TIBETAN SINGING BOWLS VOLUME 9

TIBETAN SINGING BOWLS VOLUME 13:

TIBETAN PEACE (2007) 78:26

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#1 Fiery Spaces of the Golden Bowls. (10-2-2002) (4:40)

A magical mysterious-sounding bowl opens this album and this track leading to an improvisation upon a selection of some 42 Yin bowls that ring on and on in microtonal clusters until they fade out.

#2 Mountain Abode of an Ancient Spirit. (13-1-2005) (3:18)

This is another improvisation upon the set of Yin Bowls (42) this time also including a few deeper bowls to underpin the chords when they appear.

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#3 Crystal Body of Light. (16-12-2004) (5:35)

The music features the interplay between the Yin and Yang bowls. - the music breathing between these contrasting sets of spiral bowl formations. With a set of 42 Yin Bowls and a separate set of 23 Yang bowls. The softer more expansive Yin bowls set against the harder an more centering Yang bowls with a gong at the opening of the improvisation.

#4 The Play of Light. (17-1-2005) (10:32)

The music begins with deep gongs softly played with PAISTE bowed Tuned Disks over leading to another improvisation upon the spiral of Yin bowls with some Yang bowls added later when a playful and lively water bowl joins in the background until the piece fades out.

#5 Windhorse of Chomolungma's Peak. (12 -1-2005) (9:51)

Gongs begin this piece (one being specially treated with my Rain Gong invention) with stroked 'rainy' gongs introducing some Yang bowls followed by slow and spacey Yin bowls. The two spirals of Yang and Yin bowls are then joined by a set of Chinese Qing bowls to which the Yin bowls are added in time with a Jump bowl added underneath.

#6 Heartsong of Fiery Light. (17-12-2004) (7:46)

An improvisation solely featuring the Yin bowl spiral set dedicated to the Spiritual Master Khoot Hoomi.

#7 Radiations from the Yogi's Cave. (19-1-2005) (5:342)

Tibetan Buddhist sometimes begin their meditation with a pair of Tibetan Cymbals called Ting-shag. This piece also begins as an echo of meditation and we then hear the Yang bowls to which Yin bowls are then added and some time into the piece a mysterious sounding water bowl softly whispers in the background.

#8 Vista from High Peak. (13-1-2005) (5:39)

This time we begin with a deeper sounding bowl being struck which begins a series of such bowls gradually rising in pitch over a choir of Drilbu (Tibetan Buddhist hand bells) played in a pyramid formation. As we reach the top of the peak we hear the sound of a specially adapted bowl (a Rain bowl) followed by Yin bowls with their clouds of microtonal clusters reaching out over the view before us.

#9 Supported on Wings of Love. (13-1-2005) (4:15)

The music features an exploration of the interrelated harmonic tones of a small set of bowls. Their fundamental tones and their individual harmonic overtone series may vary but they all agree on one point (one harmonic!).

#10 The Spirit of H.H. Panchen Lama Shines Brightly through the darkness. (2-2004) (12:43)

Stroked gongs with the additional sound of Tibetan bowls lead to another appearance of the Drilbu choir again as a pyramid with a large antique Chinese resting bell playing a slow toll three times above the choir. Then we enter into another improvisation upon the spiral of Yin bowls to which a Jump bowl is added and then later another higher pitched Jump bowl joins in. Later a choir of Ululated bowls joins in with shaken bell string and shaken Drilbu (as they are often played during Tibetan Buddhist rituals) and over and above this slowly rising crescendo a Divine Light bowl appears - hopefully shedding spiritual light upon H.H.Panchen lama's situation.

#11 Fiery Presence. (13-1-2005) (2:25)

A set of lower pitched bowls here provide something of a 'sound bath' with their richly interactive harmonics.

#12 Fire of the Eternal. (12-1-2005) (5:56)

A spontaneous improvisation upon the spiral formation of 42 Yin bowls.

During 2004 Ian Dale (owner of Amphonic) had very generously and kindly offered to me both his time and recording facilities. Having spent most of the year trying to arrange a mutually convenient date, we finally settled on January 10th 2005 and I duly arrived with the vast majority of my singing bowls. I stayed with Ian and his lovely wife Donna and their two sons Jamie and Ryan for a week of memorable recording sessions ending with two live concerts in the studio to invited guests on the Friday and Saturday evenings. Remaining improvisations from these sessions supplied the tracks for this CD. In preparing the pieces for this CD I felt the need for some additional sounds here and there. These at times appear at the beginning of the track or otherwise during sections of the pieces in the form of one or two special bowls - generally either a Water bowl or Jump bowl.

For the recording session at Amphonics I had 42 YIN bowls on my left and 23 YANG bowls on my right and two microphones were used to capture the proceedings. No post-recording mixing was done. What you hear is exactly what was recorded at the time in its totality. I also set up a gong stand behind me to house the two PAISTE gongs for the sessions - a 34" Symphonic Gong that I bought in 1973 (Tracks #3 & #5). Upon arriving at the studio, I decided to begin the sessions by laying out two sets of bowls before entering the world of countless other special bowls. As it transpired, I regrettably did not have the time or conditions to explore those other areas. I had never, ever before played this particular combination of bowls together neither had I ever performed with them laid out beside one another in this way and each piece was a totally spontaneous improvisation. The family of YIN bowls feature mainly Manipura bowls that have been carefully selected and grouped together over many years in order to explore the microtonal world of their unique harmonic cloud clusters. These range from around 3" to 7" in diameter. Some of the improvisations included the 34" Symphonic Gong behind me. Improvisations were then performed within the family of YIN bowls alone and, then, likewise, within the group of YANG bowls. As the sessions unfolded, and I felt that it was time to move on from this opening arrangement - to begin to explore other possibilities from within my assortment of Singing bowls - I would place a small selection of varying kinds of other bowls between these two sets. For instance, for two improvisations, I placed a set of Chinese Qing (Buddha Bells) - you can hear these on Track #5.

By and large the music on this CD is focussed upon Tibetan Singing Bowls and sometimes there are alsoTibetan Bells (Drilbu), Tibetan Cymbals (Ting-Shag), Himalayan Bowls, Gongs, and Chinese Qing (Resting Bells).

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