Mark tree

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A mark tree (also known as a chime tree or set of bar chimes) is a percussion instrument used primarily for musical color. It consists of many small chimes – typically cylinders of solid metal approximately 6 mm (one-quarter inch) in diameter – of varying lengths mounted hanging from a bar. The chimes are played by sweeping a finger or stick through the length of the hanging chimes. They are mounted in pitch order to produce rising or falling glissandos.

Unlike tubular bells, another form of chime, the chimes on a mark tree do not produce a definite pitch, as they produce inharmonic (rather than harmonic) spectra.

The mark tree is named after its inventor, studio percussionist Mark Stevens. He devised the instrument in 1967. When he could not come up with a name, percussion legend Emil Richards dubbed the instrument the mark tree.

There are two common mislabelings given to the mark tree. The first is wind chimes. Although they may seem similar, percussionists make a distinction between the two. On a mark tree, the chimes are mounted linearly, while on a set of wind chimes, the chimes are typically mounted in a circular fashion with a hanging beater strung in the center of them. The second is bell tree, which refers to a set of graduated cup-shaped bells mounted vertically along a center post.