Singing Bowl Size: What You Need to Know

In this post, we discuss the importance of size and weight of the singing bowls. These are important factors to consider when choosing your singing bowl. Here is the effect that size and weight has on your bowl.

1. Size and Pitch: Generally, larger bowls produce lower, deeper sounds, while smaller bowls have a higher pitch. On our website, we publish the frequency (measured in Hertz) of the fundamental or the clearest and loudest note of your singing bowl. A lower Hertz number indicates a lower fundamental pitch of the bowl that you are playing. 
2. Size and Weight: As a rule, larger bowls are heavier (exception being if the walls are thin). Weight is important for many of our customers, as they might be placing the bowls on the body (in a healing session) or holding them for extended periods of time. Note that we usually place heavy bowls (say 2 kgs+) on the floor when playing them.
3. Size and Ease of Playing: Larger bowls are generally easier to play than their smaller counterparts. Small bowls, especially those 13 cm or less, can be challenging to get ringing and often require more practice. You might even find that the felt end of your mallet doesn't work well with these smaller bowls. In such cases, try using the wooden end of your mallet, though this tends to bring out higher overtones immediately. When we select our smaller singing bowls, we always test them with the felt end first to ensure they're responsive and produce a good fundamental tone.
4. Size and Vibrations: Larger bowls are bigger instruments with more air resonance, leading to stronger vibrations. If you hold your hand near a large bowl or place one on your body, you can often feel these powerful vibrations. Large bowls also create a stunning "fountain effect" when filled with water, which becomes more pronounced as the bowl's size increases.
5. Size and Price: Lastly, larger bowls tend to be more expensive due to the cost of materials and labour incurred. 

To summarise, when choosing a singing bowl, its size and weight are crucial factors that influence everything from its sound to how easy it is to play.

If you are purchasing your first singing bowl, then we suggest a Tara Singing Bowl or Contemporary Singing Bowl around 17-20 cms in size. This size offers a pleasant, mid-range pitch that's close to the human voice. These bowls are also easier to play than smaller ones and are conveniently portable.