How to use a singing bowl: strike, rim and stop the rattle

Step 1: Hold the bowl so it can vibrate

A singing bowl is a kind of standing bell. When you play it, the walls and rim flex in and out very slightly, and anything pressing on them damps the sound. So the first rule is simple: support the bowl from underneath, never grip it from the sides.

• Small bowls (up to roughly the width of your hand): hold the bowl on the palm of your non-dominant hand, with the palm open and fingers straight. Avoid curling your fingers up around the sides like a claw, because fingertips on the wall mute the tone.
• Larger bowls: set them on a ring cushion, a folded blanket or a rug on a table or the floor. The cushion lifts the base slightly and lets the walls move freely.
• Keep the rim clear. Sleeves, bracelets and a resting thumb on the rim will all dull the sound.

Sit comfortably with the bowl at about chest or lap height, so your wrist stays relaxed while you play.

Step 2: Strike the bowl

Striking, sometimes called gonging, is the easiest way to get a good sound, and it is where every beginner should start.

1. Hold the mallet loosely, about a third of the way from its end, the way you would hold a pencil you are not writing with.
2. Aim for the outer wall just below the rim. Keep the mallet roughly parallel to the rim rather than chopping down from above.
3. Tap briefly and pull straight back. The goal is a quick contact, like touching a hot pan. Leaving the mallet resting on the wall stops the vibration.
4. Listen until the sound has completely gone. A good bowl rings for a long time, and the tail end, where it fades into silence, is often the most calming part.

Start softly. You get a fuller, rounder tone from a gentle strike with a padded mallet than from a hard hit, and you are far less likely to make the bowl buzz or to startle yourself.

Step 3: Make the bowl sing by rimming

Rimming, also called rubbing or singing the bowl, produces the continuous hum that gives these bowls their name. It takes a little practice, so give yourself a few sessions before judging the bowl.

1. Strike the bowl once, softly, to start it vibrating. This gives rimming a head start.
2. Press the mallet against the outside of the rim. Use the wooden or leather-covered part of a friction mallet, held upright or tilted up to about 45 degrees.
3. Circle around the rim slowly and evenly, moving your whole arm, as if stirring a large pot, rather than just twisting your wrist. Keep the same angle and the same contact point on the mallet the whole way round.
4. Keep steady pressure and let the sound build. After a few circles the hum grows; you can then ease off slightly and keep circling to sustain it.
5. To stop, lift the mallet away and let the bowl ring out, or rest a flat hand gently on the rim.

Speed and pressure control the volume: a little faster or firmer and the hum gets louder. Many players find a bowl "opens up" after a few minutes of playing, with extra overtones appearing that were not obvious at first.

Why your bowl rattles, and other fixes

The buzzing or chattering sound comes from the mallet bouncing against the rim as the vibration builds. It is the most common beginner problem and it is almost always a technique issue, not a faulty bowl.

Choosing a mallet

The mallet changes the sound as much as the bowl does. Many bowls ship with a basic wooden stick, and adding one soft mallet is the cheapest upgrade you can make.

• Bare wood: bright, clear strikes and a crisp rimming tone, but more prone to chatter. Good for small bowls.
• Leather- or suede-wrapped: the usual choice for rimming. The softer surface grips the rim and reduces rattle, giving a smoother hum.
• Felt or wool-headed: for striking. A padded head gives a warmer, deeper tone and lets you play larger bowls without a harsh edge. Felt mallets do not rim well.
• Rubber and suede (crystal bowls): crystal bowls are usually played with a rubber-tipped wand for rimming and a suede mallet for striking.

Match the mallet to the bowl. A common rule of thumb is a mallet around 1 inch thick for bowls up to about 6 inches across, and a thicker, heavier mallet, around 2 inches, for larger bowls. A mallet that is too thin for a big bowl struggles to get it singing; a huge felt striker on a tiny bowl just thuds.

Bowl size, metal vs crystal

As a general rule, a bigger, heavier bowl gives a lower note and a longer ring; a small bowl sounds higher and fades sooner. Wall thickness, the shape of the rim and how the bowl was made all shift the sound too, so two bowls of the same diameter can sound quite different.

For a first bowl, a metal bowl of about 4 to 5 inches that comes with a cushion and a mallet is the easiest all-round starting point. It is forgiving to play in your hand and on a cushion, and it tolerates beginner technique.

A 10-minute singing bowl practice

You do not need a sound bath or a teacher to use a singing bowl. This short routine works for a morning pause, a break between tasks or winding down before bed.

