There are few things as calming as the sound of a wind chime on warm summer evening. They are an indication of increasing winds and used as meditation aids, as well as decorative pieces.
In order to make a wind chime, there are just a few minimal steps to take, and a few basic ideas to look at. The first, obviously, is the basic structure of a wind-driven instrument, or chime. Ideally, your indoor chime will hang from a point high enough to catch a breeze, but if such a point is not available, a spot by an open window will be sufficient. For outside chimes, anyplace will do, as long as an unobstructed breeze is possible. A chime is usually made up of a number of items strung to a circle. The circle, in turn, is attached by at least four strands of cord to a hook, which can be used to attach the chime to the ceiling, perch, or other vantage point.
Now that the technical stuff is out of the way, we can get to the creative part. We need to find things that will make sounds. Now, the most obvious, and therefore most common, of these are bells, small shells, and handmade musical tubes. These are all found easily both in nature and craft stores. I would like to take a brief look at some less orthodox sound-makers.
While walking along the shoreline, I came upon some broken glass. As I always do when I come upon such selfish litter, I tried to gather it to dispose of. I put the shards of glass into a bag, and found the sound of glass hitting glass rather pleasant. Now, I found that it isn’t at all practical to try and drill small holes into the shards of glass, as they (inevitably) shatter further. Yet, the bottle necks, when broken down into various sizes, with more or less of the necks attached, were found to produce different chords when struck. These pieces are easily threaded onto pieces of twine, and are actually quite attractive when placed in direct sunlight. Worn down beach glass is always nice, but if it is not available, fresh glass is just as melodious.
Another sound-maker I found was aluminum flip tops, the kind found on soda cans. These need to be strung together into cords, possibly fifty or so to a strand. A weight should then be attached to the end of each strand, a different weight creating a different sound on each strand. The strands create a soft, clicking sound which is quite comforting, not intrusive at all. Nuts and bolts are very handy for weights, as well as actual fishing weights, the kind used by fishermen. As a matter of fact, a glance through that old tackle box may yield some brightly colored lures, perfect for a wind-chime for that fisherman friend. A quick look through your garage or workshop may yield a treasure trove of material, everything from nuts and bolts to odd pieces of scrap metal and wood.
Everything creates a sound when struck together, and attention to color and texture can produce attractive, unique pieces. Driftwood, feathers, beach glass, aluminum cans, even old broken pieces of plastic all come together to create soothing melodies when driven by a night-time breeze. Small seashells are lovely, though very popular, and commercially made. Bells of all shapes and sizes can be bought at any craft store, and are easy enough to string together.
Use your imagination! Take a quick look through your attic for old pieces of material, broken toys, who knows what things will sound like when attached to a few pieces of string and struck together. Experiment and you will be able to boast the most original wind chimes in your neighborhood. A little imagination will have people asking where they can get one too.
