Deagan tower chime library

Chime Master offers music that has been specially arranged and performed for Deagan Tower Chimes.

• Single Tone without dampers
• Single Tone with dampers
• Harmonic chime with dampers
• Harmonic chime with dampers and sustain pedals

A Deagan tower chime must be played slightly slower than other chimes, especially when it comes to repeated notes. A single note cannot generally be struck faster than 80 beats per minute. This becomes an issue for music with consecutive eighth notes, necessitating a momentary ritardando.

The smaller 10 to 15-note harmonic chimes should only be played with single tone (melody only) music.

Available music

Most of our catalog is available for 10 note chimes. A ten-note Deagan tower chime spans 9 diatonic notes with one flat-7 semitone.

PDF Listing: 10-Note Deagan Library

The following selections require more than ten notes. When marked (adjusted) a note or two have been changed or transposed to avoid missing notes or narrow the required range. These selections may be deleted by the user.

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Typical rolls and libraries for these larger chimes will have the music from smaller libraries transposed up to allow even wear of the chime action.

Available formats

Rolls for Deagan players are available for order. A photo of your player's tracker bar contacts showing the markings on its cover is useful so we know how many contacts it has and which side has the control contacts.

Advanced eXperience controller

All music from the catalog is available and included in our Libertas touchscreen chime controller. Modern solid state relay panels (spark free) are available for interfacing direct to both Deagan strikers and dampers.

Deagan Roll Player formats

ST - Single Tone

Deagan chimes with straight tubes have odd harmonics that will clash if more than one note is played at a time. This is the primary reason Deagan began to use dampers to mute previous notes when a new note is played. The long decay time for Deagan tower chimes was another important factor leading to the development of Deagan's tower chime dampers. Without dampers, the lower notes provided on twelve or more chimes becomes a muddy roar that obscures the melody.

H - Harmonic

Deagan chimes that are harmonically tuned were introduced in the late 1930s. Harmony arrangements are not generally available for chimes less than 16 notes. Early systems with 73-type relays would play harmony if the notes are overlapped (holding a bass tone).

HP - Harmonic Piano Sustain

Later (post 1940) harmonic Deagan tower chimes were supplied with 74-type relays that worked with a keyboard pedal acting like a piano's sustain pedal. Music rolls recorded by June Albright Howard have this pedal signal encoded on them. Note that with the 74-type relays the musician playing a melody without harmonization must play strict legato and pedal all repeated notes. Otherwise the note will die as soon as the key is released, just like a piano.

Chime Master's improved damper control

Chime Master contactless solid state damper relays designed to replace the 74-type relays are compatible with the original music rolls that have been scanned into the Libertas chime controller. When played with a retrofitted MIDI keyboard, the pedal is optional with melody playing, as is the legato style requirement. The sustain pedal is still recognized while playing with harmony, and with a momentary release, the previous chord will mute as it would on a piano.