A bell cymbal, bell splash cymbal, or ice bell is a small, very thick

cymbal A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sou ...

with little if any

taper Taper may refer to: * Part of an object in the shape of a cone (conical) * Taper (transmission line), a transmission line gradually increasing or decreasing in size * Fishing rod taper, a measure of the flexibility of a fishing rod * Conically ta ...

, used as an

effects cymbal An effects cymbal is a cymbal used in a drum kit for a special effect or accent. Effects cymbals include splash cymbals, china cymbals and many other less common types. This classification is widely accepted but enigmatic. When pang and swish c ...

in a

drum kit A drum kit or drum set (also known as a trap set, or simply drums in popular music and jazz contexts) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and sometimes other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one p ...

. The sound produced when striking the bell cymbal with a drumstick is a distinctive high-pitched ping sound with a long sustain. Some manufacturers list bell cymbals as a type of

splash cymbal In a drum kit, splash cymbals are the smallest accent cymbals, often a smaller derivative of the more common crash cymbals. Splash cymbals and china cymbals are the main types of effects cymbals. The most common sized splash has a diameter of 10" ...

, others as a distinct type. The name ''bell cymbal'' is suggestive both of its tone, which is distinctly

bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

like, and also the earliest examples, which were made by drummers cutting down a larger cymbal (often one damaged at the rim) so that only the ''

'' of the cymbal remained. Bell cymbals vary greatly in profile. In some, there is no bow at all, the entire cymbal is in the shape of a concave downwards cymbal bell, similar to the earliest examples. Others have the shape of a traditional Turkish cymbal, with a smallish bell in proportion to the size of the cymbal, and still others are intermediate between these two extremes. Bell cymbals are most commonly six to ten inches in diameter, but larger and smaller examples are found occasionally, down to four inches, and Paiste make one at thirteen inches.

Cup chime

A cup chime is a bell cymbal used as

pitched percussion A pitched percussion instrument (also known as a melodic or tuned percussion instrument) is a percussion instrument used to produce musical notes of one or more pitches, as opposed to an unpitched percussion instrument which is used to produc ...

. Sets of cup chimes are used as

melodic percussion A pitched percussion instrument (also known as a melodic or tuned percussion instrument) is a percussion instrument used to produce musical notes of one or more pitches, as opposed to an unpitched percussion instrument which is used to produce ...

Cup chime

See also