How to Play a Glockenspiel

The glockenspiel is a small percussion instrument that looks like a xylophone without legs. Similar to a piano except that you have to hit the notes with a mallet, the glockenspiel produces a pleasant 'chime' sound. The tone of this instrument is beautiful, and it is also very fun and easy to play!

Edit Steps

Part 1: Obtaining Your First Glockenspiel

Acquire a glockenspiel. Glockenspiels are sold in nearly every music store and are usually very affordable. They vary in shape, sizes, and materials; they also vary in colors, from rainbow to basic white. Most of the keys are made of metal, although they are sometimes made from plastic. You'll note that the keys are arranged in a horizontal order. For beginners to keyboard instruments, you may find it easier to buy a glockenspiel without the keys on top, while those who are already expert piano players will likely be just fine using the instruments with both top and bottom keys.
- Preferably purchase a glockenspiel with metal keys. The metal keys make the sound crisper and more melodious than the plastic keys. Moreover, if the glockenspiel is accidentally dropped, the metal keys are less likely to break.
- Also buy a mallet. Drumstick mallets are the best. Don't be tempted to substitute with anything other than a mallet––other objects can easily cause scratch marks on the keys, especially if they're metal.

Part 2: Familiarizing Yourself with the Glockenspiel

Observe the glockenspiel closely. The top section represents the black keys in a piano and the bottom section represents the white keys. Glockenspiels don't necessarily have to have notes on the top section. A glockenspiel usually has two and a half octaves or groupings of 12 keys; each octave consists of two groups of "black keys"; one with two keys and the other group with three keys.

Learn how to hold the mallet. Usually it is best to hold the mallet with your dominant hand––unless you're using two mallets. Hold the mallet as if it were a pen or handbrake, gently and position your hand about one to two inches (5cm) from the end of the stick. When you hit the keys, keep your back straight to produce the highest quality of sound.
- Gently hit 'C' on the glockenspiel with your mallet. The note 'C' should be the largest key at the left end. If you hit the keys too hard, the notes will not sound crisp and will last for a shorter period of time.
- Play the other notes on the bottom keys, then experiment with the top keys. Remember which keys sound higher pitched.
- It's also recommended that you read How to Hold a Drumstick to get an idea or warm-up on good holding technique.

Part 3: Playing the Glockenspiel

Note the key sizes. An easy way to remember which note to play is by the size of the key. The smaller a key is, the lighter and higher the sound. This includes the top keys as well. The larger keys on the left side of the glockenspiel produce a much deeper sound (or are said to be lower pitched). Try playing to hear this for yourself.

Note the position of the bottom keys. By order (from left to right), they are: C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C. The top keys on a glockenspiel are by order (from left to right): C#, D#, F#, G#, A#, C#, D#.
- Just imagine the glockenspiel as a piano. If you don't know how to play the piano, read How to Play the Piano.
- Remember that notes vary from glockenspiel to glockenspiel; some have more keys, others less.
- In case if you can't remember, stick note letters on with a little tape on the glockenspiel keys, to display which notes are which.

Play a simple tune on the glockenspiel. Use a bouncing motion with your mallet. Warm up by playing a scale first. Then play your first song, 'Mary Had a Little Lamb', by hitting your mallet with these notes:
- B A G A B B B
  - Ma- ry had a lit- tle lamb,
- A A A B D D
  - Lit- tle lamb, lit- tle lamb.
- B A G A B B B
  - Ma- ry had a lit- tle lamb,
- B A A B A G
  - Its fleece was white as snow.

Practice often. Play other scales and different songs. The more songs you play, the better you'll become through constant practice.
- Practice about 30 minutes a day. Practicing for 1 hour or more is not necessary, as the instrument is very easy to play.
- Try playing scales from up and down and you can try playing a C Major Chord arpeggio which is in a pattern like this: 'C, E, G, C, E, G, C'.
- Try playing two different keys with two mallets.

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Edit Tips

To clean the keys, gently use an alcohol wipe.

The difference between a glockenspiel and xylophone is generally that the glockenspiel is much smaller and higher in pitch. And, a glockenspiel's range is limited to the upper register, and usually covers about two and a half to three octaves. Another difference is also that xylophone's bars are usually wooden, while the glockenspiel's are usually metal and sometimes plastic, therefore making it a metallophone.

If you want to extend your knowledge, read books or research on the internet for tips and tricks you can do with the glockenspiel. Or, inquire about learning with a private teacher.

You can ask the music store for any easy-learning music books. These will extend your tune repertoire, making the learning a lot more fun.

You can practice by drawing the glockenspiel on a piece of paper while using a pen to tap the imaginary keys.

Edit Warnings

If your glockenspiel falls, all the keys might fall apart. You can put then back easily by putting the sizes in descending order which means the largest to the left and the smallest to the right.