Our TOP Sound Bath Instruments We’d Recommend For Anyone: Beginners – Expert
At Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary, our sound baths weave together nature and vibration — using carefully chosen instruments that invite deep relaxation, restoration, and connection with the land.
Below are some of the key instruments our sound bath practitioners use, along with their origins, traditional uses, and what they bring to a forest-immersed sound healing experience!
A Few things to “note” about notes!:
Before choosing a sound-healing instrument, pay close attention to its tuning. Look for pieces set to 432 Hz — a frequency many practitioners associate with a more natural, soothing resonance that supports relaxation and energetic balance. 432hz frequency is called the frequency of the Universe, and the one that brings our body into a state of harmony and relaxation. Most modern instruments are tuned to 440 Hz, so you’ll want to seek out makers who professionally tune their instruments to 432 Hz. Choosing the right frequency for your instruments helps ensure your sound work feels as harmonious and intentional as possible!
Also, when looking at the tuning of an instrument, it’s important to see what key your instruments are in so they layer well together. For example, if you have a gong in the key of D and then you may want to get another gong in the higher octave key of D so they can be played at the same time. Here at the Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary, we have a gong in the key of D and another gong in the key of C and they are close enough where they layer well together.
Normally, a 7-bowl chakra set of clear quartz crystal bowls are in a C major key, with C starting with the root chakra. This makes it easy to layer a variety of chimes in different keys, as well as layering your bowls with most gongs as well. When purchasing specifically tuned bowls (such as Crystal Tones Bowls mentioned below), you’ll want to be more aware of the notes and key your bowls are in when layered with other instruments.
Tibetan (Metal) Singing Bowls
Tibetan singing bowls (sometimes called Himalayan bowls) are a foundational instrument from the ancient roots of sound healing: believed to come from the Himalayan region in Nepal, northern India, and Tibet. Traditionally hammered by hand from a bronze or bell-metal alloy, some ancient versions even contain up to seven different metals. In a sound bath, they are struck or rubbed with a mallet, producing rich and warm multi-layered harmonics that can ground listeners, deepen meditation, and release energetic tension. These bowls do not play as loud as crystal singing bowls, however, these bowls can be placed on the body – specifically on certain energy centers, or any area with tension needing support, to vibrate healing frequencies directly through the body. This is how sound healing has traditionally been administered for thousands of years. It is profoundly healing and impactful!
Crystal Singing Bowls
Crystal singing bowls are made from glass and pure quartz crystal and are precision-tuned to specific notes—often aligned with the seven chakras, or are pressed using a variety of other crystals, which then reveals the unique note that is formed after the process of pressing the bowl into form (like Crystal Tones singing bowls). Unlike metal bowls, they tend to produce very direct clear-frequency tones that travel far. In a sound bath, crystal bowls can evoke an ethereal purifying experience – helping participants to feel uplifted, clear-headed, and energetically balanced.
Crystal Tones Singing Bowls
Crystal Tones® singing bowls are crafted with such exceptional precision that each bowl is formed first, and only after it’s born is its note discovered. Because every bowl carries a unique tone, we can layer them to create binaural frequencies—a powerful auditory effect where two slightly different notes play at the same time, and the brain naturally creates a third “bridge frequency” between them. This gentle illusion guides your brainwaves into calmer, slower rhythms associated with deep rest, meditation, and emotional release.
This style of sound healing is especially supportive for those navigating high-energy trauma, PTSD, anxiety, or nervous-system overload, offering a safe space for the body to unwind and remember its own capacity for peace.
https://crystalsingingbowls.com
Gong
The gong is a powerful percussion instrument with deep historical roots in areas throughout Tibet down to Southeast Asia. In its traditional form, it’s made of bronze or similar metals and played with a mallet. In sound baths, when the gong is sounded, its broad spectrum of vibration washes over participants, shifting energy, melting stress, and creating a kind of sonic “storm” that clears and resets. The Tibetans have said that the gong “holds every vibration in the universe”. We like to see the gong as a “vibrational mirror” where the range of frequencies will bring up those frequencies within the participants, therefore having the potential to evoke and welcome a range of emotions with the healing experience.
https://gongs-unlimited.com/collections/paiste-gongs/products/paiste-32-symphonic-gongs-1
Tubular (Tower) Chimes
Tubular bells or chimes (sometimes called orchestral chimes) are a set of hollow metal tubes tuned to specific pitches. These chimes have a clear, bell-like resonance. In a sound bath, they’re struck to contribute a shimmering, sustained tone that feels like an ethereal powerful and clear pitch. You can twist this chime when it is struck and it will create waves of vibrations that sound other-worldly. Our guests love this instrument in the sound baths and is a great way to settle higher energy back into a state of peace.
Our favorite tubular chimes featured in our sound baths! https://gongs-unlimited.com/products/svaram-swinging-9-bar-chimes-a432-hz?_pos=1&_sid=9c2a9a29d&_ss=r
Koshi Chimes
Koshi chimes are hand-crafted in the Pyrenees (France) from bamboo and metal rods, and they come in four elemental tunings (Terra, Aqua, Aria, Ignis). Their sound is soft, cascading, and melodic. In a sound bath, Koshi chimes gently swirl around the space, like breeze through branches, bringing calm and a sense of presence and peace. When played closer to the ears you can hear the reverberation of all of the notes creating this beautiful orchestra of sound.
