The Earth (Terra) Koshi chime has eight steel rods tuned to G C E F G C E G, all notes of the C major scale. Of the four element chimes, it sounds the deepest. Its maker describes the sound as warm and enveloping. Terra is Latin for earth.
Its notes include E and F, which sit next to each other on a piano with no black key between them. If they ring at the same moment, the sound tightens briefly. It is not a wrong note; every rod is precisely tuned.
The body is a treated bamboo cylinder, 6.3 cm in diameter and 16.5 cm tall, which the maker says amplifies the vibration of the rods. Inside, a hard acrylic ball on a cord strikes the rods. It is handmade at the foot of the Pyrenees and tuned to A = 432 Hz.
- In your hand: hold it by the cord; a slow, circular movement of the wrist is enough.
- As a wind chime: outdoors, hang it only in a covered, sheltered spot and not permanently, because rain and damp harm the bamboo.
- Small children: it is not a toy; the maker says it is not suitable for children under three.
It can ring with the other three Koshi chimes in any combination.