The Fire (Ignis) Koshi chime’s eight steel rods sound G B D G B D G A. They come from the five-note, or pentatonic, G major scale; of its five notes, only E is missing. The maker calls Ignis the liveliest and brightest of the four element chimes. Ignis is Latin for fire.
Being pentatonic, its scale has no semitone steps, such as the step from E to F on a piano. Of the four, it and Water give the smoothest harmony.
The body is a treated bamboo cylinder, 6.3 cm in diameter and 16.5 cm tall, with a hard acrylic ball hanging among the rods. The chime is made at the foot of the Pyrenees. In the workshop, each rod is cut to a precise length, because the length sets the note, and then tuned by ear to A = 432 Hz.
- In the wind: outdoors, hang it only under cover and out of strong sun, as both rain and strong sunlight harm the bamboo.
- Around children: it is not a toy; the maker says it is not suitable for children under three.
- In your hand: hold it by the cord and turn it. The bigger the movement, the more rods sound.