Belleplates is a brand name of a

musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make Music, musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person ...

of the

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

family and

handbell A handbell is a bell designed to be rung by hand. To ring a handbell, a ringer grasps the bell by its slightly flexible handle – traditionally made of leather, but often now made of plastic – and moves the arm to make the hinged cla ...

sub-family. Consisting of a handle attached to a trapezoidal aluminium plate, struck by an attached hammer, they are something of a combination of handbells and

handchime Handchimes are musical instruments which are rung by hand, similar to handbells. Typically, they are tuned square tubes with an external clapper mechanism. Many handbell techniques can also be applied to handchimes, though some are more difficul ...

s. They are played with the same basic methods as handbells by teams or by individual players. Belleplates are manufactured by Belleplates, Ltd.

History

Belleplates were invented by Maurice Davies when he struck with his knuckles a piece of aluminium he had cut out to make something in his workshop, and was pleasantly surprised that it made a pleasant musical sound much like that of handbells. In March 2003 Belleplates Inc won Best Use of Innovation at the Best of Business Awards 2003. They subsequently went on to win the McNOOT Award at the Midlands Christian Resources Exhibition. McNOOT stands for 'My Church Needs One of Those' and was judged by a panel of clergymen and church elders as the item in the show they would most like to take back to their parishes.

Characteristics

The instrument fills a gap in the market for a inexpensive, durable and lightweight handbell type instrument. Due to these qualities they have been used preferentially to handbells in schools and with elderly or disabled musicians. Belleplates are not used as a professional instrument, however they blend with handbells and related instruments, allowing them to be used in a concert setting to provide a contrasting melody. Belleplates are generally sold in sets of between 12 (1½

octave In music, an octave (: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is an interval between two notes, one having twice the frequency of vibration of the other. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referr ...

diatonic Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are used to characterize scales. The terms are also applied to musical instruments, intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony. They are very often used as a pair ...

) and 61 (5

chromatic Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are used to characterize scales. The terms are also applied to musical instruments, intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony. They are very often used as a pair, es ...

s). Belleplates are made with coloured plastic handles; diatonic bellplates have white handles, and chromatic belleplates have black handles. This colour distinction, as used on Malmark handbells, makes it visually easier to pick up the correct note. They are packaged with clear plastic protective covers and stored in briefcases.

External links

Official Belleplates website
from the University of New South Wales Bells (percussion) Pitched percussion instruments 21st-century percussion instruments Hand percussion {{Bell-stub

History

Characteristics

See also

External links