Mark tree

A mark tree (also known as a nail tree, chime tree, or bar chimes) is a percussion instrument used mainly to add special sounds to music. It has many small chimes made from strong metal tubes, usually aluminum or brass, that are about 3/8 inch wide. These chimes are different lengths and are hung from a bar. You play a mark tree by moving a finger or a stick through the chimes, making them ring out.

The chimes on a mark tree are arranged in order, so when you play them, the sound moves up or down in pitch. Some costlier mark trees also have a special bar that stops the chimes from ringing after you play them. Unlike tubular bells, which make clear musical notes, the chimes on a mark tree do not play exact notes.

The mark tree was invented by a musician named Mark Stevens in 1967. When he needed a name for his invention, another musician, Emil Richards, named it after him. Sometimes people call mark trees wind chimes, but they are really different instruments, with different ways of making sound.