Singing Bowl Physics
To play a singing bowl, a mallet softly strikes the outside of the bowl and/or softly glides around its outside rim. The friction between the mallet and bowl causes the bowl to vibrate, and with continuous motion, the vibrations bounce back on themselves, creating standing waves.
With these waves, we can gather data about what singing bowls are doing, what their waves look and sound like, and how they’re affecting us.
Waves are all around our human existence from sound, color, communication, and energy. Depending on the medium carrying them, they are measured in different ways. Sound waves are measured in intervals per second, also known as frequencies, and are noted in unit Hertz (Hz).
To sing a bowl is also a verb like playing a glass harp or singing glasses. This phenomenon works with any bowl of various sizes, shapes, and materials. As instruments, singing bowls are traditionally made of a metal alloy known as the 7 Metals of Antiquity, a mixture of iron, tin, copper, gold, mercury, lead, and silver.
Singing Bowls have evolved to produce a more ethereal tone with the use of crushed quartz crystals. These are taller and are typically played resting on the ground with a stabilized ring.
Each bowl, especially the ones that are hand-made, produces a unique tone and resonates with each person differently. Listen and play with several kinds to find one that helps you feel relaxed. As these notes resonate in our ears, they vibrate through the air which we can visualize.
Cymatics, the study of visible sound, shows that low notes create long waves which mean that the peaks are further apart. In an enclosed surface, this creates a simple geometric pattern. I created a chart made from an experiment done in this video and as the Hz or frequencies increase, the notes get higher, creating shorter waves and more detailed patterns.
Psycho-acoustic therapy is essentially music therapy with an emphasis on the physical sensations from sounds. Listening to singing bowls and studying these patterns, these waves move through the environment and our bodies and cause mental, emotional, and physical shifts. A 2016 study on 62 women and men concluded that sound meditation with Tibetan singing bowls reduced tension, anger, fatigue, and depression. Participants also noted a significant increase in spiritual well-being.
To help lift my mood and bring me back to the present, I like to listen to this 8-minute Beauty Vortex Meditation. Give it a try, and notice how you feel.
At a sound bath at the Mindry, I experienced a unique meditation healing from Angel. Her crystal bowls, musicality, and combination of other instruments matched the acoustics of the space nicely. The complex tones sounded alien-like and took my meditation to another dimension. I completely zoned out during the session and returned in total bliss.
Experience singing bowl sound healing by attending one of her classes, scheduling a private session, or purchasing crystal bowls from her at angelorigins.com.
Understanding the power that singing bowls create can help deepen our experience and help us let go even more to let the waves travel in their healing ways.
April 10, 2023
