The Gift of Windchimes

Buying a windchime as a gift for that someone special or for yourself can be an overwhelming experience. There are so many construction choices (wood, metal, glass, bamboo, seashells, and stones) and such a wide variety of tunings and sounds (do you want chimes that sound like Westminster Abbey or something more exotic?), confusion can set in early on!

You might be surprised at the workmanship that this seemly simple instrument entails. In metal windchimes, there appears to be only a wood top piece with metal tubes of varying lengths underneath, a wind catcher and clapper that strikes the tubing to produce melodious sounds, however, it takes a tremendous amount of energy to produce the metal tubing, not to mention precision cutting is key in creating the correct tunings. Windchimes must also be able to withstand many years of pouring rain, the drying effects of the sun, and driving wind without corroding, decaying or breaking.

When looking at the construction of wind chimes, pay attention to the size and the material from which the wind chime is made. Most of our metal windchimes, such as Music of the Spheres and Grace Notes, are made of a high-grade aluminum with tempered alloy tubes, which are very popular because of their low maintenance and durability. Steel pipe creates a pleasant, bright ringing sound and copper is a softer metal that produces a more mellow sound than either steel or aluminum. The diameter of the tubing is what creates the frequency of the particular pipe you’re considering. Large diameter piping will produce lower tones, as can tubes with thicker sidewalls, while smaller diameters produce higher notes. A problem to be aware of when looking at windchimes that are longer than two or three feet is that the pipes can sometimes have overtones, especially in more cheaply made or softer metal pipes. Don’t let that stop you from buying though, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest wind chime has its longest tube at 36 feet long which produces a low, sustained, bell-like sound!

Stress and blessing of a New Baby

I think that we can all agree that nothing can bring more happiness and more stress to a home than the addition of a new baby. Over this past weekend, we had some friends over who are expecting and the topic of the new nursery came up. We spoke of how windchimes, like our Goose Rock Designs glass windchimes, are becoming increasingly popular gifts for new parents to spruce up the nursery décor. These mobiles are handcrafted glass wind chimes and can bring sound and color into any décor, but they can be especially useful in the nursery because windchimes – both glass and metal - fascinate infants visually and stimulates their auditory system (not to mention the calming sounds of a classic metal windchime can calm a frazzled parents nerves!). Wind chimes make soft sounds that are pleasing to baby's ears and can help them drift off to sleep.

We’ve talked about Feng Shui previously and there is a growing segment of the new mom population that believes that strategically placed wind chimes can help calm babies, bring peace to the home, and promote learning. Placed in the western side of the home, the direction generally regarded as relating to children, windchimes are thought to promote health and well-being in children and bring creativity to all inhabitants of the home. Wind chimes are tuned to promote good energy and stimulate the imagination. The positive energy attracted by the windchime can help calm a baby and protect them from negativity. If you have older children, bringing more positive energy into the home can help ensure they grow up to be honorable individuals. Still trying? Placing a windchime in western-facing window is thought to help promote fertility. Windchimes are a perfect gift, especially for a new baby, for their aesthetic quality and their multi-sensory appeal!

High Quality Metal Winchimes

A lot of our friends and customers have remarked lately about the tone and resonance of our windchimes and how the chimes that they have been seeing at a lot of the garden centers and specialty shops just don’t compare. We couldn’t agree more! Once you hear (and in some cases, even feel!) the sounds of our hand-tuned windchimes, you’ll never bother with anything else. So what makes our windchimes so special? It’s all about the construction. Every metal windchime we carry is constructed with the finest materials and tuned more precisely than other wind chimes currently on the market. Our two metal construction windchimes are the top of the line companies of Music of the Spheres and Grace Notes.

Music of the Spheres handcrafted windchimes uses aluminum exclusively, and their windchimes have extra thick corrosion protected tempered alloy tubes that enhance the resonance. Aluminum is a popular wind chime material for construction because of it’s ease of care, durability, ease of tuning, and that it's tones stay true year after year. These chimes are available in a remarkable array of 11 different scales and 5 different pitch tones which are precision tuned to A440 (standard orchestra pitch). Music of the Spheres boasts high-density polyethylene or finished hardwood clappers that we have found can withstand sunlight, rain, and mildew for many years, the tubes are centrally suspended and their ends are finely polished to reduce wear on the synthetic cord.

Grace Notes windchimes uses thick-tempered tempered aluminum tubes with a soft brushed finish to produce the clearest tones, a unique pinned suspension device that places the pins inside the harmonically tuned tubes to eliminate string interference and produce clearer resonances, and recycled composite lumber strikers that require no maintenance makes the contact sound softer. Grace Note wind chimes come in 9 different sizes with 7 different tunings to suit all tastes. Each classic, handcrafted windchime is tuned in the key of C, with the corresponding notes and chords engraved on one side of each aluminum wind catcher!

These are absolutely the finest wind chimes available and they have the largest selection of tunings. The quality and attention to details is what sets these windchimes apart from the rest. Don’t forget to buy with pride! All of our chimes are made in the USA.

Feng Shui

Something that we touched on in an earlier blog, is the balancing, harmonizing effect that Feng Shui can create in your home, but what exactly is it and how can you benefit from this ancient philosophy? Feng Shui literally translates as Wind (Feng) and Water (Shui). Chinese scholars many years ago discovered how wind and water affect our environment and well-being and how specific placement of objects can help focus the energy flow or “chi”. Sound is considered a powerful cure in Feng Shui. Wind chimes are popular with Feng Shui followers because they are harbingers of good luck. Not only can windchimes be decorative and relaxing to listen to, wind chimes historically have been used in conjunction with Feng Shui to clear negative energy out of the home and invite positive energy into it. Many Asian cultures believe windchimes can even loosen pent up energy buried under clutter! How exciting is that? Properly hung, believers think that windchimes can attract money and friends, as well as promoting health and harmony for your family. With that in mind, we’re providing some tips for inviting good spirits and positive energy into your home.

Try this: For good luck, hang hand-tuned wind chimes with six or eight round rods. If you have family troubles and need to break up bad chi, windchimes with five round rods are what you’re looking for. Do you have a long entranceway in your home? Try hanging a windchime by your front door. The sounds created by the windchime can slow down positive energy and keep it from dispersing too quickly. As a side benefit, it is also useful to alert you of anyone coming in that entranceway. Place a small wind chime in a corner to stir up and release chi in that area. North sides of homes are associated with oppressive chi; adding a windchime can make the atmosphere feel lighter.

The most important aspect of windchimes and Feng Shui is to ensure that the sound produced is pleasing and relaxing to the listener, whether that be from metal, powder-coat, glass or wood. Make sure the size of your windchimes is appropriate to the space it will be used in. Use large windchimes outside or in large living spaces, and smaller ones indoors, but keep in mind an important Feng Shui guideline, never place your windchime directly over any sitting, eating or working space.

Feng Shui is all about energy. Why not use it to create positive energy in your life? Feng Shui, while relatively new in western cultures, has a positive track record of over 5000 years. Can you really use Feng Shui? Absolutely!