Transformed wind chimes: Nature-Symphony 20

Nature-Symphony 20 (Monolith — The unknowable) — The thrilling and imposing monolithic sound of Davis Blanchard Pluto wind chimes, accompanied by bamboo chimes. The other-worldly sound of this Pluto chime is far removed from the happy little Woodstock Pluto chime's pentatonic sound.

(Please note that this is NOTHING to do with the physical monoliths of unknown origin, so beloved of mystery addicts! — The monolith referred to here is a more abstract concept beyond what people normally regard as 'mystery'; more of a symbol than a 'thing', and a useful description of a quality of the DB Pluto's overall musical impression.)

Not only do we have here a minor scale note sequence incorporating a minor major seventh chord (reminiscent of parts of Neptune in Gustav Holst's The Planets), but the 8-tube design of all DB chimes ensures greater musical depth and 'meaningfulness', AND the tubes are made from galvanized steel (actually conduit piping), so they have a highly distinctive timbre. Indeed, the tone could be called 'steely'. Some would find the tone too bright and 'elemental', but that tone is rich in harmonics, and so provides abundant musical effect and interest in reduced-speed recordings.

Unusually, although bamboo chimes are in the original field recording, I decided to add a lower-speed (and pitch) bamboo chime recording in two additional layers, so that one has a clear sense of a whole ongoing complex of actions occurring, presided over by whatever the 'monolith' of the DB Pluto chimes might be. Maybe the Sun presiding over the storms and writhing intestines of Jupiter, or indeed the seething surface of the Sun itself (the Sun contemplating its own navel, so to speak), or, who knows?…

The original field recording for Layer 1 is https://freesound.org/people/Philip_Goddard/sounds/686924/ . I haven't (at least yet) put the original recording of the bamboo chime for Layers 2+3 online.

Detailed information about the Davis Blanchard chimes

Chimes used:

Layer 1 (metal and bamboo chimes)

1. Davis Blanchard Pluto (tuned to a minor scale note sequence incorporating a minor major seventh chord, a minor triad and an augmented triad)

2. Cheap locally purchased bamboo chimes, large plus small (rather indeterminate tuning)

Layers 2+3: bamboo chime solo (large-side-of-medium, 42cm longest tube).

I made the original recording for Layer 1 16 February 2017, on the rough slope just below Hunting Gate, which latter marks the highest point of the Hunter's Path, high up on the north side of the Teign Gorge, Drewsteignton, Devon, UK. I made the field recording of the solo bamboo chime for layers 2+3 on 22 November 2023 a little above the Hunter's Path just inside the top of the valley woods on Piddledown (Yes, I know, but that is the official name for that area of the hilltop!). The geolocation given for this work is for the Layer 1 recording; the geolocation for the other recording is just a little ENE of that, on the same map section.

In the course of building this mix I was surprised and delighted to find that I had no need to adjust the pitch of layers 2 and 3 to make musical sense with the DB Pluto chime. Indeed, the very low (two octaves reduced) layer 3 provides prominent deep notes that add much musical power to the metal chime's sound. In particular, it completes a half-diminished seventh chord (and indeed the dissonant interval of the minor seventh), which therefore is never long out of earshot. That's the chord that runs through much of my Symphony 4 (Highland Wilderness), giving it an ongoing sense of tension and mystery. Also, that chime's note sequence incorporates an augmented triad, which is a very potent and emotive chord.

Advisory
To get the best out of this, listen with high-grade headphones.

Original recording for Layer 1 taking place. Note my (inexperienced!) non-ideal chimes placement. Although having bamboo and metal chimes presented as opposing or competing forces, on opposite sides of the soundstage, seemed a good idea at the time, far preferable would have been for the metal chime to be centrally placed, with the bamboo chimes well out on either side.

Recording the bamboo chime for Layers 2+3. The recorder is close to the ground, facing steeply upwards to this chime, off the bottom of this view, slightly right of centre.

Techie stuff:

Techie stuff:The recorder was a Sony PCM-D100, with two nested furry windshields. For the recent recording for Layers 2+3, the mic angle was at 'narrow' setting (90°) for later widening to zoom in.

Post-recording processing was to apply EQ in Audacity to correct for the muffling effect of the windshields — and then, for the later recording, use of the A1 Stereo Control VST plugin to widen its soundstage (135%)

To create this Nature-Symphony I processed the layers as follows:

Layer 1: reduced to half-speed and thus an octave below original — acoustic: moderately back of cathedral

Layer 2: reduced to speed to achieve an octave plus major sixth below original — acoustic: moderately back of cathedral

Layer 3: reduced to quarter-speed and thus two octaves below original — acoustic: moderately back of cathedral

Layers 2 and 3 panned respectively 20% right and left.

Please remember to give this recording a rating — Thank you!