Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

Kouu · 2009-09-03 16:30:08

I'm thinking about buying an antique singing/meditation bowl, but I don't really know how to shop for one. I have looked at several websites and they all claim that their bowls are 'very old' and that the sound clips are of the actual bowl being purchased, but who knows?

And then there are the Ebay sellers with positive feedback whose bowls are much less expensive, but is the quality the same?

And what about the newly made bowls? They are much cheaper but are they any good?

So any suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Rick

lowonthetotem · 2009-09-04 12:29:56

Meditation bowls are used for meditation. Personally, I am not sure an "antique" one would work any better than one made more recently. I have one that I bought at a local New Agey type of shop. It rings, so that is enough.

If you are looking to get one from Tibet or of Tibetan origin which is antique, one thing I would recommend is to look for statements concerning Fair Trade. Chinese sources for Tibetan Objets d'Art should be view with at least vigorous skepticism. It would be a shame to purchase something that was stolen or something from its real owner. "Antiques" are funny like that, especially over the internet.

That said, here is the Google shopping page for them:

http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&am … amp;tab=wf

Kouu · 2009-09-04 16:56:08

Thanks lowonthetotem, I appreciate the reply.

I was thinking the same thing, that if it rings it must be good enough. But then I started reading the websites that sell bowls, and according to them, which might be completely untrue, the antique bowls have better harmonics (more complex) and, more importantly, have much longer sustain. They say that this is due to being hammered and not manufactured (stamped), and that the ageing process somehow improves the bowl's tone. Again, that might be nonsense. I don't know.

If I can find a place locally that sells new ones I can hear the bowls for myself. Finding a place is the problem.

As an aside, the shakuhachi is training me, or should I say spoiling me, to really listen to sounds and to notice things like harmonics.

I would like to try playing in harmony with the ringing bowl.

edosan · 2009-09-04 17:25:17

Kouu wrote:
Again, that might be nonsense. I don't know.

It's not nonsense. Of course any purveyor of anything is going to put the best light on their products, but while it's true that any bowl will ring if you whack it, all bowls are not created the same; the stamped bowls are generally made of brass, the hammered ones are of bronze. Big difference right there, whether they are 'antique' or not. You get what you pay for with these things, and while the singing of none of them is likely to send you to heaven, they vary greatly, even the bronze hammered ones. I'd never buy one sight unseen, myself.

Kouu · 2009-09-06 00:59:18

Which I guess is why bells are made of bronze. That seems like a good place to start in my search for a good sounding bowl, a way of narrowing down the choices.

I've come across some newly made bowls that have been hammered and they are pretty affordable. Don't know if they are bronze. I'll have to check that out.

Thanks!

purehappiness · 2009-09-06 09:42:49

You should try and hear it in person too. Recently, I found a shop that had some and some of them did not impress me at all. I found one I liked but did not have the money at the time. I hope it is there when I get the cash.

axolotl · 2009-10-01 00:45:00

You could give Lark in the Morning a call:

http://larkinthemorning.com/Search.aspx … =0&y=0

They're mighty reliable in the general world instrument market, in my experience.

Karmajampa · 2009-10-01 12:31:34

Ideally I would want to hear a selection.

There were about 65 different designs in tibet. They were made of five, seven or nine metals in an alloy, One of these metals was 'meteoric iron' that is, residual metal from material that had survived entering the earths atmosphere, without totally burning up.
Tibet, being such an altitude, has more of this material than much of the rest of the planet. The tibetans were very advanced in alloy manufacture.

I have a bowl, about 150mm diameter, 45mm deep and 8mm thick, quite weighty and a long decay. It sustains very nicely with very little pressure.
I used to have a larger bowl, if you put a shallow amount of water in the bottom as it is 'sung', you will get a pattern formed by the vibration.

p.s. Yes, it has taken me to Heaven.

Kel.

Tono · 2009-10-01 15:25:44

Try Silver Sky Imports on Ebay. Bid on non-buy it now items, you can get some pretty good deals right now. Sound files available. Check out their website for a full range of sizes. www.silverskyimports.com but try to get a deal on Ebay first.

Kouu · 2009-10-01 16:27:21

Good information everyone! Thanks!

axolotl · 2009-10-02 22:29:11

I would agree with the general consensus that you'd have to pick the thing up and get it humming to really know if you like it. Different bowls, even on the same pitch, resonate differently due to manufacture and make.

Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

#1 2009-09-03 16:30:08

Reputable Source for Singing Bowls?

#2 2009-09-04 12:29:56

Re: Reputable Source for Singing Bowls?

#3 2009-09-04 16:56:08

Re: Reputable Source for Singing Bowls?

#4 2009-09-04 17:25:17

Re: Reputable Source for Singing Bowls?

Kouu wrote:

#5 2009-09-06 00:59:18

Re: Reputable Source for Singing Bowls?

#6 2009-09-06 09:42:49

Re: Reputable Source for Singing Bowls?

#7 2009-10-01 00:45:00

Re: Reputable Source for Singing Bowls?

#8 2009-10-01 12:31:34

Re: Reputable Source for Singing Bowls?

#9 2009-10-01 15:25:44

Re: Reputable Source for Singing Bowls?

#10 2009-10-01 16:27:21

Re: Reputable Source for Singing Bowls?

#11 2009-10-02 22:29:11

Re: Reputable Source for Singing Bowls?

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