Learning to guide singing bowl practice · Article 04
Singing bowls in pairs: feedback your partner can use
That day, my in-person bowl class was about to move on to pair practice. On the review list there was one short line: strike, listen, describe.
When I read it, I told the two learners straight away: general comments are not enough.
I used myself as the example. Say I am lying down and you circle a bowl for me, and it keeps rattling. Then I will tell you it is rattling, play it softer. But if I just listen and say “nice, very good”, are we only fooling each other?
When you practise together, say clearly where it was not smooth. Then your partner has something to try again.
Practising together means being honest.
How I remind learners to give feedback
I use the rattling sound as the example. A general compliment does not tell your partner what to try again.
Read the words in the clip
- General comments are not enough.
- For example, if you rim for me and it rattles,
- I say it rattles. You need a softer sound.
- If we only say “nice, very good”, are we being honest?
Why “so nice” does not help your partner
Praise is nice to hear. But the person who just played cannot do anything with it.
“Nice”: which part? The start was smooth, it rattled for a few circles in the middle, then it was smooth again. One word, “nice”, erases the middle. Your partner may repeat it next round, because they do not know what you heard.
That day I also told the two learners: later, when you play for clients, people often praise you to be polite. Praise does not tell you if the listener noticed the rattling part. Practising with a classmate is your chance to hear how your bowl really sounds to someone else.
If something was good, say exactly what. The part that was not smooth also needs to be said.
How do you give feedback your partner can try again?
- What you heard. Use everyday words: rattling, smoother, dies away fast.
- When, and where. At the start or in the middle of the round? If you were watching, did their hand change something at that moment?
- Try one thing again. Just one: slow down, a lighter hand, strike a different spot.
In class, I used the rattling sound as the example and asked for a smoother sound. When you practise together, you can also say which part it came in. Then the player knows which part to listen to again.
A situation to practise (not something from the class)
B circles the rim of a bowl. The first few circles are smooth. When B speeds up, it starts to rattle. B stops and asks how it sounded to you.
- Heard
- the middle part rattled.
- When
- when you sped up, around the third circle.
- Try again
- keep the speed of the first few circles, then we listen to that same part again.
Try one thing per round. If you change the speed, the mallet and your grip all at once, it is hard to know why the sound changed. In Singing bowl practice: make every circle count, the observer also gives just one comment per round.
Words for sound: taken from the class
Without words, feedback is hard. That day I told the two learners to just practise and find out for themselves: this sound is high, this one is low, this one buzzes, this one is dull, this one keeps squeaking.
Words you can use right away:
- rattling, clattering (buzzy)
- smooth
- dull
- squeaky
- higher, lower
- more vibration, less vibration
- dies away fast
When we talk about rattling, I remind learners: do not circle too fast. Do not press too lightly. Pressing too hard also rattles. Once you have the sound, go very slowly, with a hand just light enough to keep it.
Even so, the listener should first say what they heard. Lying with your eyes closed, you hear the sound, but you cannot see if your partner pressed hard or soft. Try again together, or ask the teacher to watch the hand and find the cause.
Compare, and it gets easier
In that session, I changed mallets and struck the same bowl again, so the two learners could compare. First, listen for where the two rounds differ.
Listen to the two rounds in the clip below.
Describing one bowl sound on its own is hard. Comparing it with another sound is much easier. Pair practice works the same way: compare this round with the last one. “This round was smoother than the last one” gives your partner a point to compare. A single “nice” is not as clear.
Same bowl, different mallet: listen and compare
Listen to the two strikes, then describe the difference yourself. Through your speakers or headphones, it will not sound quite the same as sitting in the room.
Read the words in the clip
- Just using a different mallet,
- the sound is already different, right?
- There, it is different, right?
- There is more to explore.
Try it now: B asks “How was it?”
B has just circled a bowl for you. The start was smooth. When B sped up, it rattled for a few circles, then it was smooth again. B asks: “How was it?” (A practice situation, not a learner’s words from class.)
Two people hear it differently. That is normal.
That day I also said: from the same strike, I hear one thing and the person next to me hears another. I find it pleasant, they find it unpleasant. Very normal. It is not that the teacher says something and the learners must say the same. Everyone is different.
So feedback means telling what you heard, not judging your partner as wrong. The player does not need to argue either. If two people hear it differently, note both, then listen again together.
If it feels unpleasant, say so. If you want to stop that round, stop. You do not need to keep lying there until the end.
And describing how it feels does not promise any result. Later with clients it is the same: I do not promise anything. I just ask how they feel.
One bowl, one round, then try again
I told the two learners: just strike to try, and listen to one bowl only. Do not rush through the whole set and, at the end, understand none of them. First understand the basics.
A round of pair practice can look like this:
- One plays, one listens. The listener sits or lies nearby; the bowl is on a mat in front of the player.
- Play one bowl. The listener does not need to strain to find mistakes. Relax and listen; remember the part that catches your attention.
- At the end of the round, give feedback: say what you heard, point to that part, then choose one thing to try again. If it feels unpleasant, say so right away. Do not wait for the round to end.
- The player tries that one thing again. You both listen and compare with the last round.
- Swap roles.
While the two learners practised, when I heard a mistake I only said: there, that is the mistake, find a way to circle without it. Then one more line: gently. After that I let them keep trying on their own. You learn from the mistakes.
Telling your partner where it was not smooth gives them something to practise next round.
Say what you hear.
Common questions
I don’t know the names for bowl sounds yet. How do I give feedback?
Use everyday words. The review list that day also had this line: explain in everyday words. “Smooth at first, a bit of rattling in the middle” or “this round sounds fuller than the last one” is enough. The words come with more listening.
Do I give feedback like this to clients?
With clients it is different. I do not promise anything. I just ask how they feel. When clients praise you, it is often to be polite. If you want to know where your hand is still not smooth, ask your practice partner.
Sources and further reading
This article is based on one in-person singing bowl class in Da Lat. The text retells ideas from the class; the subtitles in both clips are edited for length. The audio is Vietnamese, with Vietnamese and English subtitles. B, the sample feedback lines, the three parts and the practice situation were added for this article.
- Article 01: When should you strike a singing bowl again? — ask what the learner hears before you correct.
- Article 02: Singing bowl practice: make every circle count — four checks, one comment at a time.
- Article 03: Singing bowls for someone lying down: watch their face — practise in groups of three, with one observer.
- In-person singing bowl training in Da Lat — learn hands-on, with someone listening and correcting.
Giang Hoang
IPHM Certified Sound Healing Practitioner (UK)
Yoga teacher, E-RYT 500 & YACEP (Yoga Alliance)
Giang Metta Academy: IPHM Accredited Training Provider (No. IPHMNC22210) · RYS 200 & RYS 500 (YA ID 442630)
Based in Da Lat, Vietnam. Teaching online worldwide.