Singing Bowl Mallet Meditation

Every singing bowl sound sample recorded on our web site has been played with the following variety of mallets. Tibetan Singing bowls can sound completely different whether they are struck with wool, leather, or wood; and you can isolate completely different tones depending upon the mallet and the playing technique you use. All of the mallets produce different sounds from the bowls and learning which ones to use with which bowls- and how to use them- is an ongoing discovery.

Back in the late ’70s’ in Kathmandu, we know the Nepalese played singing bowls with Roti sticks. Historically, any plain wood dowel may have been used. But the harsh sound created by the wood striking the metal also had the effect of sharply kicking up the female overtone and hence burying the deeper, more subtle sound of the fundamental tone. Hence, the wool padded mallet!

WOOL PADDED MALLET

This wooden mallet, semi-padded with monk’s wool, softens the struck sound of a singing bowl. A Bodhisattva basic, the padded mallet is designed to bring all of the bowls’ frequencies up to at equal volume. We played with different thicknesses of the dowel, which is made of Sheesham, a Himalayan hardwood. In time, we found if the dowels were roughly 30 mm. thick, that was about right for producing a balanced struck tone in most medium-sized singing bowls and even some of the Highwalls as well. This type of mallet produces most of the bowl strikes you hear in the recordings on our web site. The wooden handle provides a rimming surface as well.

HOW TO USE IT FOR STRIKING

Using the wool padded end, strike the Tibetan singing bowl on its mid-exterior wall, or on the interior upper wall. Acoustically, upper octave tones carry louder than deeper tones, due to their increased saturation of sound waves. So when we strike a singing bowl with a padded mallet, we hear the richness of the fundamental tone much more clearly in the mix. Avoid striking the bowl on the top of the lip, as this will produce too much of a percussive hit.

HOW TO USE IT FOR RIMMING

1. Sit as if you were sitting for meditation, with your spine straight and relaxed, your shoulders level and your breath generous but natural. Make sure to release any unnecessary tension in your arms, shoulders, and face, as Tibetan singing bowls are bio-feedback instruments and they tend to be really quiet when we’re holding tension in our bodies.
2. Hold the singing bowl on the palm of your non-dominant hand, with your fingers energized and held closely together. This is important so that your fingers and thumb do not involuntarily wrap around the base of the bowl while playing, which will dampen the sound. Hold the bowl about Solar Plexus level, slightly tilted so that the aperture of the bowl is opening into the direction where your mallet is coming from.
3. With your dominant hand, grasp the mallet in its center and hold it as if you were about to sign your name with the wooden end of the mallet. Make sure the covered part of the mallet is snuggled securely in the web between the thumb and the index finger, and that there is never any gap there while playing. So your grasp on the mallet should be firm but never strained.
4. Position the mallet at a 35% angle against the outside edge of the lip of the bowl. With an even pressure, rub the mallet in at least 4 or 5 revolutions, or until you begin to hear the female overtone build. Use a full arm motion, like you’re stirring a pot of soup. Try to keep your wrist as straight as possible.
5. Once the female overtone starts to comes up bright and clear, reduce your speed and press a little bit more firmly. If you hear “chattering” against the lip of the bowl, either reduce your speed, even more, increase your pressure, or both. Watch the bowl as you continue to rub the rim, and listen to the bowl’s voice. Adjust your angle, pressure, and speed accordingly. When you bring it all together, the female overtone should sound sweet and clear.

Although it is tempting to close your eyes when first starting to play, I find that it’s helpful at least in the beginning to keep them open and to observe what you’re doing carefully. This practice also gives the focus necessary to clear the mind. If there is chatter on the inside lap of the circle, check to see if your angle and speed are consistent all 360 degrees. Once the tone is even and smooth and you’re really connected to the bowl- then close them if you like.