A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. When struck, most bells have the shape of a hollow cup, vibrating in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. There are many different types of bells, each having a specific function. It can be constructed with many materials, and each part of a bell is made correctly from the assembly perspective. Some bells create music when a suspended clapper strikes the side of the bell, while others can be struck externally with a hammer to create a resonance. Steel, glass, iron, and clay are all used to make a few bells. Modern bells can sometimes be made of plastic.

Bells have existed for a very long time—roughly as old as the history of humanity. In China, they created the bell for the first time during the Zhou Dynasty some 4,000 years ago. Archaeologists found some of the earliest bells.

In this article, we will see all components of the bells, their names & functions.

Table of Contents

Parts of a Bell Diagram

Parts of a Bell, Names, Functions & Diagram

Bell Parts Names

Yoke
Canons
Crown
Shoulder
Waist

Sound Bow
Lip
Mouth
Clapper

Parts of a Bell & Functions

Yoke

The yoke is a wooden portion of the bell for fastening bells to churches or towers. The use of wood help to create a good acoustic, whereas metal yokes deform the acoustic of the bell.

Canons

The portion of the bell attached to the yoke is the canons. Like many contemporary bells & handbells, cannons are fastened directly on the yoke.

Artisans forge the canons from the same piece of steel as the main bell instead of later attaching the canons by welding or riveting. It prevents the formation of weak and unstable points in the bell structure.

Crown

The bell’s top is known as the crown. In some bells, the craftsman attaches the crown to the bell if the cannons are present.

If bells are not properly maintained, the crown is one of the first pieces to potentially suffer damage. The rest of the bell’s structure gets harmed if the crown develops cracks.

Shoulder

Under the crown is the shoulder, which curves down to the bell’s waist. Because it is designed for support rather than acoustics, the shoulder is among the bigger, denser sections of the body. The shoulder forms the bell and helps it maintain its well-known chiming sound.

Waist

When someone asks to imagine a bell, most people visualize the waist. In other words, a bell’s distinctive shape forms from its waist. When you ring a bell, the sound also travels to the waist.

The pitch and tone of a particular bell depend on its waist shape. It is responsible for creating a bell-like sound.

Sound Bow

The bell’s lip is the sound bow. You can spot the corner where the bell’s waist ends and the sound bow starts if you follow your gaze down the bell’s curve. This area affects how the bell sounds when struck because it is typically thicker than the rest.

Lip

The bell’s lip is the area on which the clapper lands when it rings. The bell’s lip is frequently smooth to the touch because it is the area that people grasp if they want to stop the bell from ringing.

Mouth

The entire opening where the clapper hangs is referred to as a bell’s mouth. The mouth opens to reveal the interior of the bell’s body, where the sound originates. As a result, the mouth is frequently the bell’s most significant component.

Clapper

The clapper is the hanging portion of the bell that taps against the interior to produce the ringing sound. It is the essential component to make a sound.

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