So a "carillon" is this huge set of 23 or more bells housed in a free-standing bell tower or belfry. It's played by a hitting a keyboard called a "baton" with your fists, and pressing the keys of a pedal keyboard with your feet. The keys are attached to metal clappers for the bells by a series of levers and wires. This is the heaviest musical instrument in the world, the bells alone weighing up to 100 tons. No way are you getting that thing on a tour bus. Such a bell tower in Florida, called the Stephen Foster Memorial Carillon, is the world's largest tubular bell instrument, at 200 feet tall and containing 97 bells. In medieval times these kinds of bells were used to alert people of war, fire, or storms, but in the 17th century methods of bell tuning were developed to make them into musical instruments. The musical range of carillons is determined by the number of bells each one has. Since it is the striking of the bell that causes it to sound, the harder you strike, the more intense the note. The higher notes/smaller bells are played by the fists, with the lower notes/larger bells being played by the feet. Carillon bells can give the impression of sounding out of tune since the overtones above and below the fundamental frequency are so strong that they almost overpower the note intended to sound.
Look at this guy. What a badass.
