TIBETAN SINGING BOWLS

Where are they made and how?

The Tibetan singing bowls we sell are made by artisans in India and they are hand beaten. This means that you get a good range of overtones and they are great bowls to work with. The metal mix is made of the traditional 7 metals, but is primarily a bell metal - this is like brass but has more tin, and this gives greater resonance.

Being hand-beaten means that most bowls have makers' marks on them. The metal mix may also mean you get coppery patches in the bowl. This is all part of being a handmade bowl.

I cannot get my bowl to sing well.

If you are finding it hard to get the bowl to sing, you need to change one of the 3 variables to find what works. The variables are:

1. the angle of the wand

2. speed

3. pressure.

Please note that it's harder to get a bowl to sing if it's on a surface (ie not your hand), as you tend not to get enough pressure - this is especially true for smaller bowls.

Angle - if you try with the wand at 45 degrees, try it flatter to the bowl.

Speed - do not go too fast as you will not get the right pressure.

The most common problem is not enough pressure. Place it on your hand, give a tiny tap to get it started and move the wand with firm even pressure. I just played a 7" bowl and it took 2 seconds to go around the rim, 8" bowl 3 seconds. You may have been going too light and too fast.

TUNING FORKS

What is the quality of your tuning forks and where were they made?

Our tuning forks are of good quality and we sell American and Indian forks. For an honest comparison of our standard good value fork and the more expensive Biosoncis forks, see our Tuning Fork Quality page.

CRYSTAL SINGING BOWLS

Where to buy crystal singing bowls and what do I need for a Level 1 Crystal Singing Bowls or Level 2 Multi Courses?

The best place to find very reasonably priced crystal singing bowls is on eBay, buying them from China. In the US, there are shops such as Crystal Tones, and their bowls are beautiful, and fragile but very very costly. Another supplier that is well-priced is Thomann in Germany and they ship Worldwide. They sell individual bowls and not sets.

You need to aim for either 3 bowls in the same octave or a chakra set. The 3 bowls need to create harmony and dissonance. for example, an interval of a perfect 5th is harmonious and can be made with C & G, D & A, and E and B. So one of those pairings plus one other bowl just has to be next to one of the bowls you chose in a pair as this will be dissonant (releasing). So if you chose C & G you could have D or F or A as your dissonant bowl.

You can select tuned to 440Hz or 432 Hz (it does not matter which, but do not mix the tunings in your set of 3). If you can get the perfect pitch that is ideal. Make sure the bowl you buy is not sharp or flat as it will not make such good musical intervals.

If getting frosted singing bowls (lowest price bowls), size-wise, 4th-octave bowls are mostly 8"-10" across. A and B may be 8" and the rest 10" and the C can be 12". You do not want to get a 6" C as it will be the octave above and very high pitched.

DRUMS

Where can I buy a drum and what sort do I need?

The kind of drum you will need is a frame drum so you can hold it from a frame at the back of the drum. The drums used by us are mainly Remo Buffalo Drums. They are made in the USA and are easy to find. They have synthetic skin which is ideal for indoor or outdoor drumming as the skin is not affected by climate. 14" is a size that works well, and 16" is great too (it is a bit heavier). 22" is the largest one which is great for group work sessions, but can be a bit overpowering in a small room. Thomann is based in Germany and they stock Remo Buffalo Drums and ship Worldwide. If in the States, you will find them locally.

GONGS

What sort of gong do I need and where can I look for them?

For hand-held work with a gong, you will need one that is light enough for you to hold and swing over or close to a client. A wind gong that is 18" is the one we recommend. If you want a lighter-weight one, then drop it down to 16".

If completing a gong module in a diploma course, you will also need a rimmed gong with a stand. Chao (Tam Tam) rimmed gongs are good value. If you have a big budget, then Paiste is an excellent make. The size you select depends if you want it in a small room or if you want it for group events.

Large gongs can be very heavy to move about, so bear this in mind if planning to carry it about for mobile work. Our Paiste gongs are 26" and 32".

A good Worldwide source of gongs is Thomann based in Germany or if in the USA, take a look at Gongs Unlimited.

MONOLINA

What is that stringed instrument Tony strums on the body?

This is a Monolina, which is a kind of monochord. The one in the videos is bought from Feeltone. They have outlets in Germany and USA.