Anodized Aluminum - Aluminum having a protective, often colored, oxide film bonded to it by the introduction of an electric current.
Aromatherapy - Using scent to enhance a feeling of well being.
Asli Arts by Woodstock Chimes - Chimes and other garden décor items produced for Woodstock Chimes by artisans in Bali. These eye-catching designs are handcrafted from bamboo, capiz shells and other natural and renewable materials.
Bamboo - A very strong “wood”, bamboo is a grass that matures in 4-5 years. This sustainable resource grows readily without the use of fertilizers or pesticides.
Capiz Shell - Capiz shells come from pearl oysters, commonly known as kapis. A sustainable resource, these mollusks are farmed in Indonesia and their shells are used in many household décor objects.
Carbonized Bamboo - Carbonized bamboo has been treated during manufacture to darken the wood. It is accomplished by steaming the bamboo. The heat turns the sugar in the bamboo brown, thus giving it its darker color.
Center String - Support string that runs from the top wood part on the chime through the clapper and down to the feather. Most center units are strung with extremely durable Spectra line.
Center Unit - Consists of the feather, clapper and string.
Chau Gong - A type of Chinese gong also known as a “Tam Tam”, chau gongs have a lip around the outer rim of the gong.
Chimalong - The Chimalong is a metallophone introduced in 1986. It consists of anodized aluminum tubes of varying lengths, offering a one-octave range. Color coding and the coordinated songbook help children learn to play and read music.
Clapper - The center piece of wood or other material that actually strikes the tubes to create sound from the chime.
Diatonic - A musical scale having 7 tones. The so-called “do-re-mi” scale is an example of a diatonic scale, as are the white keys (beginning with C) on the piano.
Emperor Series - This is a grouping of products produced by Woodstock Chimes that captures the romance and splendor of the Far East with wonderful sounds and graceful, sweeping lines.
Encore Collection - Chimes and other garden décor items produced by Woodstock Chimes that offer high quality and great value. Hand-tuned to ancient pentatonic scales, all Encore Chimes sound great together.
Feather - Also called the windcatcher, this is the part of a chime that is activated by the wind and sets the chime playing.
Feng Shui - Pronounced “fung-shway.” Ancient Chinese art prescribing a set of aesthetic principles for living in harmony with the environment, to enhance health, wealth and happiness.
Frame - The round support piece or brace for a drum head.
Frequency - A musical scale having seven tones. The so-called “do-re-mi” scale is an example of a diatonic scale, as are the white keys (beginning with C) on the piano.
Gong - Originating in China, gongs are flat disks, usually made of bronze or brass. These musical instruments are played by striking the disks with a mallet. Wind gongs incorporate a clapper attached to a windcatcher in such a way that it plays when the wind blows.
Hangtag - Descriptive card attached to each chime.
Interval - The distance between two notes.
Just Intonation - For reasons of musical purity, we tune all of our products to an ancient system known as just intonation. Therefore, many of the notes used on Woodstock Chimes fall between the notes of the piano which is tuned to a modern system called equal temperament. This makes our products not only authentic when we tune to ancient scales, but also gives the sound its beautiful and unique quality for which we are known. Each and every tube or rod used in our special chimes is individually tuned to exacting frequencies to assure the best possible result. This means that tubes tuned to the same note found on other Woodstock Chimes will be in tune with each other but might be slightly different in length. Other windchime makers often cut to exacting lengths but the sound will vary due to the slight inconsistencies of the tubes (wall thickness, diameter, temperament of metal). While our products are mostly enjoyed in homes and gardens, many musicians use them as well. Since the intervals don’t always match the modern system of tuning of the piano exactly, trained ears can appreciate the difference and adapt to the ancient system. For those wanting to explore this ancient tuning system of just intonation in great detail, we suggest the following: http://www.kylegann.com/tuning.html
Metallophone - A musical instrument made with metal bars or tubes that are tuned to particular notes. Also called a metal xylophone. The Chimalong is a metallophone.
