How did the 64 bronze bells from the tomb of Zeng produce different notes?

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Chinese music: 12 pitches of the lü — Chinese music Twelve pitches of Chinese music as produced by overblowing the lü, bamboo tuning pipes (starting for ease of comparison from Western C).

The 64 bronze bells excavated from the tomb of Zenghouyi are notable for their ability to produce two distinct pitches from a single bell.12

These bells, known as zhong, were crafted with a flattened, elliptical cross-section rather than a round shape. This unique design allowed each bell to produce different notes depending on where it was struck. Specifically, the names of the two pitches were carved directly onto the bell at the two designated striking locations: the mouth and the right side.132

To achieve the precise tuning required for these musical scales, the bells featured blunt spikes, or bosses, on their bodies. It is believed that these bosses were filed down to remove small amounts of metal, allowing the craftsmen to tune each bell to the desired pitch.3