The bowls, placed on a vertical rod, are arranged roughly in order of pitch.

The bells are usually pitched to microtonal intervals and do not represent any formal scale.

[2] When a glissando is played, the inexactness of the order of the bowls' pitch is unnoticeable, merely creating a fuller sound.

[3][4] The bell tree is often used to accentuate the start or end of passages of music with a "bright", "shimmer" effect, adding complexity.

The rock band America utilized one in "Bell Tree," a song named for the instrument, found on their 1975 album Hearts.