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Singing Bowl Sounds
A singing bowl is a standing bell: a metal bowl that rests on a cushion instead of hanging. Strike it with a mallet and it rings like a bell; run the mallet slowly around the rim and it "sings", building a continuous, shimmering tone. Singing bowls come from the Himalayan region and are now used everywhere for meditation, yoga and sound baths.
A preview of the long, wavering tone a bowl makes after a single strike.
Why a singing bowl sounds the way it does
Like any bell, a struck bowl vibrates at several frequencies at once, and those overtones give it its rich colour. Because a hand-made bowl is never perfectly even, each of its notes is often split into two very close pitches. They drift in and out of step, and you hear that as the slow pulse or "wobble" in the sound, called beating. It is one reason a bowl sounds alive rather than electronic.
Striking versus singing the rim
- Striking with a padded mallet gives a clear bell-like note that fades slowly, the sound used to begin and end a meditation.
- Singing the rim by rubbing a wooden mallet steadily around the edge keeps the bowl vibrating, so the tone swells and holds for as long as you keep going.
Singing bowls, gongs and chakra bells
| Instrument | Sound |
|---|---|
| Singing bowl | A warm, steady tone with a gentle pulse; struck or sung. |
| Gong | A flat or bossed disc that blooms from a soft hum into a huge wash of sound; used in sound baths and to mark the end of a session. |
| Chakra bell | A small, pure bell often tuned to one of seven notes associated with the chakras. |
| Crystal bowl | A quartz bowl with an even purer, more glassy tone than metal. |
Do frequencies like 432 Hz matter?
Bowls and recordings are often sold as tuned to 432 Hz, to "solfeggio" frequencies or to particular chakras. There is no good scientific evidence that any one frequency has special healing power. What the research does suggest is simpler: small studies of singing bowl sound meditation, such as a 2017 observational study, have reported that people felt less tense and anxious afterwards. Most likely it is the slow, absorbing sound and the time spent listening that help, whatever the pitch.
Make your own bowl tone
If you are curious about frequencies, try the free Custom Bell Builder in your browser. Choose a metal, tune your bell to a chakra or solfeggio frequency, add a binaural beat, and download the result as a .wav file to use in your own practice.
Singing bowls in the app
The BELFRY app includes a singing bowl, a chakra bell and a deep gong among its twenty real recorded bell voices, along with meditation and focus sessions that use them to open, mark and close a sitting. Those voices and sessions come with the one-time $9.99 Lifetime Unlock; the app itself is free, with no ads.
Questions people ask
What is a singing bowl?
A standing bell: a metal bowl that rests on a cushion and rings when struck, or sings with a sustained tone when a mallet is rubbed around its rim. Singing bowls come from the Himalayan region.
Why do singing bowls make a wobbling sound?
A hand-made bowl is slightly uneven, so its notes split into two close pitches that drift in and out of step. You hear that as a slow pulse, called beating.
Is 432 Hz better for singing bowls?
There is no good scientific evidence that 432 Hz or any other single frequency has special healing effects. Studies suggest the relaxation comes from the sound and the act of listening.
Do singing bowls help you relax?
Small studies of singing bowl sound meditation have reported reduced tension and anxiety afterwards, though the research is limited.
Is there a singing bowl app?
BELFRY includes a recorded singing bowl, chakra bell and gong for meditation and focus sessions on iPhone and Android, with the one-time Lifetime Unlock.
Singing bowls, chakra bells and a gong
BELFRY has twenty real recorded bell voices, including a singing bowl, chakra bell and gong, for meditation, focus and sleep. Free to download, no ads, ever.
