Picture a warm summer evening. You're sitting on the porch enjoying the slight breeze and the picturesque sunset. What do you hear? For many people, the picture isn't complete without the dainty sound of wind chimes floating on the air.

Wind chimes, also called Aeolian chimes, are wooden or metal tubes, usually hollow, that hang near a building. Music is produced when wind rustles them, causing them to bang against each other. Because each tube is a different length, different tones are produced, creating a musical effect.

Practitioners of Feng Shui use wind chimes to create emotional harmony, and in Africa they are tokens of good luck.

While most people are satisfied with wind chimes the way they buy them, it is possible to manipulate the chimes to produce specific notes. The length, thickness and width of the chime affects the note it makes, as does the material it's made of. Formulas exist to help determine the right length to achieve a particular note.

Though wood and metal are the most common building materials for wind chimes, other elements are possible too. Bamboo, PVC pipe, seashells, silverware, glass -- anything that will make a sound when it's clanked against something is a potential wind chime. Items like that cannot be fine-tuned as well as basic metal and wooden tubes, however, and the sounds they produce can often be termed "music" only by the loosest of definitions.

Some companies offer wind chimes for sale that can be personalized to your tastes, complete with your name on them. Many people prefer to make their own, however, out of the "found" items mentioned previously. It's common to see such homemade wind chimes for sale at street fairs and bazaars. They add a touch of tranquility and gentleness to a home, creating simple music whenever the wind blows.

http://www.windchimeplanet.com is a website packed with information on bamboo wind chimes and ceramic wind chimes