Antique singing bowls can look rustic or finely crafted. Some bowls are simple, while others are intricately engraved. Some of the authentic singing bowls have imperfect geometry while others have a nearly perfect form. There are many unique shapes available for the original singing bowls and each culture has its own style.
Antique singing bowls are ranging in size from approximately three inches to fourteen inches in diameter.
Singing bowls produce a uniquely warm sound that has the ability to relax the body as well as focus the mind. Himalayan singing bowls produce a basic tone (fundamental tone) and two to three distinct overtones.
The fundamental tone can vary from very deep - in the large size singing bowls, to the high-pitched in small ones.
The interaction of the fundamental tone and overtones of a singing bowl will determine whether the bowl sounds harmonious or "out-of-tune."
A singing bowl's essence isn't only about its complex chord and the prominence of the sonic layers. Each tone is also creating a unique pattern of pulsations that makes the singing bowl sound even more magical and enigmatic. Although there are subtle differences in their tonal relationships, some bowls sound almost identical.
The sound of a singing bowl is determined by five factors: its metal alloy composition, molecular tension (changes due to the age of a singing bowl), bowl geometry, variations in the thickness of the wall, and the thickness of the rim.
Himalayan (Tibetan) singing bowl is a metal vessel that produces a beautiful sound. Singing bowls can be described as bells that are found in different parts of Asia.
Singing bowls make a ringing sound when struck. You can make them sing by lightly striking with a soft, padded mallet. You can also play them by gently rubbing a wooden, or a suede padded mallet around their rim to make a continuous "singing sound.
"Singing bowls have a fascinating history. They are an heirloom of a long-standing tradition of Bronze Age craftsmanship, which has been carried on for thousands of years. There is a lot of misinformation out there about singing bowls, both in books and online. It is not easy for consumers to uncover the truth because there are many myths and lies about singing bowls. Most common myths revolve around the metal content, history, traditional uses, and belief systems about the healing power of singing bowls. Many false stories about them are told to increase their prices. Because of the variety in quality and the large number of fakes available, it is important to be cautious and educated.
Singing bowls can look rustic or finely crafted. Some bowls are simple, while others are intricately engraved. Some have imperfect geometry while others are almost perfect in form.
High quality handpicked contemporary singing bowls. Full moon Tibetan singing bowls and other high quality hand-hammered modern singing bowls.
What are Full Moon singing bowls? The original Full Moon singing bowls (sold on our website) are being manufactured in Nepal. They are usually thicker than other modern hand made singing bowls. The greater thickness of metal adds brightness to the overall sound of a singing bowl. Thin walled singing bowls are best for on-body applications, while the thick singing bowls are better for sound healing.
Due to the high demand for the Full Moon singing bowls, the market got flooded with the Full Moon singing bowls replicas. Most of the fake Full Moon singing bowls are coming from India with much lower sound quality.
For your information: the original Full Moon singing bowls are NOT being manufactured during the brightest night only (when the moon is full). It is a salesman’s myth and it is confirmed!
Some modern singing bowls have decorations that cover large portions of the bowl. These decorations are typical signs of the new singing bowls. An image of Buddha, White Tara, a mantra, or other symbols (like the Full Moon symbol) may be commonly found on the new singing bowls.
New made singing bowls are decorated by the implementation of a variety of techniques. Every few years, new styles and designs are created. Hand engraving is one way the craftsmen use for some decoration. After a singing bowl is hand-pounded, the lines or images are cut with a thin knife into the metal to create a permanent mark.
This type of decoration is rare as it requires skilled artists to complete. Many singing bowls made of brass are embossed with designs. To create a design, a thin layer of metal is applied to the surface. Although it looks like the bowl is made from different metals, it is a plating or embossing technique on the surface.
Your friendliest path to learning singing bowls with an easy-to-follow method. In this course, you will learn about the origins and types of Himalayan singing bowls and how to implement them for health benefits. Along with the brief history and personal stories of the author, this class will walk you through the practical knowledge of working with the singing bowls. Find out all singing bowl benefits and learn how to play a singing bowl with Bells of Bliss.
