How to Produce a Sound on a Gong

Gongs come in all different sizes and produce a variety of different sounds. Depending on the size, quality and style of gong, you can get anything from a light, shimmering tone to an all-consuming roar. Use a soft mallet and start off with soft strikes. Experiment with the minimum possible force before hauling off and whacking it. A gong can be a surprisingly complex and nuanced instrument once you understand the different tones it can produce.

Instructions

• 1

  Get a gong mallet. You want a soft, padded striking surface. Using a normal drumstick will not allow the gong to build up the full, deep resonance it is known for. More importantly, a drumstick can damage a gong!

• 2

  Strike the gong lightly in the middle, letting the mallet bounce off the surface of the gong. Listen to the tone until the ringing dies away.

• 3

  Repeat Step 2, using a little more force. See if the sound changes. Try again, hitting it a little harder.

• 4

  Strike the drum softly, slightly out from the center. Observe how different the tone is from when you hit it in the middle. Strike it in different places and note the different tones. For now, wait for the tone to die before striking again.

• 5

  Practice building the tone. First, strike the drum softly but repeatedly in the same spot, waiting about 1/2 second between each strike. Observe how the ringing builds. Next, strike the gong by moving the mallet around in a circle, about the same distance from the center. Do the two styles yield different results?

• 6

  Repeat the above steps while muting the gong. Lightly strike the gong while you touch it with one hand to dampen the resonance. Observe how this affects the sound.