Materials

Bronze
Ancient singing bowls were traditionally made out of “Panchaloga” which is an alloy made out of five different metals that held spiritual significance. These traditionally were gold, silver, brass, iron and copper. In modern times the alloy mix differs, and most modern singing bowls omit gold and and silver due to expense. The mix of metals is considered bronze, and this is what the majority of modern singing bowls consist of. These are also what is commonly referred to as “Tibetan Singing Bowls”. This kind of bowl not only sounds great, but is keeping with a great tradition of singing bowls that go back hundreds and hundreds of years.

Crystal
Crystal bowls are usually made out of quartz crystal. They have a crisper tone and are a more modern type of singing bowl. This is probably the second most popular type of material behind bronze, and is gaining popularity quickly due to the tight, clear sound. Another great feature of crystal bowls is they can be combined with many other metals, gems and minerals. For instance, there are bowls made from quartz and ruby that are simply beautiful. This allows for many different tones and appearances.

Other materials
Though bronze and crystal are the most common type of bowls, singing bowls have been made from all sorts of different metals and materials, each with their own distinct sound. You can even buy bowls made out of expensive materials such as gold or platinum!
Sizes

Singing bowls come in all sorts of sizes. The rule of thumb is - the smaller the bowl the higher pitched the sound. If you’re a first time buyer, you may want to try several sizes to see what is most pleasing to you (or listen to sound clips if buying online). Many people own several bowls for a wide varity of sounds. Also, several stores sell sets that contain several sizes in a uniform apparence.

Pitch

When choosing a tone from a singing bowl, you have to ask yourself what purpose you’ll be using the bowl for. If only meditating with a single bowl, then the pitch may not be important. But if using the bowl for music, or playing with other bowls, then you will want to pay attention to the pitch. Many bowls aren’t exactly on pitch - for instance, a bowl which sounds the note “C” may be slightly above or below a perfect “C” played on a tuned instrument such as a piano. You may want to look for a shop that sells perfectly tuned bowls. This way you can play with other bowls and other other instruments. I highly reccomend this, as even just playing it with another bowl in harmony is moving.

A note on harmony: Not to delve too much into music theory, but if you are looking to select several bowls to play together it is important they are in the right relation to each other on the music scale. Many singing bowl users like to buy 3 bowls which would form a chord. For instance, a major chord is formed from the I, the iii and V of a scale. A popular chord is C Major, in which you would buy bowls in C, E and G.

Hopefully this clears up the differences between bowls. I wish you the best in your foray into the wonderful world of singing bowls!

If you’re a human being of any persuasion, then you’re no stranger to stress. Even the most calm people can’t get away from it. Luckily I’ve found a fantastic technique that helps me relax and melt the stress away. They’re called “Singing Bowls” and have been used throughout history for meditation. They are essentially a bowl that produces very calming harmonic tones when struck or rubbed.

Many studies have been done on the calming effects of music. Many musicians report that playing the piano or guitar helps them focus and blow off steam.  Unfortunately, many of us aren’t musicians, and learning an instrument won’t help with the stress we have right now! Luckily singing bowls can be played by nearly anyone, and produce one of the most calming tones of any instrument.

To use a singing bowl as stress relief, follow these steps:

1. Find a quiet place, where you are able to hear only the singing bowl.

2. Create an ambient space for yourself, conductive to relaxation. Dim the lights, or turn the lights off completely and light candles.

3. We will be engaging mostly our sense of hearing, but don’t forget to engage your other senses as well. Sit in a comfortable chair or even lay down. Light some incense.

4. Another tactic is to deprive yourself of all your other sense and focus just on the sound of the singing bowl. Try sitting in complete darkness.

5. Once your space is calming, clutch your singing bowl close to you, and slowly rub the mallet around the bowl.  Feel the vibrations against you. (Depending on the size of the bowl, you may want to consider purchasing a larger bowl for deeper tones and vibrations.)

6. Try to put the stresses of your life out of your mind, and focus on the harmonic tones and your task of producing pleasing sounds and variations. Pretty soon you will find your rhythm and the stress will melt away!

