Gongs belong to the oldest and most important musical instruments in Southeast Asia. Its origins date back to the second millennium BC. c., but the gong is supposed to be much older. In Chinese history, gongs are mentioned around 500 A.D., attributed to a nation called HSI YU between Tibet and Burma during the reign of Emperor Hsuan Wu.
Historical research provides us with four main centers – Burma, China, Annam, Java – at least 7 forms of gongs and sound structures come from these regions. Only a few families knew about the tradition of making gongs and how it was passed from generation to generation. The art of making gongs was veiled with a halo of magic. The creators of the gong then believed that a gong could only be successful with the help of higher powers and that they were exposed to such forces more than ordinary human beings.
The gong was an important element in the lives of the people of the Far East and continues to be in some countries today. In Asian families, the gong was an attribute of wealth and served as a status symbol. In rituals, the gong was used to evoke ghosts and ban demons. Ringing a gong brought them fortune and strength. In the rituals of the Far East, the gong has retained its special meaning to this day.
As a musical instrument, the gong accompanied celebrations and funeral ceremonies, songs and plays. In upper class music within Asian culture, the gong was used as an orchestral instrument. Orchestras with gong sets containing up to 18 notes were not uncommon. They were also played at private concerts in residences. Below are some examples of gong scales and melodies:
From around 1790, gongs were used in European orchestras. Since then the terms “Tam Tam” for flat gongs, and “Gong” for embossed gongs have become customary. However, the authentic term in all the languages of the countries of origin is GONG.
Gongs first entered my life in 1996.
Through having known the work of Don Conreaux, master of the Gong. I did a workshop with him at that time. Now I have several gongs. The larger gongs, especially, transport me to distant fiery realms to commune with Sound and Light. It is like entering a cosmic mystery of the spiritual heart. Each gong comprises a brotherhood of tones and is a beautiful symbol and sonic accompaniment to meditation on Source. Who among us can deny that we exist within a field of creation and therefore there must be a creator? Symphonic gongs carry the solar energy of Creation. Through touching and communicating with them within their own sonic soul realm we can learn to Radiate from that divine center within our Heart Center to activate the birth of re-potentialization.
Many of the gongs in my collection are made by PAISTE – the world’s leading gong manufacturer. While it is possible to buy gongs from far away places such as China, Burma, India, Thailand, and sometimes Java or Bali, PAISTE gongs are more musical and sound very good.
It is a matter of choice, as certain PAISTE gongs can be ordered and somewhat guaranteed to sound just as their descriptions say. However, gongs from these other countries and manufacturers are less predictable – each is a unique and individual instrument, but maybe you like the risk? Choosing a brass instrument requires a degree of care and ideally one should hear the sound before purchasing it.
There are many techniques for playing a gong, although it is true that such techniques are also limited by the design and style/shape of the gong being played. The first thing is to use a Gong Mallet. There will be one that is the correct size to play (PAISTE are always very clear on which mallet is appropriate for each Gong), but other mallets or implements, which do not produce the basic characteristic sound of the gong in question, can create other tones and sounds. that you like – experimentation is the key!
However, it’s probably best to have at least the recommended deck as a starting point. Most gong manufacturers provide mallets for their gongs. Even antique gongs often come with a gong frame and a mallet.
There are three main types of gongs:
– A Plate Gong, meaning it does not have an edge, but is more “plate-like” (in China called a Wind Gong), a Gong that has an edge (Called a Flange Gong, in the West this is called a Plate Gong). symphonic), and a gong that has a rim and a shaft (this is a raised dome in the center of the Gong called a “nipple”). The purpose of this dome is to turn the gong into a tuned gong.
PAISTE has experimented with other ways to produce different sounds – check out their sound creating gongs. The tuned Gongs produced by PAISTE have flanges. Manfred Bleffert (Germany) makes gongs without flanges and from different metals. The Chinese have also created a range of different gongs.
Gong flanges vary in size and angle. They can be 90 degrees on the surface of the gong or they can be bent in or out from the surface. There may be a very sharp demarcation between the surface and the flange or it may be more gradual and rounded. The ties can be short or long. There may also be variations between the outer edge (flange) and the center of the gong as sometimes the dome is inverted, where it tends to produce more of a Splash type sound – like an oceanic sound….which is a fast type of sound and has a short sustained.
In Java and Bali they have full orchestras of gongs (called Gamelans) of various sizes and shapes to play beautiful communal rhythmic music. Some of these gong orchestras have entered the West and there is one on the South Bank in London. Gongs entered the West a few centuries ago due to colonialism. Returning from the Far East a gong would ring again before dinner and then Western orchestras adopted gongs in certain musical themes. Next, composers of the last century such as Olivier Messiaen and Pierre Boulez created works with a wide variety of gongs – especially tuned gongs. Gong music has been performed for centuries in the Far East to accompany funerals, weddings, dances, parties and other rituals, while emperors or persons of high office would often have a single gong to introduce themselves or to announce at the entrance of a visitor of equal standing.
There are also two extraordinary gongs in China that I have to mention. They are the Opera gongs, they both have small flanges, they are called tiger gongs because when they are played they decrease in pitch.
And also the Jin bang Gong, because when it is played the pitch is raised. Chinese Taoist percussion includes Cloud gongs. These are small gongs tuned in a frame. There is usually a set of 10 to create certain melodies.
Well, this is an informative article for gong lovers.
I hope you liked it
Rosa Puerto
