Comments on: The Fourth Chime http://www.kempa.com/2004/03/29/the-fourth-chime/ Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:41:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: hubbit http://www.kempa.com/2004/03/29/the-fourth-chime/comment-page-1/#comment-215 hubbit Tue, 18 May 2004 06:30:14 +0000 http://kempa.com/wp/?p=115#comment-215 The inconsistency of the fourth chime notes actually has little to do with playback speed. The J. C. Deagan Company built two main versions of their chimes. One had four (or in NBC's case, three) chime bars mounted over a wooden resonator box; the box had a tuned hole beneath the chime bar, opening into a sectional chamber. The other variation had four chime bars mounted over four aluminum tubular resonators, the whole thing held together by a two-piece wooden frame. Both kinds are seen on Bill Harris' site; the latter is the 'miniature xylophone' in the picture of the WSB chimes. Having acquired a couple of each type, and measuring their tones digitally, I have come to the conclusion that Deagan BUILT each version in a different key. The tubular chime version does indeed sound G-Middle C-E-G; however, the wooden resonator version sounds Eb-Ab-Middle C-Eb. Both versions are tuned to A=435 Hz, and for reasons unknown to me the first, second, and fourth chime bars are EXACTLY accurate; the third chime bar is uniformly 20% flat. These are easily distinguished...well, easy if you have the actual chimes to sound alongside your speakers while playing Bill's sound samples...but it is obvious that on the five- and seven-note chimes on his site, the metal resonator chime was used, while for the three note chime and the "fourth chime", the wooden resonator version - with its lower pitch- was used. Bill has a sample of the five note chime from the end of a Wendell Hall program from 1931, and that sequence is struck on a tubular chime. However, the original transcription recording has local Milwaukee station WTMJ sounding their own wooden resonator chimes at their station ID before the program - these are the lower pitch version. In previous versions of his site, Bill Harris mentioned a three bar chime mounted on a wooden resonator box with leather covered corners and an aluminum handle, with the chime bars mounted G-E-C. I just bought one of these on eBay and am awaiting its arrival so I can measure its response and see what notes it actually plays... The inconsistency of the fourth chime notes actually has little to do with playback speed. The J. C. Deagan Company built two main versions of their chimes. One had four (or in NBC’s case, three) chime bars mounted over a wooden resonator box; the box had a tuned hole beneath the chime bar, opening into a sectional chamber. The other variation had four chime bars mounted over four aluminum tubular resonators, the whole thing held together by a two-piece wooden frame. Both kinds are seen on Bill Harris’ site; the latter is the ‘miniature xylophone’ in the picture of the WSB chimes.

Having acquired a couple of each type, and measuring their tones digitally, I have come to the conclusion that Deagan BUILT each version in a different key. The tubular chime version does indeed sound G-Middle C-E-G; however, the wooden resonator version sounds Eb-Ab-Middle C-Eb. Both versions are tuned to A=435 Hz, and for reasons unknown to me the first, second, and fourth chime bars are EXACTLY accurate; the third chime bar is uniformly 20% flat.

These are easily distinguished…well, easy if you have the actual chimes to sound alongside your speakers while playing Bill’s sound samples…but it is obvious that on the five- and seven-note chimes on his site, the metal resonator chime was used, while for the three note chime and the “fourth chime”, the wooden resonator version – with its lower pitch- was used.

Bill has a sample of the five note chime from the end of a Wendell Hall program from 1931, and that sequence is struck on a tubular chime. However, the original transcription recording has local Milwaukee station WTMJ sounding their own wooden resonator chimes at their station ID before the program – these are the lower pitch version.

In previous versions of his site, Bill Harris mentioned a three bar chime mounted on a wooden resonator box with leather covered corners and an aluminum handle, with the chime bars mounted G-E-C. I just bought one of these on eBay and am awaiting its arrival so I can measure its response and see what notes it actually plays…

]]> By: jjg http://www.kempa.com/2004/03/29/the-fourth-chime/comment-page-1/#comment-214 jjg Tue, 06 Apr 2004 05:27:45 +0000 http://kempa.com/wp/?p=115#comment-214 "The purpose of this visit was to see an electronic organ Captain Ranger had invented. Morris describes the organ as 'quite complex, and had many features of the pipe organ but the equipment consisting of countless tubes, relays, oscillators, amplifiers, filters, modulators, etc., occupied all of a two car garage.'" Is it me, or is he describing an analog synth -- in 1932?!? “The purpose of this visit was to see an electronic organ Captain Ranger had invented. Morris describes the organ as ‘quite complex, and had many features of the pipe organ but the equipment consisting of countless tubes, relays, oscillators, amplifiers, filters, modulators, etc., occupied all of a two car garage.’”

Is it me, or is he describing an analog synth — in 1932?!?

]]> By: Rob http://www.kempa.com/2004/03/29/the-fourth-chime/comment-page-1/#comment-213 Rob Tue, 30 Mar 2004 05:26:16 +0000 http://kempa.com/wp/?p=115#comment-213 "The chimes are now used to herald "The Ticker" on NBC football games and have been doing so since sometime in the 1994 football season (possibly 1993, it's not something you write down and remember)." Not so if Adam had been watching more carefully. “The chimes are now used to herald “The Ticker” on NBC football games and have been doing so since sometime in the 1994 football season (possibly 1993, it’s not something you write down and remember).”

Not so if Adam had been watching more carefully.

]]> By: Zach http://www.kempa.com/2004/03/29/the-fourth-chime/comment-page-1/#comment-212 Zach Mon, 29 Mar 2004 22:53:45 +0000 http://kempa.com/wp/?p=115#comment-212 Nerd. Nerd.

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