How Wind Chimes make their Sounds By: Glenn Mast

Wind chimes have a pleasant sound. Have you ever wondered  how they make those sounds? The basic parts of a set include four to eight rods, all of which are pitched differently, and a center disc, which is designed to hit only two non-consecutive rods at a time. No exact method on creating perfectly harmonious wind chimes exists, however. Makers and designers often create with varying types of materials, from metal of different thicknesses to wood, and this varies from, for example, the set lengths for strings inside a piano. Although both a set of chimes and a piano have the same concept, or a pitched object being hit to make said sound, wind chimes are open to more experimentation.

The reason any object makes a sound when hit has to do with vibrations, and wind chimes are no different. The key when creating them is to find the exact length and thickness for the materials you're using to create the perfect pitch. Generally, the pitch groups used are a pentatonic chord or a major chord - but not in the same set. Although the full set of notes for a pentatonic chord can be used for a full set, a set based on pitches of a major chord uses the same notes again but in a different octave. As a result, wind chimes created with a major chord in mind often have a larger pitch ran