Tibetan singing bowls are used for healing and to induce deep states of meditation. If you are looking for a sound that will soothe both your mind and soul, listen to the sounds of a Tibetan singing bowl. In a word, it's amazing! It is pure sound and will rapidly induce a relaxed and meditative state for anyone who listens to them.
Tibetan singing bowls are classified as standing bells where the bottom of the bell rests on a surface, and it is inverted instead of the way bells are traditionally placed. The sides and rim of the bell vibrate to produce sounds and have long been used in
There are debates concerning the use of the singing bowls, and many stories have been woven around these sacred bells. Some feel that they are simply a prop to use during prayer and chanting, while others believe they possess magical transformational powers that can alter both self and matter. While they are universally utilized as part of religious practice, their sound also makes a great background for meditation, trance-induction, relaxation and personal well-being. Of all of the singing bowls out there, the culture best known to employ them is
Tibetan singing bowls make sound by friction created by rubbing plastic, wood or leather wrapped mallets along the rim of the bowl which produces a natural harmonic resonance or tones which resemble a singing sound. There are all levels of quality when it comes to Tibetan singing bowls and each one produces a unique sound. Singing bowls can also make different sounds by using different instruments to strike the bell.
While modern bowls are produced from either brass or some other simple alloys, the prized sounds emanate from the antique bowls which are made of Panchaloha which is Sanskrit for five metals. It is a conglomeration of bronze alloy, tin, iron, zinc and copper. These bowls are multiphonic and polyharmonic in that they can produce overtones that sound like unique instruments. Many of the antique bowls are also made up of gold, silver and nickel producing a unique warm sound. Traditional techniques that went into making the Tibetan singing bowls have been lost, and the newer bowls have a difference in quality and sound as a result.
The modern Tibetan singing bowl has seen an improvement in quality and sound as new technology works to recapture what was lost in traditional methods from antiquity. They are now part of the religious identification and description, symbols and are used in conjunction with the Tibetan mantras, Buddha images and Ashtamangala, the sacred suite of Eight Auspicious Signs that are part of many Indian religions. While the complete tonal structure hasn't been replicated in the modern Tibetan singing bowls, the new handmade bowls are still wonderful, producing multiple harmonic overtones that come very close to their ancient cousins.
It is known that sound and frequencies can be used to heal. the tibetan bowls can transmit such a frequency that can be used to heal. here is an youtube video I found of someone that uses the tibetan singing bowls to perform healing.
Yesterday, having dinner at a friends house, I was talking about my never ending love for this mystical musical object, our glorious Tibetan singing bowl, when I found out how few did I knew about it, in practical. Sure I know the composition, the form, the esthetical look…I have many, I have books about them, I go to galleries to look at ancient Tibetan singing bowls…but some practical knowledge in actually “handling” The singing bowls is lacking.
Yes, I do own a few Tibetan singing bowls, many hand-crafted in
This was when I decided I had to learn how to play them!! It could not be any other way …my pride does not allow me to keep with this tremendous gap in my education!! Hehe
I will keep you posted on my journey to finally learn hot to play this instrument. I have already checked out a few online schools that will provide you with video tutorials- this can be an hypothesis for me, since I already have a lot of contact with the Tibetan singing bowls, I think I might pull this all right....We’ll see.
If you or anyone you know has learned how to reasonably play the Tibetan singing bowls on an online school, please do let me know.
Historians believe the most ancient Tibetan Singing Bowls to have appeared around 2.500 years ago. There is not much written data about their manufacturing in the old days to make it possible for us to know exactly the age of the ancient art of the making of Tibetan Singing Bowls – the records state that Tibetan Singing Bowls have been around from the 8th Century AD.
Luckily for us, Indians have a very strong oral tradition and with all their beautiful lore love have managed to pass around stories which relate to the usage of the singing bowls. Those stories also teach us that the singing bowls arrived to
The Tibetan Singing Bowls have a striking curiosity around them- no matter how hard modern manufacturers try, they have not yet been able to emulate the fabrication and the mysterious sounds of the ancient singing bowls. Thus, the fabrication of the original Tibetan singing bowl is considered a lost art!
Aside from the well know 12 different metals, used in the fabrication of the Tibetan singing bowls, lore tells that in some ancient bowls, metals taken from meteorites could be found.
Tibetan Singing Bowls are basically simple metal bowls. What makes a tibetan singing bowl special is the sound it can produce - its wonderfull and unique sound, whihc is so soothing that the tibetan sining bowls are often called of the voice of the gods. This varies according to materials and design, you can buy deep tone tibetan singing bowls or one with a higher tone according to taste.
"The bowl - which is usually between 5" and 13" in diameter - "sings" by resonating in much the same way as a glass does when you run a finger carefully around the rim. The bowl is usually played with a wooden mallet that is run around the outside. It can also be struck to produce a bell like sound." in WYRDOLOGY
Antique tibetan singing bowls were usually simple and practial in design and rarely have more decoration than a few lines and circles. Modern versions of the tibetan singing bowls often have more representational artwork, usually tibetan motifs.
I just came accross those two tips on playing tibetan sining bowls, I thouhgt you might find it usefull.
#There are two basic ways of playing a singing bowl. Resting the bowl upon the palm of your hand, you can either strike it with a mallet for percussive pulsating tones or you can rub around the edge with the wooden wand (puja) for a sustained effect. The pressure that you use to apply the wand onto the rim of the bowl will affect the sounds the bowl produces as also the speed with which you rotate the wand. Too much or too little pressure or the wrong speed will cause a rattling sound that most people dislike.#
Just another tip on learning the tricky art of playing the tibetan singing bowls :)
