by Frank Perry

The following is an excerpt from an article written by Frank Perry. To read the full article, click here and select Gongs.

Gongs first entered my life in 1968. I now have a collection of around 43 gongs. The larger gongs especially, transport me into far off fiery realms to commune with the Sound and Light Beings. They speak of the fiery cosmic mysteries of the spiritual heart. Each gong comprises a brotherhood of tones and is a beautiful symbol and sonic accompaniment to meditation upon the Supreme Creator. Who among us can deny that we exist within a field of creation and thus there must be a creator. If a crime is committed, we seek the perpetrator. Naturally, they have done a runner by that time. So do we conclude that the crime was some accident of nature or that a person or persons committed this criminal act? If an old painting is discovered but is unsigned, again, do we conclude that nobody created this painting? Symphonic gongs carry the Solar energy of Creation. Through playing them and communing with them within their own unique sonic-soul realm we may learn how to Radiate forth from that divine centre within our Heart Centre - to activate the virgin birth of repotentialisation.

Many of the gongs in my collection are made by PAISTE - the world's leading Gong manufacturer. Whilst it is possible to purchase gongs from far away places such as China, Burma, India, Thailand, and sometimes, Java or Bali, PAISTE gongs are more musical-sounding. It is a matter of choice, because certain PAISTE Gongs can be ordered and somewhat guaranteed to turn up sounding like their descriptions. However, gongs from these other countries and manufacturers are less predictable - each one being a unique and individual instrument, but perhaps you like risk? Choosing a metal instrument requires a degree of care and ideally one should hear the sound before buying.

There are many techniques for playing gongs, although it is true that such techniques are also limited by the design and style/shape of the gong being played. Primary amongst these is that of using a Gong Mallet. There will be one that is the correct size for playing the gong (PAISTE are always very clear on which is the right mallet for your Gong) but other mallets or implements, that do not produce the basic sound characteristic of the gong in question, may elicit other tones and sounds that you enjoy - Experimentation is the key! However, it is probably best to have at least the recommended Mallet as a starting point. Most gong manufacturers provide mallets for their gongs. Even antique gongs often come with a gong frame and a striker / mallet.

There are three main types of gong: - A Flat Gong, that is to say that it has no rim but rather it is more 'dish-like' (in China called a 'Wind Gong'), a Gong that has a rim (called a Flanged Gong - in the West this is called a Symphonic Gong), and a Gong that has a rim and a boss (this is a raised dome in the centre of the Gong called either a 'nipple', or 'boss') the purpose of this dome is to turn the gong into a tuned gong. The Tuned Gongs produced by PAISTE all have flanges. Manfred Bleffert (Germany) makes tuned gongs without flanges and from different metals. The Chinese have also created a range of different gongs.

The flanges upon gongs vary in their size and their angle. They can be 90 degrees to the gong surface or they can be bent inwards or outwards from the surface. There can be a very sharp demarcation between the surface and the flange or it can be more gradual and rounded. The flanges can be either short or long. There can also be variations occurring between the outer rim (flange) and the centre of the gong (see #5 Burma, Tonkin & Annam below) and sometimes the dome is inverted where it tends to produce a more splashy - ocean spray - type sound that is rapid and possesses a short sustain.

In Java and Bali they have whole orchestras of gongs (called Gamelans) of various sizes and shapes to play beautiful communal rhythmic music upon. Some such gong orchestras have entered the West and there is one at London's South Bank. Gongs entered the West some centuries back due to colonialism. Returning from the Far East one gong would return to sound before dinner and then Western orchestras adopted gongs in certain pieces of music. Then last century composers such as Olivier Messiaen and Pierre Boulez created works using a large array of gongs - especially tuned gongs. Gong music has been played for centuries in the Far East to accompany funerals, weddings, dances, feasts, and other rituals whilst Emperors or persons of high office would often have a single gong to introduce either themselves or to announce the entrance of a visiting person of similarly high office.

I must add that Gongs are not mass produced, as is a car, etc, i.e. each one is unique, so that it isn't possible to hear one gong (e.g. a 34" Symphonic Gong) in a showroom and then order that particular (34" Symphonic) Gong and expect it to come out sounding precisely the same as the one on display at the showroom. There will be differences because each one is hand beaten with hammers. The individual hammering of each gong produces a complex sound due to the constant changes of thickness of the metal across the surface of each gong. With Far Eastern gongs in particular, one can strike the gong in different places upon its surface to elicit a range of diverse tones. It is similar with Cymbals - a drummer can go through, say, a number of 20" Ride Cymbals until they find one with the sound they're looking for. PAISTE have claimed for some years now that their cymbal range is more predictable, being as they are machine hammered. Hand made cymbals will each be unique, whilst antique cymbals, having lost much of their initial brilliance of rich overtones, provide other sound characteristics that can extend the percussionists set of cymbal sounds. Because of certain peculiarities of design, arrived at through experimentation, some gongs (e.g. Sound Creation Gongs, or Planet Gongs) will embody a similarity of Timbre providing less product differences than in Symphonic Gongs.

• whether it will be easily transportable (size);
• whether you intend to hang it upon a frame or hold it by hand (size & weight);
• how many people you wish to hear it (amplitude - Size);
• if you intend to use it for musical, healing, or therapeutical (working with special needs children) purposes (Style: - Symphonic, Planet, Sound Creation, etc).

I personally feel that it is futile to seek one 'all-rounder' gong. You might as well seek to buy a car that can turn into a lorry, or into a bicycle, when you want it to!

For instance, a Tuned Gong is simply that - it is designed to produce One major Tone e.g. D#2 and cannot really be used for anything else, whereas Symphonic Gongs provide a range of sounds (probably a 30" would be a minimal size), and Sound Creation Gongs have been especially designed to focus upon certain aspects from within the entire sonic field of the Symphonic Gong - somewhat in isolation - and these are then variously described as an "Earth Gong", or "Water Gong", etc, whilst Planet Gongs conform to the mathematical formulas developed by Hans Cousto.

For more information about Frank Perry's work, visit his website at FrankPerry.co.uk

© Copyright 1999 & 2005 by Frank Perry.