Crystal Singing Bowl Notes 101: Understanding the key terms
There are a few terms that help you understand how to curate a harmonised crystal singing bowl set. Chakra notes which are like the white keys on a piano and endocrine notes which are like the black keys. The octave is usually the fourth octave but can vary for a different tone. Semitones are notes right next to each other and cents are used to measure the tuning of the bowl. Read on to discover how they all work together.
When I first discovered crystal singing bowls and started building my own set, I had very little understanding of the musical side. I did play the flute when I was younger but over the years forgot how to read music. So while I knew there were different notes like A, E and F#, I didn’t know how to put them together into a set that sounded good when played alongside each other. It didn’t take me long to realise that you couldn’t just play any notes together. It would end up sounding off and not relaxing at all.
Over time, through training and experience, I better understood how to achieve harmony. I’m going to share what I discovered with you so you can find clarity sooner. There are a few key terms that cover the main things you need to think about when curating a crystal singing bowl set. Let’s cover those first.
What are chakra notes?
Crystal singing bowls come in different notes, like the keys on the piano or the strings on a guitar. The most common are the standard musical scale: C – D – E – F – G – A – B. You might also hear them referred to as white notes because they are the same as the white notes on a piano. Just like playing a piano, you can create “chords” or sets of crystal singing bowl notes that harmonise beautifully.
In sound healing, these notes are often referred to as chakra notes. That is because they have been connected to the 7 chakras. The scale looks like this:
C - Root
D - Sacral
E - Solar Plexus
F - Heart
G - Throat
A - Third Eye
B - Crown
It’s important to emphasise that this is just a guide. Each person receives the frequency of crystal singing bowls differently because we all have a unique frequency. The energy of the player also has an impact on the reception of the vibrations. If both the player and the receiver focus their intention on a certain chakra, you can work on it with whatever bowl you have.
What are endocrine notes?
What about the black notes of the piano? As well as the standard musical scale, there are sharp notes. In sound healing, we refer to these as the endocrine notes because they have been connected to the different elements of the endocrine system. The scale looks like this:
C♯ - Sexual/reproductive glands
D♯ - Adrenal glands
F♯ - Thymus gland
G♯ - Thyroid gland
A♯ - Pineal gland
Depending on what you would like to do with your crystal singing bowls, you might decide to get all chakra bowls or all endocrine bowls. I usually recommend a mix, especially as you expand your collection because they complement each other like you find in piano chords.
What are octaves?
Octave is another term you’ll see come up a lot in conversations about crystal singing bowls. It’s a way to measure the tone of the bowl, alongside the note. The most popular octave in sound healing is the fourth and for good reason.
Imagine you’re sitting down at a piano. The fourth octave is the set of notes in the middle. There are higher octaves and lower octaves. In musical notation, you might see A3, A4 or A5 which refer to the same note in different octaves. The A5 will be a higher pitch than A4 and A3 a lower pitch than A4 even though they are all the same note. The same goes for all the other musical notes.
As the fourth octave is in the middle (there are 7 octaves on the piano), the notes are very centring and work on the body. This is ideal for crystal singing bowls because we feel the vibrations within us, where our chakra and endocrine systems are. If you would like something more grounding, you could go for a third octave bowl or if you’re looking for something accelerating, you might choose a fifth octave bowl. Although these aren’t as common.
What are semitones?
When talking about organising notes and coming up with sets (the crystal singing bowl equivalent to piano chords), you might also see people use the term semitones. This is a simple one really. A semitone is the note right next door. For example, E to F, F♯ to G or C to C♯ depending on whether the next note is a black key (sharp) or a white key.
Going back to creating a crystal singing bowl set, I don’t tend to recommend including semitones unless you are expanding your set to 5+ bowls. In general, notes that are a few tones apart harmonise better together.
What are cents?
A big part of playing a musical instrument is tuning it. No one wants to hear an out of tune piano! The same goes for a crystal singing bowl set. It would really undermine the calming qualities. However, you can’t tune a singing bowl set like you would a piano. As I Know This Girl crystal singing bowls are handcrafted, they don’t come out with an exact tuning. Instead, we use cents to measure the variation and match similar bowls. The number of cents is essentially how far away a note is from perfect pitch. The cents will also be noted with a + or - to record whether the tuning is above or below perfect pitch.
To prevent a set from sounding out of tune, pick bowls with all plus or all minus tunings. Then choose bowls within 20-30 cents of each other because the human ear can’t register a 20 cents difference. Often crystal singing bowls will be listed with their cents (e.g. C+10, E-25, G+15) but if not, ask the seller. You can also find out the cents of a bowl with a tuning app like Pitched Tuner for iPhone and A-Tuner Lite for Android.
How to create a harmonised set
All these musical elements are important. As I said, it’s hard to build up a relaxing soundscape if the instrument sounds are mismatched. But don’t forget the importance of finding crystal singing bowls you connect to. Your energy flows through the bowls and your frequency impacts how the vibrations are received.
We help you balance both the musical and intuitive side of crystal singing bowls at I Know This Girl. Book a consultation at one of our showrooms or an online call for expert guidance in understanding sound healing and curating a set of bowls that sound and feel good. Read our free guide to choosing crystal singing bowls to prepare for your appointment and make the most of your session.
FAQs
What are the crystal singing bowl notes?
Crystal singing bowls come in different notes like the keys on a piano or strings on a guitar. In sound healing, we use the term chakra notes to refer to standard notes A through G because they have been linked to the 7 chakras and endocrine notes to refer to the sharps (e.g. F#) as they have been connected to the endocrine system.
How do you choose a crystal singing bowl?
There are various factors to consider when choosing a crystal singing bowl. Some of them are musical, such as the note, the octave, the cents and how they align with the bowls you already have or want to get. There is also an intuitive element as you feel which bowls you connect to and how they align with your unique frequency. Talk to an expert sound practitioner at I Know This Girl for personalised guidance.
What crystal singing bowls sound good together?
Creating a crystal singing bowl set is like forming a chord. You want to look at the notes and which ones play well together, usually avoiding semitones. Consider the octaves too. It’s really important that you know the cents of the bowl so you can make sure they are in the same pitch. We have a selection of pre-made crystal singing bowl sets in the I Know This Girl shop.
