Paddles, Mallets & Bowls .... Oh My

 This afternoon I decided to compare the two different striker/mallet/paddle that came with my crystal bowls.  One is a ball on a stick and the other is a tube that is covered in faux suede. 

Rubber mallets are probably one of the most common mallets on the market. If used with frosted crystal singing bowls, the tone they produce is usually a strong, pure pulsing. They are usually rounded like a sphere, and are played by applying friction to the side of the bowl. They come in various colors however white is the most common. Due to the wooden handle, care has to be taken when playing to avoid a rather unpleasant sound.

Suede mallets bring their own unique texture to frosted crystal singing bowls, causing a subtle pink noise or hiss underneath the crystal singing bowl tone. The hiss is pretty noticeable and due to the shape of the mallet, it was tough to continuing playing for more than 5 minutes or so. I recorded two sessions one with each mallet so you can compare. 

Here are two videos.

First, one with the round rubber ball paddles that I have used in other videos.

Second, this is my first session with these style.  They are hollow tubes wrapped in what appears to be a faux leather. 

What did you think? Is one better than the other? I have my own opinions on this but will hold those to myself for now.  I'd love to hear your thoughts, feel free to comment or send me a private message.

After this warmup I went on to make a 14 minute video with the rubber mallets that I called Clarity.  The focus was on grounding, passion, healing and speaking my own truth for 2023.

I hope you enjoy.