Davis Blanchard Wind Chimes-FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions-Click on a Subject

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Return Policky: My tuned wind chimes carry a 30 day 100% Satisfaction guarantee. If you are unhappy for any reason, return them in the original box within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. Shipping expenses are the buyer's responsibility. Please contact me first for authorization. No CODs.
Hanging Wind Chimes: Suspend securely and directly from a strong hook or bracket where there is a steady unbroken breeze. Since these wind chimes are heavier than most, a bit more steady wind is required to generate a decent attack. It may seem that there is a lot of wind, and the light weight chimes are going, but in actuality, the wind might be broken and diffused by trees and other obstructions. The wind catcher is designed to ride the wind like a box kite, and will swing left and right perpendicular to the direction of the wind. Sometimes the wind is not strong enough to energize the catcher to swing and will instead keep it slightly aloft and pushing gently against the downwind pipes. In this situation a spinning catcher might work better as it will be released from the wind and swing back towards it. Some try taping the hole on both sides with electrical tape, thus increasing the surface area and eliminating the kite effect. Hanging from ropes and tree limbs can cause a pendulum effect upon the entire assembly, resulting in less action. Good locations are high up on corner house eaves where the wind whips around. Suspend at least 12 inches from any wall or object. Experiment with different heights and locations, taking into consideration the seasonal wind directions. If too much or not enough wind, then relocate. Also consider the proximity to other brand wind chimes that may not meld together musically. For indoors, a small fan may be used. They may be placed near doorways and windows for any incoming breeze and also to allow visitors to brush against them either accidentally or intentionally. Some tie a string from the wind catcher to a door.
Maintenence: Since there are no wood parts, there is no need for any periodic treatments. Just use soap and water when needed, and occasionally clean inside the tubes with a pressurized water hose to clear out spider webs and wasp nests.

8 Tubes: 8 tubes allow full expression of the voice's pitch range. These are the only musical wind chimes that express the full Tenor and Alto voices, a range of 1 1/2 octaves or more for each voice, over 2 octaves combined.

Musical Background: I learned to play acoustic guitar as a teenager. Later I joined a drum circle which occasionally performed publicly and privately for compensation. When I picked up the didjeridoo, I had the opportunity to record in a couple of studios, and thus became interested in a studio of my own. While I earned a certificate in audio engineering, I ran a small demo recording studio and began to produce songs of my own.

Internal Suspension: Stephen Burnham is the originator of the internal suspension system for hanging the metal tubes. It reduces damping of the tube's vibration, avoids abrasion of the cord passing through the holes in the tube, and presents a sleek appearance. It also allows the tube more action without directional restriction. Galvanized wire pins attach the cord internally and are bent in the middle to allow the cord to center itself. Stephen also pioneered the popular top suspension ring, the aerodynamic angled windcatcher, and the central anti-node activation. He licensed to me his ideas in 1983. Since then, many other wind chime makers have adopted these designs, most without acknowledgement. [Jeff Kile, now retired, worked for Stephen previous to his founding of Grace Note Wind Chimes. Larry Roark, deceased, interviewed me about wind chime designs prior to his founding of Music of the Spheres Wind Chimes. Woodstock Percussion bought Windsinger, Stephen's daughter Laura's version of her Dad's designs in 1999, 2 years before Stephen's death. Woodstock does give credit.]

Feng Shui: Feng shui literally means wind and water. As both wind and water are fluid elements, feng shui has to do with the flow of energy. Basic concepts of feng shui include opening up spaces for easy flow of air and foot traffic, and alignment with electomagnetic energy. Only metal wind chimes are traditionally recognized for feng shui. They should be positioned outside a window or door leading into the desired space so as to allow the energetic vibration to enter properly. A soothing sound is recommended, any that pleases your senses.

About the Music: I tune all my musical wind chimes to Just Intonation. This is a method of tuning so that all tones within a scale have simple mathematical relationships to the fundamental or first tone of the scale. Therefore, the octave is twice the frequency (cycles per second, Hertz, Hz) of the fundamental with a mathematical relationship or ratio of 2/1. The musical fifth has a ratio of 3/2 (702 cents) to the fundamental, 1 1/2 times the fundamental frequency. The musical fourth is 4/3 (498 cents). And so on. (Each product page shows the Just Intonation Ratios and adjusted note values. See Comparisons for a chart of the note values for all my musical wind chimes.) Because of these simple ratios, the tones are sympathetic and thus sound consonant or pleasing to the ear. Some are closer to Equal Tempered intervals than others. Anhemitonic pentatonic scales, such as the Greek and Chinese pentatonic scales, are the most pleasing to listen to, that is, 5 note scales without semitones (which are considered dissonant or discordant). They are generally constructed from sequences of musical fifths, the most consonant of tone intervals other than the unison (note of same frequency) and octave, and reduced to within one octave. The Chinese Pentatonic Scale (fundamental and 4 upward sequential fifths) is actually Pythagorean in nature, but is easily transposed to the Greek Pentatonic Scale (fundamental, 2 upward fifths, 2 downward fifths), which is both Pythagorean and Just. Pythagorean Tuning involves tuning by using sequential upward intervals of the fifth, and reducing the resulting tones to within one octave. The problem with Pythagorean Tuning is that the mathematical relationships become more complex with increasing distance from the fundamental. The Greek Pentatonic Scale is considered the most soothing because of its symmetrical interval structure and uncommitted tonality, and is the most compatible with the 12 Tone Equal Tempered Scale. The 12 Tone Equal Tempered Scale is a compromise between pure harmonic tonality and free key modulation, so that all tone intervals are equal (100 cents per semitone). For more information, visit JustIntonation.net.

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