The is a very nice musical instrument, just as the other reviews have stated. I got one for my five-year old niece, who lives in another state. I was a little worried that it might be heavy and therefore expensive to send. But the "Angel" Glockenspiel is pretty light, so it will be a cinch to ship out, and for her to carry it with her. It's also pretty sturdy, has an easy to open and there are no loose parts (except for the mallets, of course). Yes, there are two full octaves, starting with "G" ("Sol"), and I was surprised to find all the sharps and flats, too! There's also some little stickers with the "do", "re", "mi"-s on them. No music book. I think that by eight years old a child could read some simple music and play tunes. Most should be able to play some easy tunes by imitation and maybe by ear even earlier. I doodled around and played a couple of tunes. The notes ring nice and clear--my husband said that it sounds good, but is rather loud (I was striking the bars firmly with the mallets). If the loudness is a problem for you when your child plays it, try having him or her hold the mallet balls in the hand and play with the ends of the sticks--this produces a soft sound--or try using some other, softer striker. The "food end" of sturdy chopsticks works well, too. I am a strong believer in music for children--the earlier the better--and I am very happy to find an instrument like this that is pleasing and easy to use. I think that my niece is going to love it!
I have been collecting exceptional musical instruments for several years now....this is one of the best all around values and instruments I have ever seen. It is well cased, well constructed, and has amazing sound quality! If you are buying this with children in mind...do yourself one favor and get a rubber mallet which is something you can find online - most common is a drum mallet for $10...but keep looking and you should find a rubber mallet for approx $3 which does the job beautifully. The intrument comes with hard mallets which produce a beautiful - clear - tone - but when played by young children could become quite overwhelming...the rubber mallet softens the tone just enough that no matter what you do - it ALL - sounds beautiful! I have never found anything with this many wonderful qualities; sturdy, enduring, simple, beautiful, inspires learning, and mesmerizing to play..it is one of a kind!
This is a high-quality item. Obviously it's not a professional musical instrument but it's perfect for kids. Including boys. The case is essential. It was a very it was very convenient to keep it always in the case even when you're playing it you just open it up and you can keep it in there . Its not too heavy. The notes all had perfect tone and key. Both parents are musicians. This was a superb way for our child age 6 to get interested and motivated and playing music and learning the notes. He then transitioned to the piano after a year of playing this. It was super fun to play on this. Very durable. Just make sure to tell the kid to be very careful with the clips on the case not to break them . One broke after half a year but it had no effect as there are two clips.
This glockenspiel is well underpriced for the quality of instrument that it is! In comparison to child's toys and professional sets, I would say that this set falls into the lower end of the professional sets. Louder then children's toys but less bells and non-removable bells like many professional sets. I don't care for the plastic mallets because they don't give the sound I am looking for and they leave a weird residue mark on the bells where struck. The bells came labeled with which notes they are, which made opening the box and playing right away possible! As a musician, I enjoy playing the melodies and backing up songs on the glockenspiel and as a therapist I enjoy teaching children visual motor and coordination skills as well. Besides the plastic mallets, there is nothing bad I can say about the instrument.
This is a beauty! Some notes are somewhat loose, but not to the point that it's ever fallen apart when I bring it to my crowded workplace. I love the sound, although I wish it came with wooden mallets, and not plastic ones. There's a small difference in sound, making it sound more tinny than it would otherwise. Overall, a fairly avoidable problem, not worth deducting points for. If used correctly, this instrument is crystal clear, and is comfortable portable.
I’m not sure how helpful this will be. The items seemed in good working order with nice tone and were gifts for blind children. I don’t see a section to comment on shipping packaging so I will say here that the box they came in needed to be bigger. The fit was so snug that both xylophone boxes were dented/damaged on that corner where the shipping box got damaged. I had to give the gift as is, but please send future items in larger, better packaging.
We got this to use in voice lessons for our Charlotte Mason homeschool group online, The Alveary. It is definitely in tune, very well made, heavy, and a purchase we are pleased with!
We gifted our five-year-old with this for Christmas, as she has been eager to have an instrument of her own. This is well-made, has a very sweet sound, and the carrying case makes it very convenient. The plastic mallets are suitable for a child, but anyone wanting to play publicly might want different mallets. As a music teacher myself, I have greatly enjoyed having this in our home!