Musical Note or Ratio - Today, we use a note name to refer to a specific pitch (for example, the musical note A). In ancient times, a ratio conveyed the pitch, along with other information relating to the scale (for example, 3/2 tells us that it's vibrating 1½ times faster than the lowest note).
Octave - An interval the distance of a complete diatonic scale (for example C to C), with a frequency ratio of 2:1. Also refers to the range of notes this interval encompasses. In a diatonic scale, the octave includes eight notes. In a pentatonic scale, six notes.
O-Ring - The support or hanging ring located at the very top of the chime.
Overall Length - Measured from top of O-ring to bottom of feather.
Patina - A greenish deposit on weathered bronze or copper. Formed by oxidation, a patina will naturally develop on bronze and copper items.
Pitch - Term referring to the high-low quality of sound.
Plating - Plating is a method of coating one metal with a thin layer of another metal. For instance, copper-plated steel is a thin layer of copper that has been chemically bonded to a base made of steel.
Powder Coating - Powder coating is a technique of painting using dry paint. Rather than drying, this paint is cured in an oven. Most often used to color metal parts, the powder paint is electrostatically charged and sprayed on the piece. This creates a color coating that is very durable.
Precision-Tuned / Musically Tuned - Having had the pitch of a chime adjusted in such a way that the sound is exactly as intended by our designers. All Woodstock Chimes are precision tuned to an ancient system called just intonation.
Prisms and Crystals - While magnifying glasses concentrate light, prisms scatter light. Prisms cause the different wavelengths of the light to separate, which creates the bands of color you see reflected on your walls. So while you might be able to start a fire by hanging a magnifying glass in your window, hanging one of our Guardian Angels, Crystal Cascades or Crystal Fantasies in your window will only create rainbows - that’s why we call them Rainbow Makers!
Rods - The “chime” of the windchime, these are the parts of the windchime that are struck by the clapper to make sound. Made of anodized aluminum, these are called “tubes” when they are hollow and “rods” when they are solid.
Scale and Mode - An established sequence of tones of any number of notes. There are thousands of scales in use throughout the world. Woodstock Chimes come in scales of 4 notes (i.e., Mission), 5 notes (i.e., Bali), 7 notes (i.e., Gregorian). When a Woodstock Chime has an extra note beyond the scale, this is a duplication of the lowest note, one octave higher (i.e., Olympos or Gregorian).
Signature Collection - The top-of-the-line products from Woodstock Chimes. The Signature Collection represents the very best of the best.
Singing Bowl - Singing bowls are a type of bell. Rather than hanging, singing bowls sit inverted; rubbing the rim of the bell with a special mallet causes the sides to vibrate and create overtones and a continuous singing sound.
Tone - The quality of musical pitch. Also often used interchangeably with “note.” Top Piece - The large disk, usually wooden, at the top of the chime that acts as the support piece for chime tubes and o-ring line.
Tubes - The “chime” of the windchime, these are the parts of the windchime that are struck by the clapper to make sound. These are called “tubes” when they are hollow and “rods” when they are solid.
Tube String - The “string” used to hold the parts of the chime. All Woodstock Chimes are strung with braided nylon.
Tuning - Adjusting the pitch of a chime or musical instrument. All Woodstock Chimes are precision-tuned to an ancient system called just intonation.
Windcatcher - Also called the feather, the part of the chime that is activated by the wind and sets the chime playing.
Windsinger Chimes - Precision tuned to an ancient Asian scale, Windsinger Chimes feature thickwalled tubes, heavy duty suspension, custom clapper and an anaerodynamic design that set them apart from all other wind chimes. The look is boldly elegant, the sound is irresistibly beautiful, and the resonance is breaktaking.
Woodstock Habitats - A series of chimes and bells produced by Woodstock Chimes to celebrate the variety of nature around us. Made of cast metal, the designs incorporate animals and other reminders of nature that enhance our habitat.
Woodstock Music Collection - A grouping of musical instruments designed to make music accessible and rewarding for kids of all ages. Easy to play and easy to learn, the Woodstock Music Collection is “What Fun Sounds Like™
Pentatonic - A musical scale having five tones, six including the octave. The black keys on the piano are an example of a pentatonic scale.
