I frequently get asked questions about buying bells and where I got mine, so I'm going to answer those questions, both about my bells and thoughts for others considering buying bells
Which bells do you have, and where did you buy them?
I own the full Kids Play brand range of bells from low G to high G with all the sharps in between. I purchased them at Handbell World along with two 13 note carrying cases for them. When I was in the market, Handbell World was the best deal. Altogether I spent about $200.
We purchased the full set because playing handbells at Christmas time was a tradition my husband and I wanted to have with our children. We wanted the full range for playing songs. We ended up buying our bells a couple years ahead of schedule when I was asked to lead the children's weekly music program in our LDS congregation. We purchased them earlier than planned so I could use them with the children at church.
How many bells should I buy? Do I need to buy sharps?
This is a tough question to answer. This will depend on what you want to do with your bells and what your budget is. As I mentioned I bought my bells earlier than planned to use during children's music time at church. It turned out that another person who works with the children's program also had a couple sets of bells. While I have the full 25 note range, she has two sets of the basic 8 bell diatonic set and one set of the 5 sharps that go with that set. She does not have the extended range bells above high C or below middle C like I do.
There are advantages to both our sets. My set allows us to play any song we want due to having range. Her set is more limited in the songs we can play, but she has more of the most commonly used bells. That means more kids can be playing at any given time. Since I have two full octaves, I will sometimes hand out the notes for the song in both octaves. We play the song in two octaves together. In this way I get both range and a lot of kids playing at a time.
So, which bells should you buy? Only you can say, but here are some thoughts. If you want to be able to play bells just by themselves, range is more important than if you are singing with the bells. This is why I bought the full set, so my family could play songs together. You'll notice if a bell is missing if it's only the bells playing. If you are singing with the bells, the bells can be an accent to the singing and it is less noticeable if there are bells missing. You can get away with not having the full range.
I am linking Groth music for these bells and including their price because their site is easily navigable and they seem a reasonable price. I recommend shopping around to find the best price. I'm including the prices as of the day I am posting this to give and idea of cost. The prices may have changed.
8 note diatonic set...................$36.95
5 note sharps add on...............$28.00
13 note set...............................$62.95
20 note set...............................$97.50
25 note set.............................$136.50
Start with the basic 8 note diatonic set. What to buy if your budget allows for more?
If your budget is limited to two sets but you want to be able have as many kids play bells at a time as possible, buy a second 8 note diatonic set. Granted you won't have a lot of freedom in your song choice, but these 8 bells see the most use and will allow you to have the most kids playing at once. Check out my index of songs that are no sharps required.
If your budget is limited to two sets but you are more interested in the range of songs you can play, get 13 note set that includes the sharps that goes with the basic set.
If your budget is more expansive and you want as many people playing as possible, get the basic 8 note diatonic set and the 13 note set that includes the sharps that goes with the basic set. This way you'll have 2 of each of the basic 8 notes that get played the most plus one of each of the sharps that go with them, expanding the songs you can play.
If your budget is more expansive and you want the best range of songs you can play, get the 20 note set or full full 25 note set.
