Beyond The Classroom: Arabic and Asian Music

Tibetan Singing Bowls

Meditation is one of my favorite things to do. Our lives as college students are incredibly fast paced so, it's important that we take time to slow down. Throwing on some earbuds, tuning out the world, and tuning into myself through meditation is one of my favorite ways to unwind. But wait a minute! What's that sound in the background of my music? What's that ringing? Why is it so calming? 

The ringing that your hearing is the sweet sound of the Tibetan singing bowl. Despite their name, Tibetan singing bowls actually aren't originally from Tibet. Some of the earliest Tibetan singing bowls can be traced back to 3,000 BC. Many of the bowls that have been uncovered have been found in modern day Iraq and some have even been traced back to the Mesopotamia civilization. Even though the earliest Tibetan bowls we've found date back to 3,000 BC, archeologists believe they've been around even longer than that! While the origins of the Tibetan singing bowls are unsure, we know that they can't be from India or Tibet because the materials used to make the bowls are found in either region. Most Tibetan singing bowls you see today are actually made in Nepal. The reason Tibetan singing bowls have their name is because the bowls are frequently used in Tibetan Monasteries by Buddhist monks. Buddhist monks believe that the singing bowls are a useful tool while meditating, because of the calming affect it has on people. The tones emitted from Tibetan singing bowls can be used to promote relaxation and may help an individual go into a deeper meditation to achieve enlightenment. The sounds that the singing bowls make are supposed to help one "tune into the sounds of the universe"(2019). You can play a Tibetan bowl by running the wooden puja stick around the outside or inside of the rim of the bowl. The friction of the puja stick rubbing against the bowl creates a vibration that causes the bowl to sing. Some people even believe that the bowls having healing effects on the body! You can even get a copper bowl massage! I've attached a video so you can hear what the Tibetan singing bowls sound like. You don't have to listen to the whole thing, but I hope you'll want to!

Tibetan Throat Singing

Since I'm a singer, I spend a large amount of time trying to sing with as much ease as possible. My first vocal coach used to always work with me to get sounds "out of my throat" to release tension. Since I work so hard to release any throat tension in my throat, Tibetan throat singing seems a bit counter intuitive to me.  Is there a proper way to throat sing? What is the purpose of Tibetan throat singing? With all of these questions in mind, I decided I would do some research. 

Throat singing is actually a form of overtone singing. By changing the shape of the mouth and throat, the voice is capable of producing more than one pitch at once. Both Buddhist monks and nuns incorporate Tibetan throat singing into their religious practice. For obvious reasons, the men have lower timbres, and the women have lower timbres. The Tibetan monks and nuns aren't the only people who throat sing. There are tons of cultures around the world that throat sing too! Throat singing is actually one of the oldest forms of music in the world. 

In many Buddhist temples, there is a chanted liturgy. Unlike the catholic mass, the purpose of Buddhist liturgies isn't to worship. Since the Buddhist religion doesn't have a god to worship, the purpose of the liturgy is to achieve enlightenment. Chanting is supposed to help people be more mindful. There are several different kinds of chants that are incorporated into the Buddhist Liturgy as well! 

Diversifying My Playlists

Yet again, I'm on a quest to discover a new artist to diversify my playlists. This time I came across two completely different bands from the middle east. While both groups are VERY different, I love them both for different reasons. 

Apo & The Apostles

Apo & The Apostles is a party rock band from Jerusalem-Bethlehem. The group caught my attention because of their upbeat music. While listening to their music, I have heard aspects of middle eastern music and popular western music. Another thing that I found interesting about their music is that some of their music is sung in Arabic while other songs are sung in English. I decided to add Apo & The Apostles in this blog because when I listened to their music, I felt happy and wanted to dance. Below I attached two of my favorite songs by Apo & The Apostles. I hope you enjoy!

Sublunary

The second band that I found is Sublunary. Many of my close friends know that one of my favorite bands is a band called Chon. Chon is a prog/math rock band from California. The reason that I love Chone is because the guitarists in the band are absolutely phenomenal. Their style is high energy, and it elevates my mood when I listen to them. Sublunary has a very similar vibe to Chon, except they have more vocals in their music. Sublunary is a progressive band is originally from Egypt and now based in the UK. When I was researching them, I learned that they actually listen to Snarky Puppy which is one of my favorite bands. Below I have attached two songs and you can find both of the new artists in this blog post on Spotify or the streaming platform of your choice. 

Thank you so much for reading my blog about Arabic music! I hope you have a beautiful rest of your day! 

Love and light always, 

-Michaela Faye

Sources

Apo & The Apostles. Greenbelt. (2018, January 31). Retrieved January 23, 2022, from https://www.greenbelt.org.uk/artists/apo-the-apostles/#:~:text=Apo%20%26%20the%20Apostles%20is%20a%20multi-lingual%20rock,style%20that%20integrates%20blues%2C%20dance%2C%20and%20eastern%20elements.

Catherine. (2021, September 29). Tibetan sound bowls. Tibetan Sound Bowls - Musical Instrument Used in Buddhism and Meditation. Retrieved January 22, 2022, from https://www.greattibettour.com/tibetan-culture/tibetan-music-bowls.html

China's Tibetannet. (2019, October 15). Music Bowls in Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetannet. Retrieved January 22, 2022, from https://en.tibet3.com/religion/2019-10-15/5090.html

Hemaid, מאת M. H. (2017, October 26). The Palestinian band that won't sing about the conflict. טיים אאוט. Retrieved January 23, 2022, from https://timeout.co.il/apo-and-the-apostles/

Khairat, F. (2020, August 23). Sublunary: Challenging the norm in the Egyptian music industry. Egyptian Streets. Retrieved January 23, 2022, from https://egyptianstreets.com/2020/08/23/sublunary-challenging-the-norm-in-the-egyptian-music-industry/

O'Brien, B. (2019, January 6). Achieving mindfulness with Buddhist chanting. Learn Religions. Retrieved January 22, 2022, from https://www.learnreligions.com/chanting-basic-buddhist-practice-449748

Sang, K. (2019, November 26). Tibetan Music Bowls: What and how to play singing bowls in Tibetan buddhism. Tibet Travel and Tours - Tibet Vista. Retrieved January 22, 2022, from https://www.tibettravel.org/tibetan-buddhism/tibetan-music-bowl.html

Windhorse travel team. (n.d.). Tibetan throat singing - the song of the plateau. WindhorseTour. Retrieved January 22, 2022, from https://windhorsetour.com/blog/tibetan-throat-singing