Usually, large singing bowls 9-14 Inch / 23-35.5 cm in diameter are covering the higher notes of the second octave (G, G#, A, A#, and B / Sol, Sol#, La, La#, and Ti) and may sound as high, as F / Fa of the third octave.
Large singing bowls produce the deepest low sound that often has an amazing grounding effect and can bring the listener to peace of mind almost instantly. Depending on the physical properties, some of the large singing bowls are more high-pitched and produce a fuller range of tones.
Large singing bowls with low tones and slow pulsations are the best tools for private sound healing sessions, meditation, relaxation and vibroacoustic massage. Large, high-pitched singing bowls are filling the space with a clear sound and therefore are great instruments for group sound journey sessions (sound baths) as well as private sound healing work.
The pitch will be determined by the size of the bowl, the thickness of the metal, and the extra tension created through a shaped edge (the rim of a singing bowl).
Thinner singing bowls with a relative consistency of the thickness of the wall, produce a low roaring sound. They are not as rare as bowls with a shaped lip which adds a prominent high voice to the low fundamental tone of the bowl.
Large singing bowls in our catalog of antiques are approximately 9 to 14 inches in diameter. Modern metal singing bowls can be made up to 34-36 inches in diameter. The weight of such a giant singing bowl can reach anywhere between 10 to 30 pounds.
When placing a singing bowl on a hard surface, use a cushion or piece of a soft cloth. A rubberized shelf liner can be used between the cushion and your bowl to prevent it from sliding around.
The typical styles of singing bowls in this category are, Thadobati, Manipuri, Mani, Pedestal bowls, and Shiva Lingam. Usually, medium size singing bowls 6-9 inch / 15- 23 cm in diameter are covering the higher notes of the third octave (G, G#, A, A#, and B / Sol, Sol#, La, La#, and Ti) and may sound as high, as F / Fa of the fourth octave. The fundamental tone of a medium singing bowl also depends on the thickness of its wall.
Singing bowls that range from 6 to 9 inches in diameter are the most popular instruments in sound healing practice. Medium size singing bowls are easier to transport than large singing bowls. Due to their lightweight, it's more comfortable to play them. Some of the medium singing bowls sound deep as large singing bowls, some emit a high-pitched tone like small singing bowls. The pitch of any singing bowl depends not only on its diameter but the thickness of the bowl's wall and the presence of a shaped lip (thicker rim).
The acoustic properties of medium size singing bowls are making them great instruments for private and group sound healing journeys (sound baths). Also, due to their relatively lightweight, medium size singing bowls are good for vibroacoustic massage. The vibrations are clearly felt but the weight of a singing bowl does not feel heavy on a body.
Playing a singing bowl with the wooden or leather wrapped mallet around the rim can emphasize one of its overtones. Striking the bowl with a soft mallet brings out a more complex tone with a blend of the fundamental and overtones.
Playing a singing bowl around the rim should be done slowly. If your playing stick jumps off the singing bowl's surface, it will produce an unpleasant sound. This effect can be countered by slowing down and applying more pressure. Some singing bowls with extra-thick walls cannot be played around the rim.
The singing bowls in this collection are the finest of the best, the most valuable examples of their kind. Rare authentic antique Himalayan singing bowls presented on our website could vary in size, type, and age of a bowl. However, they all have a unique combination of exceptional craftsmanship, extraordinary tonality, and an extraordinary state of preservation.
Mani and Shiva Lingam singing bowl types command a higher premium due to their rarity and antiquity, while other singing bowl types, such as Jambati and Thadobati may get more expensive because of their enormous size, weight, rare note, and exceptional sonic characteristics. Larger examples of any type of singing bowl will usually cost more. A singing bowl may have a unique note, a concert pitch, a low octave, a long sustain, or an unusually high octave. This can make it more valuable and increase its status. The unique geometrical shape of a singing bowl, inscriptions, and unusual marking patterns will add value as well.
