ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENTS TO THE GAMELANS

After I initially redesigned the wooden rack that supports my Gamelan chimes, I was pleased with what I had done.  Having all ten chimes in the setup was much better than only six at a time.  The basic concept, design and application were quite satisfactory.  However, as I discovered after playing with them and moving them around a few times, there was definitely room for some improvements.

Even after I installed plastic sleeves over the divider posts, a couple of the tubes continued to "buzz" when struck.  The larger tubes sounded a bit muffled, whereas the smaller tubes rang loud and long.  Worse than that, none of the tubes would stay in place very long, especially if the rack was tilted at an angle.  It was very inconvenient to have chimes sliding out of position or falling off the rack altogether when the instrument was played or moved.  Time to return to the workshop and iron out these minor issues.

As I mentioned before, to stabilize the rack I added a plywood backing.  This made the structure much more solid and sturdy, so that mounting it on a cymbal stand did not cause the frame to warp or pull apart.

Next I added some felt strips underneath all the tubes so that they were resting on a more padded surface.  This stopped them from buzzing against the rails, but did nothing to help the chimes stay in place.  Now they were sliding around more than ever.

Taking a clue from my Orchestra Chimes, I decided a wire strung through all the tubes would secure them to the rack and keep them in place.  Like regular windchimes, these Gamelan chimes have little holes at one end that I could run the wire through.  This would hold them in their correct position for optimum resonance as well as prevent them from sliding off the rack when it was tilted.

The idea worked perfectly, so now my chimes are all set and ready to play.  The improved rack can be mounted flat or tilted at any angle without causing the tubes to slide off.  This makes the set more versatile and a whole lot easier to move around.  The chimes  are fastened to the frame, all held in place by little "U" nails securing the wire to the divider posts as it runs through each tube.  Now the tubes stay put and maintain their orderly appearance even when I bang on them with my rubber mallets.