What are the characteristics of a clear crystal singing bowl?
Clear crystal singing bowls are made out clear quartz glass, rather than being spun from quartz sand like a frosted or empyrean bowl. The result is a see-through clear glass bowl, with very different qualities that a frosted bowl. They produce a very beautiful bell sound when struck, with a nice long sustain.
Clear bowls, and very similar to metal singing bowls.
1) They are usually multi-tonal. Clear bowls, when struck, usually produce a fundamental note, as well as a higher harmonic. Depending on the bowl, the fundamental or higher harmonic can be clearer. This makes a clear bowl different than a frosted crystal singing bowl, which has a clearer more singular tone.
2) Clear bowls are hard to sing around the rim, similar to a metal singing bowl, and are best for tapping. The material can’t hold a lot of vibration, and distorts easily. They are typically quiet when sung, and are hard to create a stable tone. The clear bowl is best purchased, if you intend to use them for tapping and utilizing the beautiful tone and long sustain of the tap.
The beauty and value of a clear bowl, is in the beauty of it’s tone, but also with the long sustain. Clear bowls sustain 2 to 3 times as long as frosted bowls. Even a small 6 inch clear bowl will sustain 30 seconds or longer. So if you have a multitude of clear bowls, you can tap them melodically, utilizing the harmonic power of the bowls, and rest in the longer sustain of them. This is where the real beauty and power of the clear bowl shines. When tapped, clear bowls have a good audible strength, unlike when they are sung.
What size of clear bowl should I buy?
As long as you are buying the clear bowl, for the purpose of tapping it, and enjoying it’s wonderful bell sound, then most bowls between 6”-12” will be a great fit for you. The best thing to consider is the tone you wish to hear, the amount you can pay, and listen to sound files.
If you are buying a clear bowl to sing around the rim, the bowl really needs to be 10 to 12 inches in size. At the size, clear bowls can be thicker, and you’ll have an easier time singing them at a decent volume without them distorting. 12” clear bowls are truly exquisite, able to sing very low tones as decent volume.
Want help selecting a note?
Go through our simple guide for selecting a note here. Then you can return the clear bowl pages of our site, and filter the offerings by that note.
Should I buy a special mallet with the clear bowls?
No, unlike frosted bowls, there isn’t a particular mallet that works best necessarily with all clear bowls. The silicon-based mallet that comes for free with the bowls, is a good option for playing the clear bowls.