Have you ever noticed how some wind chimes create soothing sounds, where others offer up only a dull thump, or a cacophonous jangle of sound? There are a number of factors that can cause a wind chime to make a less than attractive noise. The problem might be with the material, the design, or just the way the wind chime has been hung. If you're thinking about getting a metal wind chime, and want to steer clear of noisy ones, or have a problem chime that you'd like to fix, here's some information to help you figure things out.
Make Sure Your Chimes Can Move
The most common culprit when a wind chime that sounded great in the store produces a dull or muted noise is incorrect hanging. If you've placed your metal wind chime too close to a wall, tree, or other vertical surface, or the cord that holds the chime up prevents it from moving freely, the quality of the sound will suffer. Surfaces close to the chime can bind it, or create an unpleasant echo. This is particularly problematic in enclosed indoor spaces. If your chime is hung so that it can't move freely, chances are that the echo chambers inside each piece aren't working properly. Hang your metal wind chimes so that they can swing easily, and aren't tangled up in their own cords.
Hollow Chimes Are Better
If it's not the way the chimes have been hung that's the problem, it might be the design itself. There are a number of wind chimes on the market made of solid chunks of metal. A hollow metal wind chime offers a better sound, since the empty area inside the tube or bell allows sounds to echo and be amplified. If your windchimes sound dull and lifeless, check to see if they're hollow. Solid chimes should probably be replaced.
Not All Tones Are Equal
Another design problem that you may see in cheap metal wind chimes is poor tone selection. Wind chimes that have this problem create plenty of sound, but it's not a good sound. If your wind chimes are chaotic and noisy, chances are that they weren't designed with a good range of sounds. Unfortunately, there's not a lot you can do about this. You can experimentally attempt to cut some chimes in a tube-style wind chime shorter. However, there's a change that this will make the problem worse, instead of better. Buying a higher quality wind chime that's been more carefully tuned is a better idea. Not much will make a bad metal wind chime sound better.
Materials Count
Not all metals are the same. That means that steel wind chimes sound different from those made from aluminum, and copper wind chimes are different still. On top of that, the thickness of the metal will cause it to make a different sound as well. When you purchase a new metal wind chime, pay attention to the sounds that different types of material make, to see if there's one that you particularly like. That will allow you to cut out categories of wind chimes until you find the perfect one for you.
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