Koshi Water Chime: https://www.gaiachimes.com/products/koshi-chime-melody-aqua-water?sca_ref=10032617.UhT41Ed48X
Koshi Fire Chime: https://www.gaiachimes.com/products/koshi-chimes-ignis-fire-original?sca_ref=10032617.UhT41Ed48X
Koshi Air Chime: https://www.gaiachimes.com/products/koshi-chimes-melody-aria-air?sca_ref=10032617.UhT41Ed48X
Koshi Earth Chime: https://www.gaiachimes.com/products/koshi-chime-melody-terra-earth?sca_ref=10032617.UhT41Ed48X
Koshi 4-Elements Chime Set: https://www.gaiachimes.com/products/4x-koshi-chimes-earth-water-fire-air-complete-set-of-windchimes?sca_ref=10032617.UhT41Ed48X
Rain Stick
The rain stick is a long, hollow tube (traditionally cactus or bamboo) filled with small beads or pebbles, which cascade over internal pins to mimic the sound of falling rain. This instrument is most famously associated with South America — particularly the Mapuche people of Chile, where it was sometimes used in rituals to call rain. In a sound bath, the rain stick brings soothing, natural, predictable rhythms that mimic rainfall, grounding people deeply into a peaceful, elemental space. The predictable sound of rain welcomes the brain into more relaxed Theta brain wave states which welcomes the body into a parasympathetic nervous system state (rest and digest), showing the body it is safe to soften and relax.
20” Rainstick from Chile: https://amzn.to/3JHC7xj
30” Rainstick from Chile: https://amzn.to/4nZ08h5
Ocean Wave Drum
The ocean drum is a modern percussion instrument invented in France by composer Olivier Messiaen in 1972. Inside, small metal beads roll around against a drum skin when tilted, producing sounds that evoke waves crashing or gently rolling shorelines. In a healing context, the waves of the ocean mirror the frequency of delta brain waves in our own brain. Delta brain wave states welcome deep sleep and restoration, so the drum invites the brain into these deeper restful states by creating a calming, cyclical sound that mirrors the ebb and flow of the ocean. This is perfect for deep relaxation and meditation.
Our favorite ocean drum: https://amzn.to/3JHBJPn
Smaller, best selling option: https://amzn.to/3JRlsax
Animal Hide (Native-Style) Drum
Drums made from animal hide (such as deer, elk, or cow) have been used for centuries in many Indigenous traditions across North America. The hide is stretched over a wooden frame to form a powerful, resonant membrane. In sound healing, these drums bring an earthy, grounding pulse that connects participants to ancestral rhythms, the heartbeat of the land, and the pulse of life itself. Our drum elder shared with us that the drum mirrors and is an extension of the rhythm of our own heart when we play, connecting us to the hearts of everyone around us receiving the drumming vibration. The pattern of the consistent and prolonged drum beat can bring participants into a relaxed, transcendental-like, meditative state.
Please shop for these drums sustainably and consciously. You can find many varieties of these online, even some of them painted. Etsy is a great place to start to find handmade/indigenous goods that are sustainably sourced and intentionally made!
Native American Flute
The Native American flute is an aerophone with deep cultural roots with the Indigenous peoples of North America, as well as other flute designs from regions around the world. Traditionally made from wood (often cedar), bone, or cane, this flute has a very soulful, breath-driven tone. In healing and meditation contexts, it is valued for its capacity to convey longing, healing, and spirit-connection. Researchers also note its ability to slow brainwaves into more meditative states.
You can also find a variety of these online, we encourage you to look for native or indigenous sellers and makers who support indigenous people. Etsy is a great place to look!
The Beauty of Offering Sound Baths
Brooke’s passion for sound healing began as a soft whisper in her heart. One bowl at a time, she followed that calling. She spent countless hours practicing, listening, experimenting, and letting the vibrations teach her. Confidence, embodiment, and authentic connection don’t arrive all at once—they’re cultivated through presence and practice. And the most powerful way to begin is simply… to begin.
If you feel even the slightest pull toward sound healing, start where you are. Offer mini sessions to friends and family. Explore your bowls or instruments without pressure. Let curiosity lead. Each moment of practice strengthens your intuition and deepens your relationship with sound.
And if you’re already an experienced practitioner, consider this an invitation to refine rather than expand. Instead of collecting as many instruments as possible, focus on the energetic story you’re crafting. Diversity is beautiful, but more isn’t always better. There is a whole universe inside each instrument—hidden rhythms, unexpected tempos, subtle harmonics, and layering techniques that reveal themselves only with intentional play.
When you do bring in a new instrument, weave it in like a new chapter: intentionally, thoughtfully, and with a sense of purpose. Let it carry a frequency that complements the journey you’re guiding your clients through. Each sound becomes part of a tapestry—vibrations chosen not for quantity, but for resonance.
This blog contains affiliate links. This means that at no additional cost to you, we can make a small commission for sharing what we’ve learned and what sound instruments have produced the most amazing results (and reviews) here! This blog is not sponsored by any of the brands, we simply believe in the instruments we use and want to share them with you.