Two delightful finds with this product: First, it is well demonstrated on YouTube videos, Valentina and Sunshine Superman's "Call me Today" and their cover of "Good Intent" by Kimbra. It has since popped up being used by other groups. Second, I perform with recorders (sopranino, soprano, alto and tenor) made by Angel Musical Instrument Company and love their tone. Although the name of this instrument shown here on Amazon says Lyons, I was pleased when I received the product as made by Angel. This bell set has faithful tone reproduction and is built into a durable plastic case that allows good sound projection. Its also compact and convenient for carrying out on gigs. A mention about the mallets. I ordered harder mallets based on other reviews here. I find that I'm using the provided yellow mallets more often. Hold them lightly toward the end and they will bounce on the bars and glide musically accross the notes. The sound is "Angelic."
I can confirm the notes are perfectly tuned. The yellow plastic mallets are too long and flexible, but not breakable. Hardwood mallets give a nicer strike and a better sound if you don't strike correctly with the plastic mallets. These hard plastic mallets are a little "soft" which does not bounce off perfectly. I'm being picky. Stay away from other children bell sets that do not have very rectangular bars with sharp edges: the rounded edges give undesirable harmonics. These are perfectly square at the edges. The notes are high-pitched and loud, like the one 4-star reviewer wrote. You can use the handles instead of heads of the mallets to get a much softer sound for practicing. My wife: "Did you buy that for our child or yourself??" and "You're hurting my ears!" High pitched and loud. It is a bell set, after all. Opening it takes a little effort and concentration to press the button correctly. Our 1.5 year old is not able to open it. As long as it doesn't break and stays closed when it is supposed to, the little extra hassle of opening it is OK. The snap design appears like it is not ever going to break. The low C measured 1047 which is perfectly two octaves above middle C. The first note is a G that is 1 octave above middle G, and the last note is a G that is 3 octaves above middle G. So your basic C to C playing is 2 and 3 octaves above middle C. I'll try to record a "video review" that includes the notes, G to G.
Patrick J Dougherty
quality instrument; not too heavy
The is a very nice musical instrument, just as the other reviews have stated. I got one for my five-year old niece, who lives in another state. I was a little worried that it might be heavy and therefore expensive to send. But the "Angel" Glockenspiel is pretty light, so it will be a cinch to ship out, and for her to carry it with her. It's also pretty sturdy, has an easy to open and there are no loose parts (except for the mallets, of course). Yes, there are two full octaves, starting with "G" ("Sol"), and I was surprised to find all the sharps and flats, too! There's also some little stickers with the "do", "re", "mi"-s on them. No music book. I think that by eight years old a child could read some simple music and play tunes. Most should be able to play some easy tunes by imitation and maybe by ear even earlier. I doodled around and played a couple of tunes. The notes ring nice and clear--my husband said that it sounds good, but is rather loud (I was striking the bars firmly with the mallets). If the loudness is a problem for you when your child plays it, try having him or her hold the mallet balls in the hand and play with the ends of the sticks--this produces a soft sound--or try using some other, softer striker. The "food end" of sturdy chopsticks works well, too. I am a strong believer in music for children--the earlier the better--and I am very happy to find an instrument like this that is pleasing and easy to use. I think that my niece is going to love it!
Ajit Ojha
EXCEPTIONAL INSTRUMENT!
I have been collecting exceptional musical instruments for several years now....this is one of the best all around values and instruments I have ever seen. It is well cased, well constructed, and has amazing sound quality! If you are buying this with children in mind...do yourself one favor and get a rubber mallet which is something you can find online - most common is a drum mallet for $10...but keep looking and you should find a rubber mallet for approx $3 which does the job beautifully. The intrument comes with hard mallets which produce a beautiful - clear - tone - but when played by young children could become quite overwhelming...the rubber mallet softens the tone just enough that no matter what you do - it ALL - sounds beautiful! I have never found anything with this many wonderful qualities; sturdy, enduring, simple, beautiful, inspires learning, and mesmerizing to play..it is one of a kind!
Marion Proudley
Perfect! Highly recommend.
This is a high-quality item. Obviously it's not a professional musical instrument but it's perfect for kids. Including boys. The case is essential. It was a very it was very convenient to keep it always in the case even when you're playing it you just open it up and you can keep it in there . Its not too heavy. The notes all had perfect tone and key. Both parents are musicians. This was a superb way for our child age 6 to get interested and motivated and playing music and learning the notes. He then transitioned to the piano after a year of playing this. It was super fun to play on this. Very durable. Just make sure to tell the kid to be very careful with the clips on the case not to break them . One broke after half a year but it had no effect as there are two clips.
