Lyre Bowl in Lime

Description

 

Lyre Bowls of this 13 string size are small enough to handle easily yet give a good range of notes. They can either be tuned to sound harmonious on one strum right across the strings or to a full scale of nearly two octaves. Both tunings are below for you to listen to.

This example, in Lime, is extremely rare. We usually only do Lime-wood Bowls to commission. It is smaller than standard, less than 48cm across, making it ideal for the smaller person.

Lime trees, Tilia spp. Also known as Linden or, in North America, as Basswood are most well known for their flowers, used as a tea to calm digestion and aid sleep. This calming nature runs right through every element of the tree, from the smooth, gentle but steady texture of the wood to the feeling of it’s sound.

Not connected with the citrus fruit, Lime trees are named after the Laima, the Baltic goddess of luck, children and motherhood. Her gentle munificence and peace-bringing nature is said to be why, immediately after WWII, Berlin replanted the bombed Lime trees that give their name to Berlin’s main street, “Unter den Linden.” Laima bears a similarity to the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.

The extreme peace-ableness of Sounding Bowls made from this wood is particularly valued by Ramon Floride who made this one at his Salzburg studio in Austria. Ramon was the first to achieve a certificate as a registered Sounding Bowl maker and worked with Tobias over four years, winning a prize at a top UK show while here.

Ramon made a pair of bowls from this tree. The Melody Bowl has the same intensely-peaceful gentleness.

This bowl comes in a leaf-green hard-case with a soft-cushioned red velour lining, complete with tuning handle and auto-tuner.

Click below to listen to a Modal tuning

or to this “gong-style” tuning below.