Handbell - Use in Film Music

Use in Film Music

Studio percussion legend Emil Richards had hand bells in his gigantic instrument collection, the Emil Richards Collection. He acquired them in the late 1980’s via a contact at the Paiste cymbal company in Switzerland. They span a two-octave range (G4-G6). Often, budgets and limited time did not allow for a full set of players or rehearsal. But when played in the studio, Emil would lay the hand bells out chromatically, on a soft cloth to lessen excess noise. Often, two or three percussionists would play small sections at a time, if possible, although it usually proved a bit chaotic. One repeated way of using them in soundtrack recordings was to play the hand bells a minor second apart to create suspense. However, Emil’s hand bells were used more on rental for live performances. Along with many of Emil's instruments, his hand bells were sold to L.A. Percussion Rentals in 2012; shortly after receiving them, L.A. Percussion Rentals mounted the hand bells chromatically on a rack so they could be played more easily by a single person, but also removed quickly if needed.