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Bell tree
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<p>A bell tree, also known as tree bells or Chinese bell tree (often confused with the <a href="/facts/Mark_tree/yI8p2Bpn">mark tree</a>), is a <a href="/facts/Percussion_instrument/YojwA7VR">percussion instrument</a>, consisting of vertically nested inverted <a href="/facts/Metal/PT8hNX6R">metal</a> bowls. The bowls, placed on a vertical rod, are arranged roughly in order of <a href="/facts/Pitch_(music)/fQAK0JsC">pitch</a>. The number of bowls can vary between approximately 14 and 28. An effective <a href="/facts/Glissando/azcPbFJh">glissando</a> is produced by sliding a <a href="/facts/Triangle_(musical_instrument)/daNTkgEz">triangle</a> beater, a <a href="/facts/Glockenspiel/tt7BMh4y">glockenspiel</a> <a href="/facts/Drum_stick/GF7RjQ9k">mallet</a>, or a <a href="/facts/Xylophone/3nI7DPvU">xylophone</a> <a href="/facts/Drum_stick/GF7RjQ9k">mallet</a> down the length of the tree. The bells are usually pitched to microtonal intervals and do not represent any formal scale. When a glissando is played, the inexactness of the order of the bowls' pitch is unnoticeable, merely creating a fuller sound. </p><p>The bell tree is often used to accentuate the start or end of passages of music with a "bright", "shimmer" effect, adding complexity. </p><p><a href="/facts/Chick_Corea/HKv5F1JV">Chick Corea</a> and his group <a href="/facts/Return_To_Forever/DRNHVA5F">Return To Forever</a> occasionally used the bell tree (i.e. album <i><a href="/facts/Hymn_of_the_Seventh_Galaxy/rUX38WyY">Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy</a>)</i>, as has the group <a href="/facts/Santana_(band)/jmrh4yT9">Santana</a>. Isaac Howie has sometimes used the bell tree in his <a href="/facts/Musical_composition/EUR2qaQw">compositions</a>. The rock band <a href="/facts/America_(band)/c3FmTHtv">America</a> utilized one in "Bell Tree," a song named for the instrument, found on their 1975 album <i><a href="/facts/Hearts_(America_album)/PfyBCIQa">Hearts</a></i>. <a href="/facts/Neil_Peart/VEsw1RLS">Neil Peart</a> from <a href="/facts/Rush_(band)/JCTpKWNX">Rush</a> used this instrument for the song "<a href="/facts/The_Trees_(Rush_song)/RJ5DzLwv">The Trees</a>" from the album <i><a href="/facts/Hemispheres_(Rush_album)/98syTlyF">Hemispheres</a></i> (1978), as can be seen on the official music video of the song, and the live album <i><a href="/facts/Exit..._Stage_Left/Wcg4ETjN">Exit... Stage Left</a>.</i> </p>