To check singing bowl pitch at home, place your bowl in a quiet space, strike it with a mallet, and use a strobe tuner app on your phone (set to 432 Hz or 440 Hz). Hold your phone 6 inches above the bowl and read the cents value to see if it’s in tune.

Watch the video or read below for the full step-by-step guide (5 minute read).

  

If you’ve ever bought a singing bowl and wondered if it’s really tuned to the right note, you’re not alone. Many bowls sold online claim to be “perfect pitch” but are actually sharp, flat, or off by nearly half a note.

The good news: checking the frequency of your singing bowl is simple, and you can do it at home with just a phone and a tuner app.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to:

1. Test your singing bowl pitch at home
2. Understand “cents” and what tuning accuracy means
3. Avoid common mistakes when measuring frequency
4. Decide whether your bowl is truly in tune

Why Test Singing Bowl Pitch (Crystal Bowl Frequency Explained)

The pitch of a singing bowl determines how it resonates with your body, chakras, or other instruments. If your bowl is out of tune, it can create disharmony when played with other bowls or in a sound bath.

Most singing bowls on the market are sold within a wide tolerance (±40 cents), which can sound noticeably off. That’s why knowing how to check your bowl’s pitch is so important.

Tools You Need for a Singing Bowl Frequency Test at Home

Before you start, gather these four essentials:

1. Your singing bowl and mallet
2. A quiet, sound-dampened space (a closet full of clothes works well)
3. Your phone
4. A strobe tuner app (the most accurate method; I recommend iStroboSoft by Peterson, though there are free alternatives available)

Free alternative tuner apps:

1. Airyware Tuner - strobe & more
2. Precise Strobe Tuner:StroboPro

Step 1: Understand “Cents” in Tuning

Pitch is measured in cents:

• 0 cents = perfectly in tune
• +50 cents = sharp
• –50 cents = flat

Accuracy levels for crystal singing bowls:

• Standard bowls: ±40 cents
• “Perfect pitch” bowls: ±20 cents
• Exact Pitch bowls: ±10 cents. Twice as accurate as “perfect pitch”

Step 2: Set Up Your Tuner

Open your strobe tuner app and adjust the settings:

• Change Concert A to 432 Hz (or 440 Hz depending on your bowl’s scale)
• Select Cents as the measurement unit (not Hz or MIDI)

Step 3: Position Your Phone Correctly

Hold your phone about 6 inches above the center of the bowl. Too close or too far can affect the reading.

Step 4: Tap, Don’t Roll

Strike the outside rim gently with your mallet. Avoid rolling as friction can make the frequency fluctuate. Tap three times and watch the tuner stabilize.

Step 5: Read Your Results

• 0 to ±10 cents = extremely accurate (you won’t hear the difference)
• ±20 cents = acceptable
• ±40 cents or more = noticeably off, especially in sets

Why Singing Bowl Pitch Accuracy Matters

When bowls are off-pitch, they clash with each other and create dissonance. For personal meditation, this might not matter much. But for sound baths, music recordings, or chakra healing, accuracy ensures harmony and flow.

As someone who’s played for years, I’ve experienced both; bowls that blended beautifully and bowls that disrupted the entire soundscape. The difference is huge.

Final Thoughts

Testing the frequency of your singing bowl is quick and eye-opening. If your bowl rings true, enjoy it! If it’s far off, at least now you know why it may not sound right with others.

And if you want bowls tested to be twice as accurate as “perfect pitch”, you can take my short quiz to discover which singing bowl is right for you, or go straight to my collection of Exact Pitch singing bowls here.

Be well,
Travis

FAQ: How to Check Singing Bowl Pitch

• Can I use a regular tuner app for singing bowls?
  Yes, but strobe tuners are more accurate. Apps like iStroboSoft are industry standard.
• What does 432 Hz vs 440 Hz mean?
  This is the scale reference, not the actual frequency of your bowl. Set your tuner to match your bowl’s scale.
• Do bowls go out of tune over time?
  Crystal bowls generally stay stable, but hand-hammered metal bowls can shift slightly.
• Can I test metal singing bowls the same way?
  Yes, the same method works, but overtones in metal bowls may make readings less stable.
• How do I know if my singing bowl is the right note?
  Strike your bowl with a mallet and use a strobe tuner app to measure cents. A reading close to ±10 cents means it’s in tune.
• Can I tune a singing bowl myself?
  Crystal bowls can’t be tuned once made, but metal bowls can sometimes be adjusted by skilled artisans.
• What is the difference between “perfect pitch” and “exact pitch” singing bowls?
  “Perfect pitch” bowls are usually within ±20 cents. Exact Pitch bowls (like mine) are tested to ±10 cents (often ±2-3 cents) for twice the accuracy.