A musical instrument signaling system (10) that is designed to alert a player of a hand-held musical instrument when to commence and stop playing the instrument. Typically, the hand-held musical instrument consists of a handbell as used by members of a bell choir. The system (10) is disclosed in five embodiments, wherein each embodiment has a transmitting circuit that includes a musical instrument such as a keyboard, and a receiving circuit. In the first, third and fifth embodiments a set of electrical signals containing the notes are transmitted through space. In the second and fourth embodiments the signals containing the notes are transmitted from the transmitter circuit to the receiving circuit by a hard-wired cable. In all five embodiments only the selected notes of a musical performance are sent to the bell ringers.