What Notes Do Wind Chimes Play?

Tubular Metal Tuning

• Metal wind chime tubes can be tuned to any note. Most wind chimes are tuned to a partial chord -- a major, minor or seventh chord. Some manufacturers tune their chimes to a specific scale and offer sound samples online. Other makers tune their metal wind chimes to the beginning notes of specific songs, such as "Amazing Grace." A mathematical formula is used for metal pipe tuning. For example, the first pipe is 30.0 cm long. The major third length of the next pipe should be 26.8 cm long. Many different scales are used to tune chimes to specific notes and themes.

Other Materials

• Wooden or bamboo wind chimes are not as conducive to exact tuning. The characteristics of the material do allow for mathematical measurements, but may need adjusting after the material is cut to size. Sanding down the length (bottom) of the chime raises the pitch of the note. Decreasing the density (thickness) decreases the pitch of the chime. Mathematically, use the length of the longest chime and multiply that measurement by 0.7071 to obtain a note one octave higher, by 0.7454 to raise the note a minor seventh or by 0.8944 to increase the note a major third.