1. Settle (1 minute). Sit upright and comfortable with the bowl on your palm or its cushion. Take a few slow breaths.
2. Open with a strike (2 minutes). Strike the bowl once, softly. Follow the sound with your attention until you genuinely cannot hear it any more. Repeat two or three times.
3. Rim and breathe (4 minutes). Rim the bowl slowly. Try matching one full circle to one slow exhale. When your mind wanders, bring it back to the sound.
4. Silence (2 minutes). Stop playing and sit with the quiet that follows. Notice how your body feels.
5. Close (1 minute). One last soft strike to mark the end.

What the research says about benefits

Many people find singing bowl sessions deeply relaxing, and there is some early research that supports that experience. The evidence is still thin, though, and it is worth knowing where it stands before you read bigger promises elsewhere.

• A 2016 observational study in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine followed 62 adults through a roughly one-hour singing bowl sound meditation. Afterward, participants reported significantly less tension, anger, fatigue and depressed mood, and higher spiritual well-being. People new to this kind of meditation reported bigger drops in tension. The authors point out that there was no control group and participants were not randomized, so the study cannot show that the bowls themselves caused the changes.
• A 2020 systematic review in Complementary Therapies in Medicine gathered the studies on the health effects of singing bowls and found few, with a real risk of methodological bias. The reviewers concluded that the results were encouraging but that singing bowl therapies could not yet be recommended as a treatment, and called for more rigorous trials.

The fair reading: a singing bowl is a pleasant, low-cost way to build a relaxation or meditation habit, and many people feel calmer after using one. It is not a proven treatment for any medical condition, and it is not a replacement for care if you are dealing with anxiety, pain, sleep problems or blood pressure concerns.

Care, cleaning and safety

• Metal bowls: wipe with a soft, dry cloth after handling to remove fingerprints and skin oils. If you play with water in the bowl (it changes the sound when rimmed), empty and dry it straight away. Skip abrasive scrubbers and chemical polishes unless the maker recommends them; they can strip the finish or any patina.
• Crystal bowls: treat them like glassware. Clean with a soft cloth, keep them away from hard surfaces, set them on their O-ring or base, and carry them in a padded bag. Do not strike a crystal bowl with a hard wooden stick.
• Mallets: keep leather and suede covers dry; brush felt heads gently if they get fluffy.
• Volume: large bowls and crystal bowls can be surprisingly loud. Do not strike a bowl right beside your own or someone else's ear.

Singing bowls and accessories we stock

All of the listings below were live and available to order on 28 September 2026. We describe them only from their listings; product pages carry the full details, sizes and delivery estimates.

Metal bowls for a first practice

• Mantra Meditation Singing Bowl ($69.90): a palm-sized copper-alloy bowl with a deep dimpled wall, supplied with a suede-headed wooden mallet and a brocade ring cushion, so it is complete on arrival.
• Sonowell Brass Singing Bowl ($15.90): a handmade brass bowl with an 8 cm diameter. The listing mentions sticks, a washer and a cloth bag but does not confirm which are included, so ask before ordering.
• Sonora Copper Handmade Singing Bowl ($23.90): a handmade copper bowl of about 200 g, described for yoga and meditation.
• Tonebloom Brass Singing Bowl Sound Therapy Ornament ($7.90): a mini brass bowl sold as a sound-therapy ornament; small enough for palm playing.

Larger bowls

• Tide Sound Healing Singing Bowl ($89.90–$104.90): hand-hammered solid brass in 11 cm and 12 cm sizes, each with a turned hardwood striker; the listing describes a single low note that holds for twenty seconds or more.

Bells and chimes

• Nepalsound Nepalese Handmade Bronze Bell ($50.90): a handmade bronze bell from Nepal, listed at about 7 to 8.5 cm across depending on the size described.
• Mantraring Brass Meditation Bell Percussion Instrument ($14.90): a handmade brass bell of about 5.8 cm, for marking the start and end of a session.

Crystal bowls, mallets, cushions and bags

We do not currently stock crystal (quartz) singing bowls, separate mallets, bowl cushions or carry bags. The playing technique above applies to a crystal bowl too. Of the bowls we stock, the Mantra and Tide bowls include a striker, and the Mantra bowl includes a ring cushion; for the others, check the product page for what is in the box.

Not sure where to start? See Which one to buy for a comparison of the wider range.

Questions people ask