How to Play a Singing Bowl: 4 Easy Steps

Singing bowls come in many forms. There are bowls made out of metal and also some that are crystal bowls. Some are machine made and others are hand hammered singing bowls.  Some create a different sounding pitch. There are many people around the world that have learned about what singing bowls are, where they come from, and what materials they are made from, but one of the most important questions that people ask is How Do I Play a Singing Bowl? While this is a very good question it involves more than just playing singing bowls. There are more aspects to playing singing bowls than just the practice of playing it. These extra steps are very important in order to properly play singing bowls correctly and to benefit from its soothing tones.

 

Singing bowls can have the potential to heal anyone if they are experiencing stress, depression, or anxiety. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was something that could minimize the negativity that depression and anxiety creates! Singing bowls have been used throughout history in different countries and regions to promote peace, tranquility, and calm atmospheres. There are many types of singing bowls including small singing bowls, a medium singing bowl, and even a large singing bowl types. I did a little research and there are easy steps anyone can take to properly play singing bowls. Broken down these 4 steps are where to play a singing bowl, holding a singing bowl, holding the mallet(for playing the singing bowl), and techniques to playing a singing bowl.

 

Let’s look at these steps:

Where do I play a singing bowl?

Where to Play a Singing Bowl:

 

One of the most important steps that can be overlooked is the location of where you are playing your singing bowls. If played in an improper location, you are not able to properly let singing bowls sing to their highest potential. This is not something good, especially if you are a beginner player. 

 

 

All of the extra correct steps to playing singing bowls will not work if you are not in the proper setting. 

 

It takes practice to master playing a singing bowl’s various sounds and you want to make sure that you are playing the bowl in a proper location. Taking this first step to properly playing your singing bowl and letting your singing bowl sing creates a good foundation environment for playing your bowl. 

 

 

Most singing bowls can easily be played and are very enjoyable to play. Creating good full vibrant tones is the ultimate goal when playing your singing bowl.

 

 

You want to make sure that you are playing your singing bowl in a comfortable space with no noise or any other ambient sounds. If you are playing your singing bowl in an environment like that then it will ruin the experience of playing your singing bowl. 

 

When the singing bowl resonates it fills your space with full vibrant sounds and the goal is to produce deep tones you can use for meditation. 

 

 

 

Singing Bowl Sounds:

 

The key is to let the singing bowl ring out. You can create a custom singing bowl sound and the different various singing bowl sounds can be used during meditation to enhance the experience. You can also customize your tones by adding background music that can be used during meditation.

 

 

Playing your singing bowl in an open room with lots of space and good acoustics can create the best sound possible. This is the type of room where singing bowls work best. It creates the ideal setup for playing your singing bowl and for your bowl to resonate. 

 

Letting your bowl resonate will give it the strength to fill big rooms with a full vibrant and best sound possible.

 

 

The tone of your singing bowl should be able to easily travel throughout the room or location where you are. The energy healing vibrations can be very beneficial to someone’s health and have the potential to create a nice peaceful atmosphere.

 

 

Make sure there is nothing around you that will obstruct your singing bowl from being played. The last thing you want is for the tone of your singing bowl to become muffled or rattle. It is best not to play a singing bowl in a small, closed off area due to the reasons mentioned above. Just make sure that the singing bowls ring out fully in the space that you are playing them in.

 

 

When played properly your singing bowl tones can be used during meditations to create enhanced experiences. The vibrations of your singing bowl can help with having a deeper meditative experience. You can play the singing bowl while meditating or even record the tones to have them at a later time to use during meditations. Having this background soundtrack is useful even for just when listening.

 

 

Creating this sense of peace and tranquility will help in creating the best possible atmosphere for you to play a singing bowl. Without it your are not able to maximize the potential of your singing bowl. And there are many benefits to using singing bowls that can help anyone have a happier and more peaceful life. If you want to have these positive benefits in your life, then having a singing bowl is a great step.

 

 

 

                                               

How to hold a singing bowl?

Technique for Holding a Singing Bowl:

Singing bowls work best when they are held properly. A larger bowl can be more difficult to hold, while a smaller bowl may be easier to hold. Holding your singing bowl properly is the foundation of being able to play it. Doing this is key and is an important step in the process of playing your singing bowl. Without doing this the singing bowl may not play correctly, could caused a rattling metallic sound, and you will not be able to create the vibrant tones that you want to hear. 

 

This would defeat the purpose of playing your singing bowl and enjoying the full vibrant tones that it can bring.

