Having the Best of Chimes : Wind-Blown Instruments Decorating More Yards

The movie “Body Heat” turned the otherwise innocent wind chime intosomething alluring, even sinister.

There was William Hurt, breaking down the door to get to scheming Kathleen Turner while hundreds of wind chimes on Turner’s porch jangled in the warm breeze. Suddenly, wind chimes had become synonymous for sex.

Blame it on “Body Heat,” or a growing interest in gardening, but the G-rated wind chime has become a hot property.

“Most people are so into their yards. This is another decorative thing they can use in the garden,” says Lee Leary, owner of Laguna Gander, a gift shop in Laguna Beach which carries a large and eclectic mix of wind chimes.

“Some people like the chimes’ melodic, soothing sounds. Some fall asleep to the sound of chimes moving in the breeze,” she says. “They drive me crazy.”

The variety of wind chimes has proliferated in the past 10 years, she says, with “many innovations and new designs.”

Chimes come in all shapes and materials, including copper, aluminum, ceramic, steel, porcelain, pewter, shells and glass. Architects and artists, musicians and instrument makers have all turned their talents to making wind chimes.

Some chimes are finely tuned musical instruments played by the wind.

J.W. Stannard, a musician and maker of musical instruments, creates tiny chimes of solid aluminum tubing that emit a harmonic tinkling sound.

Woodstock Wind Chimes have hollow aluminum tubes that come in all sizes and are electronically tuned to different scales, including a rock ‘n’ roll chime that plays the bass line from “Rock Around the Clock” and “Tutti-Frutti,” and a more solemn chime that echoes the gongs of Westminster Abbey. They sell for about $70 at Laguna Gander.

“For sound, you can’t beat those,” Leary says.

Not all chimes are made of hanging metal tubes. Wind Works makes a contemporary triangle-shaped steel chime called Triple-tone that produces three distinct notes--”like a church,” Leary says.

Buyers of wind chimes tend to fall into two categories, according to Cathy Hough, manager/buyer for Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar.

“Some buy chimes purely for sound,” Hough says. “Others don’t care what they sound like, they just care about how they look. Some very pretty chimes make a clanging noise.”

Those who want chimes that look pretty but are less particular about pitch-perfect tones can find ones that are like hanging works of art for the garden.

Chime Tree makes a line of handcrafted porcelain wind chimes with whales, shells, pink flamingos, sea gulls and other nature themes stamped and painted on flat pieces of porcelain. While the porcelain chimes (available at Roger’s Gardens) give off a pleasing jingle, they don’t resonate with the clear tones of the plain aluminum tubes.

Carson makes chimes out of pewter, but instead of hollow tubes, the metal pieces are shaped into carousel horses and seashells. They’re cute, but they’re not as musical as the Cathedral Collection by Carillon, which seek to emulate the gongs from Notre Dame and Santa Barbara Mission. Both are also at Roger’s Gardens.

Jacque Tatum, a former Laguna Beach artist, began making chimes 10 years ago. Now she operates a full-fledged business in the San Jacinto Hills that employs 42 artisans.

Her chimes, often copied by others, are garden sculptures hand-cut from sheets of copper. Whimsical designs such as a cat with a butterfly perched on its tail, a bunny rabbit holding a flower and a sunburst with the moon and stars are her trademark. They sell for $60 to $110 at Laguna Gander.

“They’re pretty to look at. They have motion but they’re sculpture,” Tatum says. Her chimes are not tuned to a particular scale, but their tones are rich enough that the chimes are still music to the ears.

“They just have a melodious sound,” Tatum says.

Copper chimes with a green patina by Wayne Wilson with creatures such as quails, whales and hummingbirds are a best seller at Laguna Gander. With their green hue and nature motifs, they blend well with the outdoors.

Monikalexis, a Fountain Valley firm, makes chimes with bells and birds out of white, pink and terra-cotta ceramic for Southwest or Spanish decor. Like many chimes, these can hang indoors as well as out.

Yet the wind chimes’ real purpose is to add ambience to the garden.

“There’s the strong visual appeal of the garden, there’s the fragrance, and then there’s the sound,” Hough says.

Soothing sounds can be created through fountains, waterfalls and chimes situated throughout a garden.

“Some people think you can’t mix wind chimes or it gets kind of busy. But if you pick them right, you can,” Hough says. “One client had six different wind chimes spread out in her garden and it worked.”