The Tubular Bells consist of up to 18 steel hollow tubes, hung upon a wooden frame, graded in length so as to produce different piches. Their sound reminds one of church bells, and in fact they are almost always used to produce this effect, as it is quite difficult to bring the original huge bells to the concert hall.
A special wooden mallet is used by the percussionist very near the top of the tube. The instrument is also called chimes.
Like the Vibraphone, the Tubular Bells also have a damping mechanism for stopping the sound at the desired length.
The Tubular Bells are generally used in dramatic or realistic musical situations such as in Tchaikovsky's "1812 Festival Overture" or Berlioz's "Symphonie Fantastique".
