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BowlTune · Reference

Singing bowl frequency chart: C2–B6 at A4 = 440 Hz and 432 Hz

Equal-tempered reference frequencies for every note from C2 to B6, the range of hand-hammered singing bowls from large bowls near 65 Hz to small bowls above 1,000 Hz. These are reference values, not measurements of any particular bowl.

How to read a bowl against the chart

  1. Measure the bowl. Open the tuner, strike once or play the rim, and note the frequency in Hz.
  2. Pick one reference. Use the A4 = 440 Hz table unless you deliberately work at 432 Hz. Changing the reference changes the label, not the sound.
  3. Find the nearest value. Handmade bowls rarely land exactly on a note. The tuner shows the distance in cents: 100 cents is one semitone, so +20 cents means a little sharp of the note.
  4. Check which tone you read. A bowl is usually named by its lowest tone, the fundamental. Its loudest tone is often an overtone about 2.7–3 times higher, and a phone tuner may show that one instead.

Frequencies at A4 = 440 Hz

Values in Hz. Columns are octaves: C4 is middle C, and A4 (bold) is the 440 Hz reference.

Note frequencies in Hz, equal temperament, A4 = 440 Hz
Note · octave23456
C65.41130.81261.63523.251046.50
C♯ / D♭69.30138.59277.18554.371108.73
D73.42146.83293.66587.331174.66
D♯ / E♭77.78155.56311.13622.251244.51
E82.41164.81329.63659.261318.51
F87.31174.61349.23698.461396.91
F♯ / G♭92.50185.00369.99739.991479.98
G98.00196.00392.00783.991567.98
G♯ / A♭103.83207.65415.30830.611661.22
A110.00220.00440.00880.001760.00
A♯ / B♭116.54233.08466.16932.331864.66
B123.47246.94493.88987.771975.53

Frequencies at A4 = 432 Hz

The same notes with A4 tuned to 432 Hz. Every value is about 31.8 cents lower than at 440 Hz.

Note frequencies in Hz, equal temperament, A4 = 432 Hz
Note · octave23456
C64.22128.43256.87513.741027.47
C♯ / D♭68.04136.07272.14544.291088.57
D72.08144.16288.33576.651153.30
D♯ / E♭76.37152.74305.47610.941221.88
E80.91161.82323.63647.271294.54
F85.72171.44342.88685.761371.51
F♯ / G♭90.82181.63363.27726.531453.07
G96.22192.43384.87769.741539.47
G♯ / A♭101.94203.88407.75815.511631.01
A108.00216.00432.00864.001728.00
A♯ / B♭114.42228.84457.69915.381830.75
B121.23242.45484.90969.811939.61

Other chart conventions

Some older charts, including many chakra charts, use C = 256 Hz with just intonation: C 256, D 288, E 320, F 341.3, G 384, A 426.7 and B 480 Hz. That is a different convention, not a different measurement. BowlTune and this chart use equal temperament.

Seven-bowl chakra sets traditionally pair one note with each chakra, from C (root) to B (crown). This is an interpretive convention, not a medical or physical measurement.

Questions

What frequency is a C singing bowl?

Middle C (C4) is 261.63 Hz at A4 = 440 Hz and 256.87 Hz at 432 Hz. A larger bowl in C may sound C3 (130.81 Hz), and a small one C5 (523.25 Hz).

Is a 432 Hz bowl a different bowl?

No. 432 Hz is a choice of reference for naming notes. The same bowl gives the same frequency under either reference; only the nearest note and its cents change.

Why does my tuner app show a different note than the seller?

The app may be reading the louder overtone rather than the fundamental, or using a different reference. Compare the same tone at the same reference.