How They Are Built
Peter Hess® therapy grade singing bowls are manufactured by hand in Nepal and India according to ancient methods, specifically to be used for the practice of sound massage. Years, and years of research and clinical experimentation have gone into proving how well these instruments are suited for our methodology.
Peter Hess® therapy singing bowls are made of quality bronze enriched with other metals in a traditional fashion. At first, we closely followed the old recipes for the composition of the melt. Due to our ongoing research, the composition has now been altered slightly to improve the quality of our singing bowls.
From this alloy, a thick disk is cast, called the “cast blank.” From the cast blank, the singing bowl is hand-forged, bit-by-bit, being reheated again and again (depending on its size, up to 90 times). Four to six skilled craftsmen participate in the process of forging, all working simultaneously.
It takes over 30 hours to forge a belly bowl of about 2 kilograms, with up to six people taking part in the manufacturing process at the same time.
The combination of high quality raw material and the skills of our forgers, along with careful examination and selection, produce singing bowls with perfect sound and vibrational qualities for our sound massage applications.
Before our singing bowls are shipped out for distribution, they are tested for quality and must pass a certain quality standard to be sold for therapeutic sound massage.
Types of Bowls
Three types of singing bowls are used for the Peter Hess® basic sound massage. Different mallets allow for sound variations.
The Universal or Joint Bowl
The term universal bowl hints that this singing bowl has an especially varied spectrum of sound. Depending on the size and hardness of the mallet, this singing bowl produces a great variety of sounds. With its extensive sound offer, this singing bowl can cater to the whole body, and is therefore especially suited for beginners. Furthermore, this singing bowl excels in vibration and is thus particularly suited for use at the reflex zones of hands and feet, and at the joints. With its intense vibration, it has an outstanding releasing effect on tension and blockages. Its sound is often described as “eventful.”
Depending on the mallet, the main range of sounds for this singing bowl changes, stretching from 100 to 2,800 Hz.
Size & Specs
- Frequencies: 100–2,800 Hz
- Diameter: 21–22 cm
- Weight: 900–1,000 grams
The Belly or Pelvic Bowl
As the name suggests, this singing bowl presents low sound and mainly activates the belly area and lower back. By using different mallets, the sounds of this singing bowl can be further varied. With the large felt mallet, low sounds for the abdomen are created; with the medium sized mallet, frequencies offer ideal sounds for the solar plexus.
Depending on the mallet, the main sound of the belly bowl stretches primarily over a frequency range of about 100 – 1,000 Hz. The sound of the belly bowl is often described as “grounding.”
There are small and large belly bowls. The large bellow bowl has been developed for professional use of singing bowls during sound massage for adults. The small small belly bowl is used with children or with people that perceive the large belly bowl as too heavy.
Size & Specs
- Frequencies: 100–1,000 Hz
- Diameter: 25–29 cm
- Weight: 1,500–2,000 grams
The Heart Bowl
This singing bowl, with higher pitched sounds, activates mainly the heart area and upper back. Different mallets are used to optimize the sound for particular sections of the body. The sound is often described as “clear and fair.”
Since the heart area is a very sensitive part of the body, this bowl was designed to produce more gentle vibrational characteristics.
Size & Specs
- Frequencies: 200–1,200 Hz
- Diameter: 21–22 cm
- Weight: 1,300 grams
The Head Bowl
This singing bowl was created to address the forehead and crown chakra. It can be placed on the forehead or held in the aura around the head. Its bright, vibrant tones can be invigorating and clarifying.
Size & Specs
- Diameter: 12–14 cm
- Weight: 250–320 grams
Mallets
Different mallets can unlock different ranges of the bowl’s tonal frequencies.
A set of small, medium, and large felt mallets is ideal to create all sounds necessary for the basic sound massage.
There is also a choice of the felt weight, which can also influence the tonal frequencies and volume of sound produced by the bowl. This choice is based on the personal preference of the practitioner.