 

Setup:

 

The easiest way to do this is to hold the singing bowl in the palm of your non-dominant hand. Create a flat surface with your hand. You do not need to grasp the bowl tight in your hand, just lay it gently in your hand and make sure to hold onto it so it doesn’t fall. Use your palm as a platform for the singing bowl to lay on so it can resonate fully. Make sure to keep your hand steady as to create a stable surface for your singing bowl.

 

The singing bowl should not touch anything while laying in your hand, this will cause problems with the sound when you do play it. The key is to let the singing bowl sing and vibrate.

Make sure not to let any fingers touch the exterior of the bowl near the top as this can affect the way the singing bowl can create tones. The sound of the bowl can become muffled if you do this. Also you want to make sure that the sweet spot on the singing bowl is showing for when striking or circling the outer rim(These instructions will come later).

 

The goal is for the tone of the singing bowl to ring out. You do not want anything to obstruct the bowl from playing.

The bowl being obstructed from playing would ruin the whole experience of playing it in the first place, so make sure to keep objects in the clear of being around the bowl. 

You want to be able to enjoy playing your singing bowl as much as possible and that is the ultimate goal.

If you have any jewelry it is best to play the singing bowl without it due to it interfering with the bowl’s sound. You do not want the sound of the singing bowl to rattle or become muffled due to jewelry on your fingers. If you have any watches or bracelets just make sure that they don’t come into contact with the bowl as it is being played.

As you can see, holding your singing bowl the correct way will prevent muffled sounds or rattling. Creating full and vibrant tones is definitely the goal when playing your bowl. Also holding the bowl properly during meditation will keep it from falling. Combining a singing bowl’s vibrant tones and meditation can be used for sound healing practices.

How to hold the mallet(for playing the singing bowl)?

Technique of Holding the Mallet when Playing a Singing Bowl:

Another important aspect of playing your singing bowl is the mallet that you use to play it. Many singing bowl sets come with a simple wooden mallet used to create tones with your singing bowl. Some mallets have just a hard surface while others are a cloth padded mallet. Each surface creates a different sound when playing your singing bowl.

 

Once again make sure that the singing bowl is placed on your hand which has created a flat surface. There are different types of mallets that have different looks and textures but the concept of playing your singing bowl remains the same. There are some bowls that have a soft mallet and some come with a hard mallet and they each create a slightly different tone. 

 

Small singing bowls might be more difficult to play due to less of a surface area for you to move the mallet. The singing bowl mallet is your tool to creating great tones that you can use for meditation or just relaxing while playing your bowl. 

 

Ways of Holding the Mallet:

 

There are different ways you can hold the mallet for playing your singing bowl. Each has their own way of contributing to properly playing your singing bowl. Not properly holding your bowl may cause problems with playing it such as it rattling, becoming muffled or even dropping your bowl. 

These are not things anyone wants to experience in their singing bowl journey. You also do not want to hear a buzzing sound or metallic sound coming from the singing bowl. 

The goal is for you to be able to play the singing bowl as easily as possible while creating full bodied tones via your singing bowl mallet.

 For when striking the bowl you can hold the mallet like you would hold a stick with your fingers grasped lightly around the bottom of the mallet. It is best not to hold the mallet too tightly. And you also don’t want to drop the mallet so make sure to hold it tight enough.

Damage to your singing bowl can cause it to not properly play and let’s face it, no one wants to have a damaged singing bowl.

For when circling the bowl’s rim to create a tone, hold the mallet with your dominant hand at the bottom with your index finger laid across the mallet longways and the rest of your fingers gripping the mallet lightly. This will allow the mallet to circle around the rim of the singing bowl properly.

 Mallets come in different shapes, sizes, textures, and designs. Make sure to choose one that is right for you and for your singing bowl experience.

 

 Lastly let’s see how to play your singing bowl:

 

How to play a singing bowl?

Playing Technique for a Singing Bowl:

You can create as many healing sounds as possible. The singing bowl sound can be used during meditation. Sound and energy healing can be very beneficial to anyone looking to relax and disconnect from the stresses of reality. It can be a form of sound therapy or used as a sound bath. Deep relaxation is the goal when playing your singing bowl whether you are playing larger bowls, thinner bowls, or smaller bowls. The lightweight singing bowl types will create a higher pitched sound. It doesn’t matter the size of the bowl. As long as you are playing your bowl properly, it will create vibrant tones.

 

The healing vibrations and continuous sound can be used during meditations or just relaxing after a hard day’s work. Singing bowls can be the tool to attain peace in anyone’s life. One singing bowl can produce healing tones, but many bowls can produce many different sounds which can be healing. Starting with one bowl to play is a great start to being able to create sound healing for oneself.

