![]() Nipple gongs have a raised boss or nipple in the centre, often made of a different metal to the rest of the gong. Karlheinz Stockhausen used a 60" Paiste tam-tam in his Momente. Fine examples of its use are demonstrated in the symphonies of Dmitri Shostakovich and, to a lesser extent, Sergei Rachmaninov. Within a few decades the tam-tam became an important member of the percussion section of a modern symphony orchestra. Gustav Mahler was one of the first composers to use the tam-tam in his symphonic works. In this way, two officials meeting unexpectedly on the road would know before the meeting which of them should bow down before the other. Sometimes the number of strokes on the gong was used to indicate the seniority of the official. Traditionally, chau gongs were used to clear the way for important officials and processions, much like a police siren today. It dates from the early Western Han Dynasty. The earliest Chau gong is from a tomb discovered at the Guixian site in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. Chau gongs range in size from 7" to 80" in diameter. The centre spot and the rim of a chau gong are left coated on both sides with the black copper oxide that forms during the manufacture of the gong, the rest of the gong is polished to remove this coating. The main surface is slightly concave when viewed from the direction to which the rim is turned. On a 10" gong, for example, the rim extends about a half an inch perpendicular to the gong surface. It is almost flat except for the rim, which is turned up to make a shallow cylinder. The chau gong is made of copper-based alloy, bronze or brass. Sometimes a chau gong is referred to as a Chinese gong, but in fact it is only one of many types of suspended gongs that are associated with China. Large chau gongs, called tam-tams (not to be confused with tom-tom drums), have become part of the symphony orchestra. Bowl gongs are used in temple worship, especially in Vajrayana Buddhism.īy far the most familiar to most Westerners is the chau gong or bullseye gong. The rim may be rubbed with the finger, for example, or the gong may be struck with a beater. Bossed gong sets are tuned to various scales (pentatonic, 7 note, etc.) and are used as the melodic element in Gamelan music (Indonesia/Java), Kulintang (Philippines), or Piphat (Thailand).īowl gongs (also called cup gongs) are similar to Tibetan singing bowls and may be played in many different ways, not all of them strictly percussion. They are commonly played with padded mallets (although wooden sticks may be used) on the boss, producing a fundamental pitch with little overtones. There can be from 8-10 gongs in either one or two rows. Pot gongs are small (6"-13") heavy gongs with a raised center boss (also known as a cup, knob, or nipple) that are suspended on cords within a wooden stand or framework. These are used by various percussion ensembles, orchestras, and solo percussionists (Pierre Favre from Switzerland, Andrea Centazzo from Italy). Western bossed gongs are available in tuned chromatic sets ranging from one, to four and a half octaves. Contemporary & avant-garde music, where different sounds are sought, will often use friction mallets (producing squeals & harmonics), bass bows (producing long tones and high overtones), and various striking implements (wood/plastic/metal) to produce the desired tones. The smallest suspended gongs are played with bamboo sticks, or even western-style drumsticks. Keeping this priming stroke inaudible calls for a great deal of skill. Large flat gongs may be 'primed' by lightly hitting them before the main stroke, greatly enhancing the sound and causing the instrument "speak" sooner, with a shorter delay for the sound to "bloom". ![]() In Western symphonic music the flat faced gongs are generally referred to as tam-tams to distinguish them from their bossed counterparts, although the term "gong" is correct to use for either type. ![]() In general, the larger the gong, the larger and softer the beater. Suspended gongs are played with beaters and are of two main types: flat faced discs either with or without a turned edge, and gongs with a raised center boss. An agung, a type of Philippine hanging gong used as part of the Kulintang ensemble
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