OrderToday Woodstock Chimes of Java Windchime

Woodstock Chimes of Java Windchime

Product Description

Journey to the South Pacific island of Java with the deep, rich tones of one of Woodstock's larger-sized windchimes. Java is located on the border of the Indian and Pacific Oceans and between Asia and Australia, making it subject to the influence of many cultures. Javanese gamelan music is a combination of Buddhist instruments, South Pacific island dance, Hindu music, and philosophy, with the later influence of Moslem philosophy and music. Composer Claude Debussy said “Javanese music [is] able to express every shade of meaning.” You can bring all those rich musical traditions to your outdoor living space with the Chimes of Java.

Woodstock Chimes are the original, musically-tuned, high-quality windchimes known worldwide for their superior sound. When listening to a Woodstock Chime, you hear a fine musical instrument played by the wind, perfectly hand-tuned using the ancient system of “just intonation” based on natural harmonics. This means the frequencies at which the different tubes vibrate are related to one another by simple whole-number ratios. Tones that are related in this way produce the most beautiful musical intervals. The sonic effect is exceptionally pure and soothing.

More than 30 years ago, the first Woodstock Chime was created by founder and owner Garry Kvistad from an aluminum lawn chair he found in a landfill. As a professional musician and instrument designer, he was fascinated by the Scales of Olympos, a 7th century pentatonic scale that can’t be played on a modern piano. Garry had the idea to cut and tune the lawn chair tubes to the exact frequency of the ancient scale. The resulting Chimes of Olympos was the first Woodstock Chime and is still one of our bestselling windchimes. Garry and his wife Diane founded Woodstock Percussion, Inc. in 1979 and it remains a family-owned business in New York’s Hudson Valley.

Amazon.com Review

The sounds of nature are sweet, but the music of chirping birds, chattering squirrels, and rustling leaves is even sweeter when accompanied by Woodstock's computer-tuned Java wind chimes. These chimes are made from black, coated, nonendangered hardwoods treated to endure season after season of outdoor use and are tuned to the musical scale of the gamelan degung. The chime captures the melodies of the island paradise of Java. Company founder Garry Kvistad has developed an advanced method of tuning used on every Woodstock chime: each tube is analyzed digitally with a microphone under the tube measuring the frequency, and cutters are instructed to remove just the right amount of material to produce the most precise tuning possible. The result is a purer, more harmonious sound. All Woodstock chimes are made in the USA. Woodstock prides itself on being a socially responsible company, explaining that "through the sale of our chimes we proudly support the arts, as well as many environmental and humanitarian causes." Add a hint of Javanese harmony to your yard or garden while contributing to the harmony of the earth.

• Large, classic-style wind chime is tuned to the musical scale of the javanese gamelan
• 6 Silver-colored aluminum tubes; cherry wood top, clapper and wind catcher; durable, braided nylon cord
• One of our deepest and richest-sounding wind chimes, the chimes of java is tuned to a d major scale
• Gamelan ensembles from the indonesian island of java reflect a rich heritage of oral musical tradition from many asian cultures
• Measures 50-inches overall length; 43-inches from the top wooden piece to the bottom of the wind catcher; longest tube is 32-inches