Best Free Kontakt Tuned Percussion Libraries: Glockenspiels, Celestes, Bells & Music Boxes

Tuned percussion and pitched idiophones bring a distinct sense of wonder, sparkle, and organic motion to any score or production. From the pristine shimmer of orchestral glockenspiels, celestes, and tubular chimes to the nostalgic, mechanical charm of vintage music boxes, thumb pianos, and bowed metallophones, these instruments sit perfectly at the intersection of rhythm and melody.

Whether you are crafting intricate acoustic folk arrangements, lush cinematic film scores, festive holiday cues, or ambient soundscapes, this curated collection gathers the finest free struck, bowed, and mechanical percussive keys available for Kontakt.

Format: Kontakt Player

This is a lovely, well-sampled kalimba with a good deal of control that goes beyond what one expects for a free sample library.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

The instrument layers 5 different mallets using different beaters: rubber percussion beater, the handle of that same beater, a timpani mallet, a drum stick, and a hairclip. There is only one patch. I made several snapshots out of it and scaled back the chorus and reverb and love it!

Format: Kontakt (full version)

I own a few paid deep-sampled hang drum libraries, but I still find myself using this library a lot. It’s well sampled, sounds beautiful, and features 4 round-robin cycles.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

A very nice sounding 2.5 octave glockenspiel library with 4 velocity layers.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

An absolutely beautiful sounding 5 octave celeste.

https://soundcloud.com/simon-fyffe/upward-spiral?in=pianobook/sets/celesta-incogni

Format: Kontakt Player

If you’re looking for a toy piano, look no further.

Format: Kontakt Player

A beautiful set of chimes.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

A beautiful sounding hammered dulcimer library. And I’ll just be candid, I usually don’t love the sound of dulcimers, but LOVE the sound of this one and the sample libraries (there are two) are truly beautiful. If this were a paid library, I’d be very happy with it. Hunter didn’t merely sample typical articulations, but included unusual articulations for a dulcimer, including bowing. I find this samplist is one of my favs on Pianobook. He’s very talented and there’s a magical vibe to many of his libraries. The first volume features 12 patches and the second volume (Vol. II) features 7 patches (Hammer and Trem Combo, Plucked, Plucked Harmonics, Bowed Tremolo, Cedar Splatterpaint, Meadow Chimes, and Woodpecker).

Format: Kontakt (full version)

A really beautiful set of Schulmerich handbells from samplist Jon Meyer that I’ve used in a final production.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

A taped music box recorded on analog tape.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

Sampled bicycle bells that have been played around with until they sound like a glockenspiel. I really like it.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

I’m a sucker for glockenspiel libraries and this is a different approach. It’s a glockenspiel played with a bow instead of a mallet. The developer said it pretty accurately, so I’ll just quote him: “The staccato samples sound like a celeste with a softer attack, while the sustains sound like a glass harmonica with slight bow noise.” Very nice. (Note: This library is no longer available. The link will be updated if the library becomes available again.)

Format: Kontakt (full version)

I’m a sucker for percussion, tuned percussion, metallophones… I love the way this custom instrument sounds. It’s made from modified copper pipes and recorded struck with hard and soft mallets (some of the demos are gorgeous). This is a deep-sampled, 1.36 GB library that easily would be worth paying for if they weren’t giving it away free.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

There are certain instruments that are just magical: the piano, acoustic guitar, mandolin, the Wurly, Hammond B3, Les Paul, celeste, Dulcitone, glockenspiel, hang drum… and music boxes. I own A LOT of music box libraries and this one still brought something new to the table.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

A beautiful glockenspiel library.

Format: Kontakt Player

Yes, that trolley sound from Mister Rogers (if you’re an American and grew up in that era). But if you didn’t, it’s kind of a plain sounding celeste, but it has a certain charm.

Format: Kontakt Player

What can I say, I love glockenspiels, xylophones, and all sorts of tuned percussion.

Format: Kontakt Player

There are a ton of free kalimba sample libraries on the interwebs. This is one of the good ones.

Format: Kontakt Player

Beautiful tone. But I do wish it was more than 1 octave. Still, I love it.

Format: Kontakt Player

I’m a sucker for music boxes and this library contains two music boxes: one uses punched paper and the other an embossed metal cylinder.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

Don’t let the fact that they sampled a desk bell fool you into thinking this library isn’t special—it is.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

A well-sampled, very nice sounding one and a half octave glockenspiel.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

It’s a different sounding glockenspiel that contains resonator bells, like orchestra bells and vibraphones have.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

This sounds like a tongue drum, and I think, technically, that it is a tongue drum. Nice!

Format: Kontakt (full version)

A beautiful sounding vibraphone that is nicely sampled by one of the most talented sample developers on Pianobook. It is as good as a commercial (paid) vibraphone sample library and I even like it better than some of the vibraphone sample libraries I’ve bought.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

I’m a sucker for music box sample libraries and this is a very nice one that is as good as the paid music box sample libraries I own.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

The straight default music box sound on this is nice, but where this really shines is when you push the slider to double.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

This library, which was created by combining 14 bells and metallophone libraries together (all free libraries from Pianobook), is pure magic. If playing this doesn’t inspire you, I don’t know what will.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

A collection of one-shot and tempo-synced samples perfect for holiday productions.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

I am a sucker for music box sample libraries, and this one contains a straight music box patch plus swarming patches with a good deal of control over the sounds.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

It sounds like a cross between a kalimba and a music box and I think that’s lovely.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

Exactly as the name would lead you to believe, this is indeed an Orff Chimes library and it sounds beautiful.

https://soundcloud.com/nemoralismusic/spiced-thyme?in=pianobook/sets/orff-chimes

Format: Kontakt (full version)

A wonderful collection of Orff instruments with an arpeggiator.

Format: Kontakt (full version)

A great sounding M’bira library.