overtones really don't bother me too much. But, I still do stand by the need to play music in major keys on bells. People want to hear Pachelbel on the bell tower at a wedding, or Pomp & Circumstance at a graduation ceremony. I have to play it, and so, I might as well play it in a way that minimizes that clashing of overtones
Hey don't diss the tuba, it's a very expressive instrument
@@reloup38 I didn't diss the tuba. Sure it is a good instrument of its own right with good uses... including, to accompany carillon with the root notes in a major key! But you can't claim that taking any nontrivial violin part and squeezing it through a tuba would sound good.