Grace Note Chimes   Jeff & Mark Kile and Family     Mariposa, CA

Musician Jeff Kile was living in a rural Louisiana treehouse and playing music on the street for change back in 1982. Harmonically tuned aluminum wind chimes were already being marketed, but Jeff envisioned a wind chime with a unique suspension design. By placing pins inside the tubes at the resonant node (the spot on a vibrating tube that doesn't vibrate), Jeff eliminated any interference caused by the string touching the tubes.

This innovative design resulted in longer and clearer resonance. The original Grace Note Windchimes were tuned by ear to notes that Jeff played on his guitar. Encouraged by the sound quality of his windchimes, Jeff returned to his home state of California and turned to his brother, Mark, for support. With Mark's $300 tax-return check as a business startup, the partnership was born. The brothers named the company Grace Note Chimes. In music, the term "grace note" refers to an unwritten musical note that falls between two existing notes, as in a bent note. A grace note is a musical adornment. It seemed a fitting name for such harmonic windchimes.

All chimes are tuned in the key of C, and are handcrafted from thick-tempered aluminum tubing, with a soft brushed finish. Each chime features recycled composite lumber strikers — composite lumber is not only environmentally friendly but it also creates a softer contact sound when applied to wind chime tubing. These strikers are not subject to drying or cracking and require no maintenance.