Handbells as Wind Chimes: A Different Way to Play

Last week, I had an interesting experience during opening worship for Music Week at Lutheridge.  I wanted to make a record of it, because it could be useful for many churches.

When we arrived at the chapel, some handbells were sitting up, and others were on their side.  We were encourage to take a handbell that was sitting up and spread out across the worship space.  There weren't enough handbells for everyone, but that was O.K, because not everyone would want to play.  We were told to play randomly as we sang the first hymn, "In a Deep, Unbounded Darkness" (All Creation Sings hymnal supplement/worship resource manual, #1093).  The idea was to create a wind chime effect, which seemed to work.

I thought about how we didn't need to have musical ability to play handbells this way.  We didn't need to read music or keep time.  We didn't need to have a director.

I mention this because I've been a member of a church that had handchimes, with very few people who knew how to use them.  A few of us had some musical ability, which meant that we played the notes that got used more often--or we played versions that our director simplified so that we needed fewer people.  It was hard to find people to commit, even for the streamlined rehearsal schedule that we had.

It's not a stretch to think that there are churches with handbells or handchimes that can't use them.  Maybe no one can commit to rehearsing.  Maybe not enough people can read music.  Maybe people aren't brave--they know they'll hit a wrong note and everyone can hear it, so no thanks.

The beauty of the opening worship experience is that there was no wrong way to play.  No note would sound wrong, and if we happened to ring a handbell at the same time, no matter how many of us did that, it sounded fine.  I am guessing that the director chose the handbells that corresponded to the notes of the song--and maybe some complementary notes.

It seems like a great way to involve children too.  Again, the benefit would be that children don't need to know how to read music.  It's a great entry activity to the world of music, to involve children without the risks of so much that can go wrong that can convince children that they are not musical.

It's a great entry activity for us all.  And it can fit with a variety of approaches.  Handbells as wind chimes seems particularly wonderful for Pentecost.