Leathaj Cooper Degraw
Close to professional set!
This glockenspiel is well underpriced for the quality of instrument that it is! In comparison to child's toys and professional sets, I would say that this set falls into the lower end of the professional sets. Louder then children's toys but less bells and non-removable bells like many professional sets. I don't care for the plastic mallets because they don't give the sound I am looking for and they leave a weird residue mark on the bells where struck. The bells came labeled with which notes they are, which made opening the box and playing right away possible! As a musician, I enjoy playing the melodies and backing up songs on the glockenspiel and as a therapist I enjoy teaching children visual motor and coordination skills as well. Besides the plastic mallets, there is nothing bad I can say about the instrument.
Schuenemann Sheryl Audrey
I love the sound
This is a beauty! Some notes are somewhat loose, but not to the point that it's ever fallen apart when I bring it to my crowded workplace. I love the sound, although I wish it came with wooden mallets, and not plastic ones. There's a small difference in sound, making it sound more tinny than it would otherwise. Overall, a fairly avoidable problem, not worth deducting points for. If used correctly, this instrument is crystal clear, and is comfortable portable.
Jacqui Cooper
The items seemed in good working order with nice tone and were gifts for ...
I’m not sure how helpful this will be. The items seemed in good working order with nice tone and were gifts for blind children. I don’t see a section to comment on shipping packaging so I will say here that the box they came in needed to be bigger. The fit was so snug that both xylophone boxes were dented/damaged on that corner where the shipping box got damaged. I had to give the gift as is, but please send future items in larger, better packaging.
Mary Frances
Great!
We got this to use in voice lessons for our Charlotte Mason homeschool group online, The Alveary. It is definitely in tune, very well made, heavy, and a purchase we are pleased with!
Pankaj Kumar
Happy Music Teacher Mama
We gifted our five-year-old with this for Christmas, as she has been eager to have an instrument of her own. This is well-made, has a very sweet sound, and the carrying case makes it very convenient. The plastic mallets are suitable for a child, but anyone wanting to play publicly might want different mallets. As a music teacher myself, I have greatly enjoyed having this in our home!
Austin Hughes
A "serious" musical instrument . Don't be fooled that its just for kids you may have seen it on professionally produced DVDs.
Two delightful finds with this product: First, it is well demonstrated on YouTube videos, Valentina and Sunshine Superman's "Call me Today" and their cover of "Good Intent" by Kimbra. It has since popped up being used by other groups. Second, I perform with recorders (sopranino, soprano, alto and tenor) made by Angel Musical Instrument Company and love their tone. Although the name of this instrument shown here on Amazon says Lyons, I was pleased when I received the product as made by Angel. This bell set has faithful tone reproduction and is built into a durable plastic case that allows good sound projection. Its also compact and convenient for carrying out on gigs. A mention about the mallets. I ordered harder mallets based on other reviews here. I find that I'm using the provided yellow mallets more often. Hold them lightly toward the end and they will bounce on the bars and glide musically accross the notes. The sound is "Angelic."
Nicole F Jarrell
Tuned, loud, high pitched
I can confirm the notes are perfectly tuned. The yellow plastic mallets are too long and flexible, but not breakable. Hardwood mallets give a nicer strike and a better sound if you don't strike correctly with the plastic mallets. These hard plastic mallets are a little "soft" which does not bounce off perfectly. I'm being picky. Stay away from other children bell sets that do not have very rectangular bars with sharp edges: the rounded edges give undesirable harmonics. These are perfectly square at the edges. The notes are high-pitched and loud, like the one 4-star reviewer wrote. You can use the handles instead of heads of the mallets to get a much softer sound for practicing. My wife: "Did you buy that for our child or yourself??" and "You're hurting my ears!" High pitched and loud. It is a bell set, after all. Opening it takes a little effort and concentration to press the button correctly. Our 1.5 year old is not able to open it. As long as it doesn't break and stays closed when it is supposed to, the little extra hassle of opening it is OK. The snap design appears like it is not ever going to break. The low C measured 1047 which is perfectly two octaves above middle C. The first note is a G that is 1 octave above middle G, and the last note is a G that is 3 octaves above middle G. So your basic C to C playing is 2 and 3 octaves above middle C. I'll try to record a "video review" that includes the notes, G to G.