Singing Bowls

This article series explores singing bowls not just as meditative objects, but as physical instruments shaped by human movement, material interaction, and acoustic response. By examining technique, biomechanics, and sound analysis together, the series aims to make visible the often-overlooked mechanics that influence how bowls speak, resonate, and change under the hands of different players.

Explore how technique variation as a methodological tool transforms musical practice and research. Discover new insights with technique variation.

Explore how physical variation as boundary conditions can redefine musical instrument research. Discover how physical variation can be a powerful methodological tool.

Explore the critical role of mallet variation in sound production. Discover how mallet variation acts as a methodological tool in musical studies.

Explore the innovative use of rotational notation as a methodological tool in research. Discover how rotational notation supports complex system behavior.

Explore the innovative methodology behind friction-excited singing bowls. Discover how this methodology uncovers insights into system behaviors.

Discover why studying singing bowls is essential. Learn how singing bowls interact with human technique to create stable, reproducible sound.

Explore the complexities of my Research Questions about singing bowls. Discover how my Research Questions will shape my research going forward.

 Using the wrong mallet, whether it’s too soft, too hard, too small, or just the wrong material or shape; can make a singing bowl sound weak, sharp, or shaky with unpleasant chatter.

My singing bowl collection has grown into a set of instruments that each carry their own voice, personality, and story

One of the most surprising gaps in the scientific literature on singing bowls is that no study has ever measured the speed at which a mallet moves around the rim

A dictionary of singing bowl common terms found on this website

It’s important to understand the fundamentals of how to hold, play, and work with singing bowls

Exploring the nuance of singing bowls ability make many sounds at the same time. Explore how the bowl moves and how you move with it.

As I’ve explored singing bowls as true musical instruments, I’ve felt a growing need for a form of notation that reflects the subtle, fluid, and tactile way they are played

As I explore the world of singing bowls more deeply, I keep running into questions that the existing research hasn’t yet answered.

We have over a dozen research papers about singing bowls with each a simple summary, easily readable without academic experience

Explore the history behind common myths and misinformation out there about singing bowls

Singing bowls are musical instruments that make sound through their own vibration, a type known as an idiophone.

Understanding the different types of singing bowls opens up a rich sonic palette where rhythm gives way to resonance, and melody dissolves into pure tone.