National carillonist Lyn Fuller was one of the first to test out the newly installed clavier, meaning the carillon is now a complete musical instrument for the first time in its history.

In the past, the carillon's bells have been operated by a pneumatic and computerised system, but with the new clavier, the bells can be operated manually.

ALSO MAKING NEWS:

Andrew Reynolds, a director with John Taylor and Co (the firm that headed the task of installing the clavier), said the test day gave carillonists a chance to give feedback on how the clavier sounds.

"We've got it at a point where we can say to a group of carillonists: 'Come in and give us some feedback on how it works'," he said.

"Lyn Fuller, a national carillonist, has come in and she's give it a good play, so we can take her feedback and make any corrections that are needed."

The change from an automatic system to a manual system will tradistically change the feel and the sound of the music coming from the bells.

"The computerised system are either on or off. You push the key and it hits. That's all there is to it," Reynolds said.

"There's no nuance, no expression. You also can't play the bells rapidly, because you haven't got the time for the electromags to fire and release the keys.

"The strike note of a bell tends to nominate over everything. So with the clavier, the bells can be played slowly and quietly, so the full expression of the bell can come out."