Tubular bells (also known as
chimes) are
musical instruments in the
percussion family. Their sound resembles that of
church bells; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the sound of church bells within an ensemble. Each
bell is a metal tube, 30–38 mm (1¼–1½ inches) in diameter, tuned by altering its length. Its standard range is from C4-F5, though many professional instruments reach G5 (see photo). Tubular bells are often replaced by studio chimes, which are a smaller and usually less expensive instrument. Studio chimes are similar in appearance to tubular bells, but each bell has a smaller diameter than the corresponding bell on tubular bells.