How to Play the Singing Bowl

Place the singing bowl on a cushion to let it resonate freely.

Use a mallet designed for an appropriate bowl, typically made of rubber or silicone, to strike or rub the bowl for crystal.

You can strike the bowl gently to produce a clear, initial tone without overwhelming vibrations.  However, striking the bowl is not required to get it to start singing. I highly recommend practicing getting a bowl to sing with and without striking 

Rub the mallet around the rim of the bowl in a slow, steady motion to sustain the sound. Experiment with getting the bowl to play without tapping it. While there is a time and place for tapping on a sound bath, tapping each time you switch can be distracting to an audience. 

Apply even pressure to avoid any scratching noises and maintain a smooth tone.

Experiment with different mallet sizes and materials to discover varied tones and effects.

Keep your hand relaxed to allow for better control and sound quality.

Practice mindful breathing to enhance the meditative and healing experience.

Listen carefully to the vibrations and adjust your speed and pressure accordingly to maintain a harmonious sound. If you start to hear a scraping or grinding noise, it means the bowl is vibrating to the maximum that it should, and you need to let up. 

Choose bowls with complementary tones and frequencies to play together, listening for harmony and resonance. For a beginner set, I recommend notes C3, G4 and E3 or C3, E3,G4 for deeper tones.

Avoid playing too many bowls at once to prevent an overwhelming number of vibrations and maintain a clear, focused sound.

Tap the bowls sparingly to prevent excessive vibrations and allow each tone to fully resonate.

Be patient and practice regularly to improve your technique and deepen your connection with the bowls.