DESIGN COMPONENTS - MATERIAL SELECTION

1. The Steel 
There are glockenspiel designs which use round metal rods or hollow metal tubing instead of flat bars (such forms follow the same vibrational patterns as flat bars), however, I prefer the standard flat-bar design. For this project I will be using high-carbon steel bars to produce a pure, bright tone. High-carbon steels are difficult to machine, form and weld. Therefore, I will be getting the bars cut and drilled by a professional.

2. The Suspension/ Mounting System

1)      The system should be rattle-free

2)      The system should allow supports at or near the nodes

3)      The point of contact between bars and mounts should be loose and/or padded rather  
   than tight and rigid.

4)      The arrangement should prevent the bars from dancing around too much and touching 
   one another or getting out of position. 

Here the bar is held to a padded frame by a screw running through at the nodes. It should run through an oversized hole, and the shaft must be padded with soft surgical tubing or something similar.  

3.  The Frame/Case

The glockenspiel bar rails and extra-deep case will be made from solid maple. Maple is well known for imparting bright tone to an instrument and was chosen for its high quality resonance. The bar rails are completely suspended and do not touch the floor of the case. All the contact points, including the bottom exterior of the case are insulated with rubber, eliminating any case noise and leaving the space under the bars to act as one big reflecting and resonating chamber.

References: 
Baird, Chris. “Tonewood Qualities.”

http://www.archesmusic.com/tonewood.html

2009; accessed 17 July 2012

Hopkin, Bart, and John Scoville. Musical Instrument Design Practical Information for Instrument Making. Chicago: See Sharp Press, 1996.