Bell kit (xylophone) out of tune?
My kid just got a new used bell kit (glockenspiel) for school (we were renting hers, but we just decided to buy a second-hand one from a kid who quit). The new bells have a tuning problem- every chromatic bar sounds the same as the note one half-step below. (The C# sounds like C, D# sounds like D, etc.) How can this be?
I know kids can whack these things out of tune, but it's every single chromatic note. Is there some way to adjust the rack or something that will uniformly tune the chromatics back to where they should be? Checking with the old bell kit, the natural notes (not chromatics) seem to be tuned correctly.
I don't even see how this could be possible- my kid explained the problem to me and I thought she was crazy. But there it is...
(1)1 Comments
Sorted by latest first Latest Oldest Best
I also don't see how this is possible, without some manufacturing mistake. Glockenspiel bars are very robust and no amount of kids banging on them could make them a half step lower, unless they used rocks or hammers.
That said, I'm afraid there's no easy solution. Adjusting the rack makes no difference to the pitch. The only way to fix it would be to shorten the chromatic bars on both ends, or making the ends thinner (by filing their undersides). Unless you're equipped to do this, you're probably better off getting another glockenspiel.
Terms of Use Privacy policy Contact About Cancellation policy © freshhoot.com2026 All Rights reserved.