If writing these notes, ossia should be provided for the standard 48 note carillon. The work should be composed with the traditional mechanical hand-played action. Overtones need to be considered when writing for carillon. There is a significant minor third overtone, especially in lower bells. Therefore, major triads in the lower bells should be avoided, however, minor thirds, tritones, minor sixths, and perfect fourths are often used successfully.
Thick chords are to be used sparingly since there are already many harmonics in the bells.
Doubling should be used carefully and usually reserved for higher notes. Since bells are not dampened, rapid changes in harmony can be a problem and a walking bass can at times be muddy. For reason of balance, active bass notes against a very high treble line often produce poor effects. It can be difficult to play rapid passages slowly if extended for long periods. The carillon can produce a large range of dynamics including cresc., dim., accents, etc.