Standing bell

The Standing bell is a member of the friction idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 133.2). Listen to 4 recordings and learn how it makes its sound.

Listen to the Standing bell

The sound of a singing bowl

0:28CC BY 4.0by Valera N. TrubinWikimedia Commons

0:28

Tibetan Singing Bowl hit 4.5inch

0:24CC BY-SA 4.0by דג בלי מלחWikimedia Commons

0:24

Tibetan Singing Bowl 4.5inch

0:18CC BY-SA 4.0by דג בלי מלחWikimedia Commons

0:18

Tibetan Singing Bowl hit 11inch

0:16CC BY-SA 4.0by דג בלי מלחWikimedia Commons

0:16

Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.

How the Standing bell makes its sound

In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the Standing bell belongs to the friction idiophones: the body is rubbed – the glass harmonica, singing bowls and the musical saw.

More broadly it is one of the idiophones, where the solid body of the instrument itself vibrates, without strings or a stretched membrane.

Players shape its sound through technique and materials; the resonating body filters the raw vibration, boosting some harmonics and damping others.

From Wikipedia

A standing bell or resting bell is an inverted bell, supported from below with the rim uppermost. Such bells are normally bowl-shaped, and exist in a wide range of sizes, from a few centimetres to a metre in diameter. They are often played by striking, but some—known as singing bowls—may also be played by rotating a suede covered mallet around the outside rim to produce a sustained musical note.

Struck bowls are used in some Buddhist religious practices to accompany periods of meditation and chanting. Struck and singing bowls are widely used for music making, meditation and relaxation, as well for personal spirituality. They have become popular with music therapists, sound healers and yoga practitioners.