The Gong is an ancient instrument whose name imitates the sound it makes. Made famous in the West by J.Arthur Rank at the start of his movies, it commands a certain awe and reverence universally.
In the Magnum Opus of the Gong, Don Conreaux explores the nature of this ancient tool, saying, "There is an old saying that no one can teach you to play the gong. Only the gong itself can teach you. You think you are playing but the Gong is actually playing you."
Gong History
It is possible the first gongs were made with the discovery of metal, which probably occurred when stones melted in the first ovens. This may have been over 10,000 years ago and the first known ones are thought to have originated in the Middle East, passing from there to Asia.
Gong-making became an art and was passed down through family lineages. The process of melting and hammering molten metal to create each gong requires care and craftsmanship. It was seen to be a high art, giving the gong maker power, protection and prestige.
In 600 BC, the Buddha ordered every gong to be inscribed with "Tai Loi" — which means "The Good has Come" — or more simply, "joy." Gongs have formed a core part of religious and state ceremonies for centuries. Western composers would come to recognise the power of this instrument much later. Richard Wagner was amongst the first to use the tam tam gong in the 1800s, whilst gong strokes conclude Rachmaninoff's third Symphony.
Types of Gongs
Gongs come in a number of different forms with different purposes. All gongs, Don Conreaux explains, are idiophones - which means that they vibrate in their entirety. Thus singing bowls and bells are also gongs.
The fundamental note or tone of every gong is found by striking its centre. In tam-tam gongs, this centre is usually black, surrounded by a copper ring and another darker rim. The tiger roar of a tam-tam gong was often used to signal the arrival of royalty or martial leaders in China.
In nipple gongs, the centre of the gong is raised - these are often found in temples and were used for ceremonial purposes. Gong ensembles (Gamelan) are popular in Indonesia and are formed of a set of gongs with different pitches and notes. Gongs are used secularly in operas, boxing rings and theatres. The most well known modern manufacturer of gongs is the cymbal company Paiste whose range of gongs include those tuned to planetary tones.
Gong Sonics
What makes the sound of the gong so compelling?
The Greek Mathematician Pythagoras (6BC) began the procedure of measuring and quantifying musical tone. His calculations demonstrate that every fundamental tone gives rise to other tones in a measurable degrees in a sequence known as The Harmonic Series.
In the ascending (over)tones, these tones reproduce at the ratio of Pi or the Golden Mean, also known as the Fibonacci Series. These ratios are found in the growth spirals of DNA. There is also a series of descending (under)tones.
Scientists like Dr. Hans Jenny, founder of Cymatics (the study of the geometry of sound) have been able to demonstrate the natural patterns created by sound in matter. So the shimmering field of tones created by gongs is composed of an intricate and geometrically accurate series of tones which are found within the basic creative matrix of life.
Gong Healing
Dane Rudhyar in his book titled, The Magic of Tone, defines tone as "a meaning-carrying sound" and discusses its use in tribal and shamanic cultures to communicate at an archetypal level with deities and natural elements. The multi-layered resonance of the gong powerfully communicates at all levels of consciousness. When played with intent it becomes an instrument of profound healing.
According to Yogi Bhajan in The Aquarian Teacher, "The gong is the first and last instrument for the human mind....It is the basic creative sound. To the mind, the sound of the gong is a like a mother and father that gave it birth. The mind has no power to resist a gong that is well played."
As the gong sound contains tones which are both harmonious and inharmonious, it allows chaos and order to co-exist in the mind, bringing resolution and dissolution of internal blockages, conflicts and traumas. It brings about a state of creative relaxation in the mind, where the analytical function is suspended. The cathartic release of emotions and tension within the body becomes possible.
Gong Creation
Many traditions place sound at the centre of Creation Myths — "In the beginning was the Word" — forms the first sentence of The Bible, whilst in Sankrit, "Ohm" is the first sound, the primal mantra. The gong resonates at a primal, archetypal level which communicates universally.
As powerful waves of vibration pass through the listener or player of a gong, they become the instrument, vibrating themselves with the sound of creation.
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