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Do you want an antique singing bowl or a newer bowl? Is cost a factor or quality of the sound? To help with your selection, we have added some information to help educate you on the differences between Tibetan singing bowls.
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Thanks to Rain Gray for his expert information on Tibetan singing bowls.
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The antique singing bowls we carry in our store date back 100 to 400 years from the 17th to 19th century. Unfortunately the art and perfection of making these bowls was lost when the Chinese invaded Tibet in 1949. Contemporary Tibetan singing bowls have been made within the last 10 years. Artisans today have so far not been able to reproduce the quality of sound one gets from an antique singing bowl. Although some artisans are getting better at the process, contemporary bowls tend to not have the same richness of tones as antique bowls. Also, selecting an antique bowl does not necessarily ensure quality of tone. This is because most bowls are out of tune and there is no way to retune a bowl since the tuning process occurs when they are forged. Unfortunately many antique bowls have become out of tune due to factors such as hundreds of years of use, exposure to radical temperatures, and altitude changes when brought down from the Himalayas to lower altitudes.
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Superior quality bowls are determined by a bowl’s harmonic balance. Both our antique and contemporary bowls have been hand selected by Rain Gray, a Tibetan bowl expert and musicologist. He uses strict quality standards to check for criteria such as harmony, balance, volume, smoothness and playing ease. Rain will check hundreds of bowls until he finds the one or two that pass his standards.
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Selecting Bowl Type and Size
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Currently we carry low-wall bowls, low-wall-thick-lip bowls, high-wall Buddha bowls and cup bowls. They range in size from 4.5 to 7 inches in diameter. Usually a larger bowl will produce deeper tones whereas the smaller, low-wall and cup bowls emit higher frequencies. Because of their size, smaller low-wall bowls are easier to pack for travel. Yet, the larger Buddha bowls are impressive in size and have deep rich tones. Whichever bowl you choose, playing ease is very important. If you need help selecting a bowl please phone us at 520-615-0922 and we will be happy to assist you as well as play bowls for you over the telephone.
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Copyright © 2002 - 2009 Equinox Books & Gifts LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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