Singing bowl
A struck singing bowl, ringing for half a minute with its slow shimmer. Choose how often it is struck and its pitch, and add water or wind underneath.
- Spectrum
- Inharmonic partials at about 1 : 2.8 : 5.4 : 8.8 times the fundamental, each with a slow beat
- Good for
- Meditation and breathing practice
- Yoga and stretching
- Marking intervals or a quiet wind-down
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Why a singing bowl sounds the way it does
When you strike a bowl, its rim flexes in several bending modes at once. Unlike a string, these modes are not whole-number multiples of the lowest note. For a thin ring they fall at about 1, 2.8, 5.4 and 8.8 times the fundamental (Fletcher and Rossing, The Physics of Musical Instruments). That inharmonic mix is what makes a bowl sound like metal rather than like a note on a piano.
No bowl is perfectly round, so each mode splits into two frequencies a few tenths of a hertz to a few hertz apart. The two beat against each other, giving the slow "wah-wah" shimmer. The higher modes die away faster, so the sound gets purer as it fades.
How ours is made
Every strike is built live in your browser from five pairs of oscillators: one pair per mode, slightly detuned so each pair beats. The lowest partial rings for around 25 seconds and the highest for about 3, with a soft mallet click at the start. Each strike varies slightly in pitch, strength and position.
Use the strike slider (6 to 90 seconds) to set the pace, pick a note from D3 to E4, or press Strike now.
Do singing bowls have proven benefits?
A 2017 observational study by Goldsby and colleagues (Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine) reported less tension, anger and fatigue after a singing bowl meditation, but it had no control group. Treat the bowl as a pleasant focus for meditation, not a therapy.
Questions
Can I change how often the bowl rings?
Yes. The strike slider sets 6 to 90 seconds between strikes, with a little natural variation. Press Strike now for a strike on demand.
Are singing bowls good for sleep?
They suit winding down. For sleep itself, a longer interval (60 seconds or more) over a quiet stream or brown noise is less likely to stir you, or set the fade timer.
Why does the sound wobble?
That is beating. Each vibration mode of a real bowl splits into two close frequencies, and their interference makes the slow pulsing shimmer. We reproduce it on purpose.
Is this a recording of a Tibetan singing bowl?
No. It is synthesised from the physics of a struck bowl, so the pitch can be changed and the sound never repeats exactly.
Which note should I choose?
Lower notes (D3, G3) are deeper and longer-feeling; higher ones (C4, E4) are brighter. Pick the one you find calmest.