Tibet: Nada Himalaya, Vol. 2 [Import]

I have dozens of yoga and meditation CDs and this has quickly risen to the top as my favorite. It calms and focuses the mind effortlessly and also creates a harmonious environment even when you're not meditating. All the sounds come from natural sources, mostly Tibetan bells and crystal singing bowls, not a one-dimensional droning synthesizer found on many meditation CDs. Now I understand why the Tibetans have been using these sounds for hundreds of years in their practices. Highly recommended!

I am familiar with Deuter from his Reiki CD's and when this work showed up in my mailbox I noticed New Earth records did not provide the usual press release I am used to receiving which covers the background of the work and the artist. But seeing his name, I knew this would be a good piece to review and I was not disappointed.

This is the second CD by Deuter of the meditative music of Tibetan bowls. I did not have the pleasure of hearing the first work, but this one is a collection of some wondrous harmonies and deep meditative sounds that only singing bowls can bring.

True Tibetan bowls are made of a mixture of seven metals, one each for the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. They are made by pouring the metal onto a flat stone and then hand shaping the bowl with a hammer. The bowl is played by rubbing the rim with a mallet, and they can produce a complex range of sound that is deep and harmonic with many overtones. The bowls are usually made by Tibetan monks for their offerings, and for their meditations on the sound. The bowls used on this CD come from a collection of bowls owned by Chandra.

Deuter composed and performs the pieces on this CD, and the focus is on short meditations. The music tracks run from seven to seventeen minutes, and can be taken individually or as the complete CD. The CD is well recorded and you don't miss any of the tones or values that can come from a poor recording.

This kind of musical work can get monotonous if not done properly. Deuter has enough different value bowls and the mastery of the medium to present us with various harmonics, complimentary tones, and complex compositions to provide enough interest so the music is melodious without melody and does not drone in the background. It can be used as a focus for meditations, or can fill the background with sounds to add a relaxing feel to the work or living environment.

This is a pleasant and surprising work on singing bowls. You do not expect the kind of light and relaxing feeling these sounds can bring. While working with the CD in the background, I did not overly notice the music, but when I would stop for a moment, the sounds were calming, appealing and worked gently on the mind. When I used the music for meditation, it provided a focus without being obnoxious, as sometimes these kinds of works can get from over playing the same tones to the point of distraction. If you like the subtle harmonic tones of singing bowls and want some excellent compositions for meditation or calming sounds for your home or your workspace, this CD can provide exactly what you are looking for. maf

I enjoyed this album as a great followup to Deuter's earlier singing Tibetan bowls work. I always enjoy his music and have most of his albums over the past 20+ years. This album continues the high quality of spiritually uplifting music that has come to define Deuter.