Tibetan Singing Bowl in Meditation

Tibetan singing bowls originated in the Himalayan regions of Tibet, Northern China, India, Bhutan, and Nepal. Historians are unable to pinpoint exactly when singing bowls came into being, but the technique to build similar instruments existed in Asia as long as 2,500 years ago. Some sources believe that singing bowls were first used in India 3,000 years ago, and in Tibet 1,000 years ago. It is believed that the “Bon” sect of shamans often used singing bowls in their rituals.

Singing bowls were originally comprised of five, seven, or nine different metals including gold, silver, mercury, copper, tin, and iron. Some also believe that meteorite was used in making the original bowls. But most bowls were made using five metals or less.

Today, singing bowls are often made by pouring metal into a cast. These singing bowls are smoother and are generally easier to play. There are also hand-hammered singing bowls on the market. Hand-hammered bowls are more difficult to play, and even though they are often passed off as old or antique, few of them are. Antique bowls are still around, but they are very rare and high-priced.

Playing a singing bowl is very simple, and you will be able to play most bowls in less than five minutes. Simply circle the stick around the outside of the bowl very slowly in a steady rhythm. You might have to circle for a while before you actually hear anything. You will begin to hear a slight hum, and this hum will increase as you continue circling the stick around the bowl.

Singing bowls are often used for meditation, and you can play your bowl while meditating yourself. You can also ask someone else to play the bowl while you are meditating. Singing bowls are often used in yoga classes as well. In a yoga class someone would sit in the class to play the bowl while the students go through the asanas. This is a nice addition to any yoga class, and is more soothing than the recorded music that many yoga classes use.

Singing bowls are wonderful to use in outside environments and for yourself at home. They are becoming more and more popular in the west, along with yoga and Buddhism. When you are not playing your singing bowl, it still serves as a beautiful decoration for your home. In Tibet singing bowls are often used for other purposes, such as offering bowls, as well as for playing.

Sylvia is the co-owner of Hinky Import, which offers singing bowls and Chinese gifts. She has been a frequent traveler to Tibet and China.

Seems like there’s an iPhone application for everything now, and our beloved singing bowls are no exception. Want to hear the soothing, meditative sounds of singing bowls anywhere you are? Check out the new Singing Bowls iPhone app from developer Pearl Ho.  Use the touch screen to get different tones out of the bowls.  A different tone sounds when struck or rubbed.

Only 99 cents in the iTunes App Store.

Where It All Started

The knowledge of singing bowl production would have spread throughout Asia along established trade routes. Many believe that the Buddha, Padmasambhava, crossed the Himalaya mountains from India into Tibet. He bought the teachings of the Buddha into the country and also the knowledge of singing bowls. Contrary to popular belief, singing bowls were not used during any religious practices but were used instead as begging bowls and for food. During this period monasteries only used the singing bowl as a chalice.

Why were they produced?

If the singing bowl was not produced for religious practice then the obvious question is: what were they used for? There are accounts of travelling smiths who would make the bowls with materials gathered during their travels. Other theories suggest it was the monks themselves that produced the bowls. If so though, why were they used for eating and not meditation? What was the reason for having the bowls ’sing’? The fact is no one can be entirely sure who produced the earliest singing bowls as there is no concrete evidence to support either theory.

How were they made?

Ancient singing bowls were traditionally made of
seven various metals, each one symbolising a different planet in the solar system. The sound produced by the singing bowls would vary depending upon how the different quantities of metals were mixed together. The metals would be combined to form an alloy which would be left to cool before being beaten into the familiar bowl shape. However,
each of these ancient bowls varies and can have more or less than the seven traditionally used metals. This would support the theories that it was the travelling
smiths who produced the bowls as, during their travels, not all the metals
would have been available which explains why each bowl might be of a
different composition.

Gary Mullen from Tibetan singing bowls. You may reproduce the content of this article onto your own website. However, to do so you must include a link back to HandcraftedUK. Thank you.