Types of mallets
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Every singing bowls make a vibration which are produced when hammered by a mallet. A mallet is something hammer look-like made up of different materials like rubber, wood and are smaller than a maul or beetle and with relatively large head.
Types of Mallets
We already know that without mallets or a striker we can't play the singing bowls whether it's big or small one. The choice of mallets or a striker also results in the difference of sound and tones. Therefore, the mallets and striker are the important part for producing the soothing sound which makes us relax.
In the market, there are various types of mallets or striker. Each one of the mallet and striker has their own unique characteristics and is best for particular singing bowls to produce soothing sound. For e.g.: the strikers with long handles helps to play bowls from the distance. Some of the types of mallets and strikers available in the market are mentioned below.
Nepali Mallets
Nepali handicrafts are well known around the world for its quality and for the unique designs. The Nepali mallets can also be found in the international market along with the singing bowls. It is believed that the Nepali mallets are best for the medium and large bowls, especially Jambati singing bowls and Thadobati singing bowls. The mallets are also good for the deep bowls, as the mallets help to produce good rhythms. Nepali mallets are in various shape, size and even the length of the handle are different though some of the mallets have hardness.
Mallets from Ludwig Drums
Musser Mallet company, a manufacturer of orchestral quality marimba, vibes, and xylophone mallets was acquired by Ludwig Drums in the mid-20th century. After that, the mallets were produced under the newly acquired company. These mallets have small heads with long handles which give fine control while playing. The oval shape of the head helps to play the bowl at different angles without compromising the sound quality.
The users of this mallet suggest that these are really comfortable mallets which can bring ranges of sounds when played using different mallets. The Ludwig Drums also produces various type of Mallets. Some of them are as follows:
Musser small cord mallets
This mallet has the head which measures one inch and ranges from soft to hard. This mallets plays well with the small singing bowls. The Musser small cord mallets is equipped with long handle which help the player to reach out the bowl.
Musser small fluffy yarn mallets
This mallet comes with a bit more mass at the head area. Therefore this mallet is best for medium sized and large sized singing bowls. This mallet also ranges from soft to hard head. The soft mallets are best for producing lower tones while the hard mallets are best for producing high tones.
Musser large mallets
This mallet is best for the large singing bowls which range from soft to hard. It is believed that the soft mallets can be used as an alternative to the Nepali mallets which produces relaxing sound.
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Wood and Leather Sticks
The appropriate use of the singing bowls with this mallet is to place the wrist in one position and then move the arm around the singing bowl. This helps to maintain the angle of contact all the way around the rim and also the consistency of the contact.
As we already know that the material that rubs the rim of the singing bowl affects the sound that is produced. Wood sticks are best for the high pitched tones while leather sticks are best for the low pitched tones. The type of the wood also influences the sound of the singing bowl. It should be remembered that the size of the stick should be proportionate to the size of the bowl to have soothing sound. Therefore if we are playing large singing bowls then it's better to use the large stick and vice versa.
Therefore, while buying the singing bowls, we must have knowledge about what type of mallet should be bought in order to produce the right soothing sound. If we buy wrong mallets then definitely we won't be able to get the real value of singing bowls.
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