 

Meditation and Sound Healing:

Combining the use of a singing bowl with meditation can be a relaxing way to decompress from the everyday stresses of life.

Prioritizing relaxation in everyday life is essential to being healthy and ultimately that is goal and something that everyone wants to achieve. 

There are many benefits of being able to play singing bowls and being able to properly play your bowl is key.

Once holding the mallet properly following the guidelines above, you are now ready to play your singing bowl. Make sure not to start playing your bowl until you are properly holding the singing bowl and mallet first.

 

Most singing bowls can easily be played and playing a singing bowl is not difficult.

 

Here are 2 ways to play your singing bowl:

 

 

Striking the Bowl:

Striking the bowl will create a louder sound than circling the outer rim of the bowl. Gently strike the bowl on the outer exterior near the top of the bowl’s rim. This is the sweet spot for striking the bowl. You do not want the singing bowl tone to sound weak. Striking the bowl with a soft mallet will sound different than striking it with a hard mallet. When you play medium singing bowls and large singing bowls they will create a deeper tone, while smaller singing bowls create a higher pitched tone.

Make sure not to strike the bowl too far down the exterior of the bowl. Singing bowls work best when they resonate. Depending on what key your singing bowl is tuned to, it will create a nice vibrant tone which can be used during meditation. 

These tones are very peaceful in nature and can create a sense of calm for anyone that needs to destress from the everyday stresses of life. Having multiple large singing bowls or smaller singing bowls can create many different sounds that you can use during meditation.

Stress of Everyday life:

Stress can be a very negative aspect of people’s lives and it is important to take the steps necessary to curb stress when possible. The sound therapy and sound bath environment that your singing bowl creates can be beneficial to your health, can ease stress and anyone can relax to its peaceful nature.

Circling the Outer Rim:

Gently strike the bowl just like in the instructions above, but this time circle the mallet around the outer rim of the bowl while pressing the mallet vertically against the rim. The healing sounds are very beneficial to health and well being. The mallet should be place at the outer top rim of the bowl. This is the sweet spot for circling the outer rim of the bowl. Striking the singing bowl hard might cause a metallic buzzing sound or harsh tone.

Make sure that the mallet is not placed too far down the outside of the bowl. It will not create and tone for you and you want to make sure that the tone when properly played is full and vibrant. Remember you do not want to hear a rattling sound coming from your singing bowl.

Conclusion:

Singing bowls can be made differently such as by a machine and some are hand hammered singing bowls. You can choose from metal bowls and even crystal bowls. It is your preference which bowl you decide for yourself. As you can see following the steps properly when playing a singing bowl can create full and vibrant tones that you can use during meditations that can create a sound therapy for its user. You can create continuous tones which can be used for meditations. This sound therapy can be used to help stress, depression, and anxiety. Letting the singing bowl sing and vibrate can help with minimizing daily stress.

You can create softer and louder sounds with a simple wooden mallet. These each can create different sounds. Make sure to use proper playing technique when playing your singing bowl.  Also you do not want the singing bowl to sound weak. Striking the singing bowl and circling the outer rim of the bowl at the sweet spot is key. The goal is to not create a metallic or harsh tone and to not strike the singing bowl hard. .Also large singing bowls can create a deeper sound while a smaller bowl can create a more high pitched tone. Medium singing bowl sizes or smaller sized singing bowls will create tones with a higher pitch. Multiple large or smaller singing bowls can create different piitches.

Cloth padded mallets create a different tone than a regular non padded mallet. This versatility in how you can play a singing bowl makes it great for a beginner player.

 

There are singing bowls of all sizes including small singing bowls, medium singing bowls, and large singing bowls and they all create a sound with a slightly different tone. Small singing bowls will have a higher pitch than medium singing bowls and larger bowls. When you play medium singing bowls and larger singing bowls they have a lower pitch and sound different than the small bowls. The difference in size brings a different sounding pitch for the bowl’s user. These singing bowls are a lightweight singing bowl type and can be held easier in the hand than the larger singing bowls.

 

Most singing bowls come with packages with one singing bowl, but some come with several bowls.  

 

Trying to play your singing bowl without following the proper steps can lead to improperly playing your singing bowl or to its different sounds becoming muffled. Not following any of the steps mentioned can lead you to improperly playing your singing bowl. 

 

Being able to produce deep tones is the goal to being able to play your singing bowls and creating a peaceful atmosphere. 

You even have the option of playing multiple singing bowls. 

 

Which one will you choose?

 

Click for related article: The 6 Best Singing Bowl Set Choices for Meditation in 2023(Mindfulness and Meditation)