If you are considering purchasing antique premium or superior quality singing bowls, please keep in mind that it is unlikely that they will be in the same condition as new singing bowls. However, even though the age of the singing bowls presented in this collection is 100 - 300 years old, their condition is far better than the average.
We are constantly searching for extraordinary and stunning specimen singing bowls in Nepal and India to add to the premium quality collection featured on our website. We consider ourselves to be extremely fortunate to have access to these rare and valuable singing bowls. And we will pay whatever price it takes! We are honored to offer these amazing old singing bowls to you.
You can hold a bowl in your open palm or fingertips or place it on a cushion, or any other soft surface. Your palm should be flat when holding a bowl.
Avoid touching the sides of the singing bowl, as this can cause the sound to become muffled. Only touch the bottom of your singing bowl.
Please remember that even though singing bowls are made from metal, they are extremely fragile.
You can experiment with different mallets to find one that produces the best sound with your singing bowl.
Small singing bowls will sound very quiet if the mallet is too large or too soft. Therefore, choose a smaller impact area with some firm material. Larger and softer singing bowl mallets are better to be used with the large bowls. A mallet that has a very small impact surface and is too firm will not produce all the tones of a larger bowl.
All singing bowls on our website come with the correct size complimentary striking and rubbing mallets.
Please enjoy our selection of sound healing digital books and singing bowls music albums.
Himalayan (Tibetan) singing bowl sets.
In this category, you will find authentic modern and antique singing bowls matched as binaural pairs (pairs of singing bowls that are matched to produce binaural beats). Also, in this category, we offer singing bowl sets harmonically matched into chromatic, diatonic and pentatonic scales. We also offer you the best choice of the minimal sets of three singing bowls laid out as major and minor triads. Please contact us with your personal requests and we will happily customize the best singing bowl set for your needs. We love putting sounds together.
We will help you to determine what your set of singing bowls would look and sound like. For example, you may want it to be a major C chromatic scale, as close as possible to the concert pitch, either A4=440Hz or A4=432Hz. Or, let’s say, you would like to have your set of singing bowls in Just Intonation scale. Or you may want to put together only a few singing bowls with specific intervals, such as perfect fifths or fourths, for example. We are here for your service, finding the best sounding singing bowls for you from all over the world and matching them into coherent and harmonious sets. If you don't know what is the type of singing bowl or a set of singing bowls you need, we will share our knowledge and passion to help you out.
If you have a singing bowl and don't know what note is it, please use our online frequency spectrum analyzer. Once you find the note of your favorite singing bowl, it's easier to understand what would be the sound of your next Himalayan (Tibetan) bowl.
The typical styles of singing bowls in this category are, Thadobati, Thadobat Cups, Manipuri, Mani, Pedestal bowls, and Shiva Lingam. Usually, small singing bowls 3-6 inch / 7.5- 15 cm in diameter are covering the notes of the fourth and the fifth octaves. The fundamental tone of a mini singing bowl also depends on the thickness of its wall.
Small-sized singing bowls are easily held on a palm, stretched upwards fingertips, or placed on the body for sound healing applications. Also, due to their lightweight and small size they can be easily transported and taken with you on any travel. Small singing bowls are commonly used as tools for all kinds of spiritual ceremonies, space cleansing, and focus enhancement.
Typically, small singing bowls are producing the highest tones. Some small singing bowls, however, are very thin and can produce deeper tones.
It can be difficult to play a small singing bowl around the rim. The small diameter of a singing bowl and thick wall are two critical factors that create more tension in the structure of a singing bowl. As a result, some small singing bowls are less responsive to pressure from the rubbing mallet. If you have difficulty playing the rim of your small-sized singing bowl with the leather wrapped mallet, try using the wooden part of the playing stick.
Some tiny singing bowls are extremely lightweight. Also, due to the small bottom area, they do have not enough grip when placed on the flat surface. Use a rubber kitchen shelf liner under the small singing bowl to make it more stable.
The shimmering effect of a group of small singing bowls won't leave you indifferent. Small singing bowls can be assembled in a beautiful set and can be played with commonly used in sound healing Koshi chimes, swinging chimes, tingshas, and tubular bells.
