What are the different types of gongs?
3 Basic Types of Gongs
- Suspended gongs: These flat gongs are circular discs with holes near the top of their outer circumference.
- Nipple gongs: Also known as bossed gongs, these gongs feature a raised boss or knob in the middle of the metal disc.
- Bowl gongs: These musical instruments are also known as singing bowls.
Why are gongs created in different sizes?
Gongs come in a variety of sizes, styles, and shapes. Like dialects of language or sects of religion, the instrument evolved differently in each location and culture it was used. Many gongs are flat, but some have a central dome, also called a nipple.
What do you call the thing you hit a gong with?
gong Add to list Share. A gong is a large percussion instrument that you play by hitting it with a mallet. There are two types of gongs: one that makes a loud, crashing sound, and another that is actually tuned to a specific note. The crashing gong is sometimes also called a tam-tam.
Are gongs Chinese or Japanese?
The gong has been a Chinese instrument for millennia. Its first use may have been to signal peasant workers in from the fields, because some gongs are loud enough to be heard from up to 5 miles (8 km) away. In Japan, they are traditionally used to start the beginning of sumo wrestling contests.
What is the difference between a gong and a tam tam?
The biggest difference between the tam-tam and the gong is that the tam-tam possesses no audible definite pitch. The tam-tam has a far greater range of tonal possibilities, not only because of the many different mallets that can be used. On the other hand melodies can only be played on gongs.
What are the two categories of gongs?
In the world of gongs there are two main types, suspended gongs and bowl gongs. Both have been made and played for millennia. Gong bowls are also called singing bowls or meditation bowls.
What does the gong symbolize?
Gongs belong to the oldest and most important musical instruments of South East Asia. In Asian families the Gong was an attribute of wealth and served as a status symbol. In rites the Gong was used in the evocation of ghosts and in the beginning of demons. Touching a Gong brought you fortune and strength.
What does a gong symbolize?
In Asian families, the gong was an attribute of wealth and served as a status symbol. In rites, the gong was used in the evocation of ghosts and in the banning of demons. Touching a gong brought you fortune and strength. In rituals of the Far East, the gong has retained its special significance to this day.
What is kettle gongs?
kettle gong, percussion instrument of the Bronze Age cultures of China, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia. It was used mainly in rainmaking rites. Some kettle gongs from northern Vietnam are dated between the 5th and 3rd centuries bc. When played, they are suspended so that the striking surface (the head) is vertical.
What is the common name for the flat gong?
Flat gongs (gangsa) used in ensembles of the northern mountains of the Philippines are struck by hand, like drums, and create resultant melodies through the use of various rhythmic patterns.
What is another name for a gong?
In this page you can discover 21 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for gong, like: signal, chime, drum, carillon, tympanum, sounding-board, fire-alarm, dinner gong, doorbell, Chinese gong and tamtam.
Which is the most common type of Chinese gong?
By far the most familiar to most Westerners is the chau gong or bullseye gong. Large chau gongs, called tam-tams have become part of the symphony orchestra. 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.
What kind of Gong is used in Symphony Orchestra?
The familiar “Chinese” gong (a 10-inch (25 cm) chau gong) By far the most familiar to most Westerners is the chau gong or bullseye gong. Large chau gongs, called tam-tams have become part of the symphony orchestra.
What kind of pitch does a Gong have?
The gong is a musical instrument in the percussion family. A gong can have either a definite or an indefinite musical pitch.
What are the different types of suspended gongs?
Suspended gongs are played with hammers and are of two main types: flat faced discs either with or without a turned edge, and gongs with a raised centre boss. In general, the larger the gong, the larger and softer the hammer.