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Welcome! That wasn't so bad, was it? ;)
(It helps to think of it as an very nice ladder instead of an exceptionally steep staircase.)
Traditionally we start with fifteen minutes of "pealing" before moving on to about half an hour of hymns, Kenyon songs, and whatever pop music we can arrange for our very limited range of notes. We usually gather around the operating mechanism with available music spread out along the back. Perhaps Britta is playing one of our four Kenyon songs in this photograph.
The vertical wires (visible in the photograph to the left) connect to a row of levers (which we'll get to shortly) on one end and eventually reach hammers which ring the bells on the other. This particular innovation is what qualifies our set-up to be called a chime. (If we had enough bells—a little over twice as many—we would have a carillon.) We'll see more of the attachments a bit later.
Absolutely anyone who visits is encouraged to play. No musical experience or expertise is necessary. We frequently just point to the right levers at the right times. (Still not sure about actually playing? Here's a list of reasons why you should play the bells.)
We typically finish each hour with a final fifteen minutes of pealing. (Click here to find out more about pealing and continue the tour.)
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