Wind chimes

I began handcrafting wind chimes and chime trees around the same time I learned how to solve partial differential equations by separating variables, as a sophomore at UTD in Prof. MacAlevey's class. This helped me take ownership of my education and provided some intuition and appreciation for wave phenomena.

To assemble a wind chime, I first formulate a tuning and calculate the appropriate lengths of the chimes using the relation \(f \propto \ell^{-2}\), where \(f\) is the frequency and \(\ell\) is the length of the chime. I then procure the metals (6061 aluminium alloy), make the appropriate cuts using a hacksaw, fine-tune the bars with a hand file, and finally string the chimes together. The strikers are made of hematite, and the windcatcher and hanging base are 3D-printed. Below are some of my favorite results.

• Cadd9 (G \(\otimes\) C \(\otimes\) D \(\otimes\) G):
  
• E lydian:
  
• Raga Malkauns:
  
• A minor modal:
  
• Db minor pentatonic:
  
• Raga Hindol:
  
• Sixteen-piece inharmonic chime tree [picture]:
  
• Harmonic six-piece chime tree. [picture]:
  
• Fifteen-piece inharmonic chime tree: [picture]:
  
• See here for several wind chimes tinkling in the breeze in Arroyo Seco, NM.
• Here is a multi-medium creative project involving wind chimes.

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