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How To Make a Singing Bowl

Always keen to dive deeper into the singing bowl experience I was intrigued to find a workshop advertised where you spent a long weekend making your own new brass bowl. The people putting on the workshops had many years under their belts both playing and using singing bowls. They even claimed to be able to “fine tune” Tibetan singing bowls for better sound.

Photo 1: Medieval anvil circa 1500, solid metal (iron?) about two feet tall.
Photo 2: Medieval tools that we used in the workshop for shaping the bell metal.
Photos 3 & 4: My singing bowl partially finished with the sheet metal the original blank was cut from – top and bottom view. Notice the hammer marks. When finished my singing bowl was 3 inches tall by 8 inches in diameter – a good sized Manipuri.

 

How I made my first (and last) new singing bowl

So off to Hawkwood College in the very progressive old town of Stroud in the English West country I went. The DIY singing bowl workshop featured an impressive collection of medieval European hand tools and a supply of modern “bell quality” brass sheeting. The photos below on the right are of my singing bowl in process. You can see all the hammer marks, especially on the inside. I was able to work those out some with more hammering and using finer hammers. The sheet of metal is the flat from which I cut a square of bell metal, the upside down photo shows the relationship of my finished rounded shape to the original flat cut.

What I can tell you about the DIY singing bowl experience was that it really hurt my hands and gave me a tremendous appreciation for the ancient singing bowl makers. I also came away with a nicely shaped singing bowl with a sound I could charitably characterize as interesting. It was fun being with a group of people working away at making a special creation. The workshop leader, Ton Akkermans of the Netherlands does these workshops in various parts of Europe (not that the English consider themselves in Europe, mind you). You have to go there because he is not too keen to schlep that 500 pound anvil here to the US.

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Kevin James Karas
Kevin James Karas
If you are looking for someone who can put together a really incredible set of authentic, high quality, antique singing bowls, look no further. Ryan, was incredible to work with and sent us a custom curated set that resonated deeply with our whole group. A+
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Light Anchor Alchemy
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Organic Punk
I had the best (pun intended) experience with Best singing bowls and the owner Ryan. I have purchased antique bowls from 2 other sources and Ryan provided a superior service and experience. Not only did I receive great customer service but all 6 bowls I got were far better in sound than my other bowls, so that tells me that a lot of care is put into what he selects.Thanks again!
Jae Hwan KIM
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I just received the products. It feels new to hear the sound of singing bowls right in front of me that I only heard on the Internet.Thanks to you, I have a precious experience!!!Also, with your recommendation, my singing bowls set has become perfect and rich. Your patience and service could not be better!!Thank you very, very much!!!
Bob Metivier
Bob Metivier
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Zara D'Souza
Zara D'Souza
My entire experience was so seamless. The website is so flexible and easy to navigate. For anyone looking to build a bowl collection, this is the right place to go. I highly recommend reaching out to Ryan. He was so helpful and supportive in guiding me and making sure I make the right decisions. His suggestions were spot on and Im glad I trusted him!! The shipping and tracking was really great as well. The bowls were well packaged when shipped to me. I got an email with the tracking info and Ryan was a great communicator during this phase as well. In the end, I am very happy with the set I acquired.
Zachary Newton
Zachary Newton
You are in excellent hands here with Ryan if you are just embarking on your singing bowl journey.I came knowing I wanted a deep resonant bowl or two when I initially reached out. This began a months' long dialogue with Ryan, who was nothing but patient and generous with his time, sending me recordings of additional bowls not on the website and answering my many questions. Over this period, I spent hours listening to dozens of bowls, beginning to figure out what resonated most with me and expanding my search from there. I ended up putting together a small set. When I found a few bowls I was pretty sure I wanted to be the core of this set, Ryan offered to put them on hold for me while I spent some more time listening to additional bowls. So whether you know exactly what you want, or you just have a vague inclination and see yourself at the beginning of a journey--like I was--you have come to a good place.When I finally made up my mind and ordered my bowls, they arrived impeccably packed and already sounding familiar after having spent months listening to their recordings. I have been very happy with them. In the months since, I have spent many hours playing them, and have even added a couple more. I am still on that Journey I began a year ago, and I continue to value the care and patience that Ryan puts into his work as a guide along my path.
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