One feature that sets the carillon off from other instruments is the fact that once a bell is struck, it continues to ring until the vibrations die out naturally. All of the musical expression of which the carillon is capable is controlled by how the performer strikes the bell. There is no way to stop or alter the sound of a struck bell. Dampers are ineffective because they just deaden the sound without stopping it, making it unmusical. Another feature of carillon music derives from a prominent Minor Third in the bell's overtone structure, requiring care in formation of chords.
Most musical instruments produce sounds with major thirds in their overtone structure.
Lastly, the rich tonal structure of a bell means that sounding a large number of bells together is unnecessary. A rich sound can be obtained from just a few bells. Copyright 1999 by Carillon. All rights reserved.