Frosted bowls are wonderful for yoga, meditation, and sound therapy. They are much more voluminous than clear quartz bowls and the vibrations from the larger bowls can be quite profound, vibrating a good size room, and all of the bodies within it. Our quartz crystal bowls are made of 99.9% pure quartz crystal. These are amongst the best quality frosted bowls we have found in the world and our tunings are accurate. Our sets come in various configurations based upon your needs.
Standard Configurations
Our standard configurations offer an excellent value and will include bowls ranging in size from 14" to 8". If you desire larger or smaller bowls, we can easily configure and price such a set for you. Simply contact us with your needs.
- 7 Bowl Sets: These sets are often called "chakra" sets and will include the following notes C, D, E, F, G, A, B. Our sets are sequential, which means they move up the scale within the same octave.
- 8 Bowl Sets: These sets include an additional high C bowl above the B. This makes the sets far more playable in our opinion because you can resolve both up or down and play a perfect octave.
- 9 Bowl Sets: These sets include a low B under the low C.
- Binaural Beat Sets: These sets will include two bowls in close proximity. When used together they produce Alpha or Theta waves. The "wobble" and modulation between the bowls is profoundly effective at inducing meditative states. Please email us as these are custom built sets.
- Harmonic Chord Sets: These are wonderful sets of 2-5 bowls that form beautiful harmonic chords. Please email us as these are custom built sets.
- Minor Pentatonic Scales: These sets form a minor pentatonic scale, which is the same type scale formed by the Native American flute. This scale is beautiful in its simplicity. Please email us as these are custom built sets.
About the Various Tunings
Our standard sets include bowls perfectly matched to each other, but they may vary from 440 Hz standard tuning by up to +/- 45 cents. This is not an issue for the vast majority of those working with sound. For those who need specifically tuned bows, we can also configure sets for you. Simply contact us with your needs and we are happy to work with you. The most common sets we configure are:
- Standard: For those who do not accompany other instruments, standard tunings are wonderful and there is a large savings in the cost of these bowls. The bowls will be tuned to the desired notes but may not be exactly perfect pitch. Most other sellers only sell bowls this way. That is, even if you think you are buying a tuned set you are simply getting a standard tuning with slight variations. We prefer to be honest and give you the choice.
- Perfect Pitch 440 Hz: For those who are accompanying western tuned instruments, or those who value precisely tuned bowls, 440 Hz is the tuning generally used in Western countries. Our 440 Hz sets will be within 10 cents (most often +/- 5 cents) of Perfect Pitch. Studies have demonstrated that the human ear cannot really discern 10 cents of variation, but we strive for more.
- Perfect Pitch 432 Hz: In the East, instruments are often tuned a bit lower. Many people working with sound prefer 432 Hz tuning because of it's more natural feel. Some believe this tuning to have a more profound effect on the mind and the body. Our 432 Hz sets will be within 10 cents (most often +/- 5 cents) of Perfect Pitch. Studies have demonstrated that the human ear cannot really discern 10 cents of variation, but we strive for more. Please email us as these are often custom built sets.
Just Intonation
This is a complicated topic so we will not endeavor to explain all the details! But, those of you that know what just intonation is know why you would choose it. Many people, including us, believe that equal temperament ruined harmony in the West. Just intonation is a way of arranging the same notes of the scale along the naturally occurring harmonic intervals that would occur in the harmonic overtone series. The sound is very pleasing to the ear and much more meditative in our opinion. Those who debate 440 Hz vs. 432 Hz are often misunderstanding why Eastern music has such profound effects. It may very well be that 432 Hz is the better tuning, but the profound meditative qualities of Eastern music come from primarily from their use of more natural temperaments following the natural harmonic overtone series. For those who understood what we just said and want to venture down the rabbit hole, perhaps just intonation is for you. It is important to note, however, that when a set is configured as just intonation, it can only be played in one key. That is, certain ratios will be off if one tries to create harmony in a just intonation set outside of the key in which it is configured. This makes such sets far more limited in their possibilities of harmony. If you did not understand all that, then don't worry! Just intonation is for the 5% of practitioners that really find this tuning resonant.
Nesting Bowl Sets
Some of our sets may be configured as "nesting" sets, which means they will be of sizes that fit neatly one inside the other. For our 7-bowl sets, this is usually the case unless you are having us custom configure a set. This can make storage and transport a bit easier.
All sets include O-rings and standard suede mallets. To get a smooth sound we recommend adding silicone mallets. Cases are also available.
Individual Bowls
If you are looking for individual bowls, please email us. We carry frosted bowls ranging in size from 8" all the way up to 28". We are happy to find the exact bowl you are looking for.
