Sound produced

by gongs in
different
monasteries of
Sikkim.
PREPARED BY – RIYA JOSHI ,
ARCHITA SINGH , SAHIL ANAND ,
NISHANT KUMAR , IKRA
NAUSHEEN.
CLASS - XII B
SUB - PHYSICS
 #Gong
A GONG IS AN EAST AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN MUSICAL
PERCUSSION INSTRUMENT THAT TAKES THE FORM OF A
FLAT, CIRCULAR METAL DISC WHICH IS HIT WITH A MALLET.
THE ORIGIN OF GONGS IS PROBABLY CHINA'S WESTERN
REGIONS IN THE SIXTH CENTURY. THE TERM GONG
(JAVANESE: ꦒꦺꦴꦁ) ORIGINATED IN THE INDONESIAN ISLAND
OF JAVA. SCIENTIFIC AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH HAS
ESTABLISHED THAT BURMA, CHINA, JAVA (INDONESIA) AND
ANNAM WERE THE FOUR MAIN GONG MANUFACTURING
CENTERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD. THE GONG FOUND ITS
WAY INTO THE WESTERN WORLD IN THE 18TH CENTURY
WHEN IT WAS ALSO USED IN THE PERCUSSION SECTION OF
A WESTERN-STYLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.[CITATION
NEEDED] A FORM OF BRONZE CAULDRON GONG KNOWN
AS A RESTING BELL WAS WIDELY USED IN ANCIENT GREECE
AND ROME, FOR INSTANCE IN THE FAMOUS ORACLE OF
DODONA, WHERE DISC GONGS WERE ALSO USED.
GONGS BROADLY FALL INTO ONE OF THREE TYPES:
SUSPENDED GONGS ARE FLAT, CIRCULAR DISCS OF
METAL SUSPENDED VERTICALLY BY MEANS OF A CORD
PASSED THROUGH HOLES NEAR TO THE TOP RIM.
BOSSED OR NIPPLE GONGS HAVE A RAISED CENTER
BOSS, OR KNOB, AND ARE OFTEN SUSPENDED AND
PLAYED HORIZONTALLY. BOWL GONGS ARE BOWL-
SHAPED AND REST ON CUSHIONS. THE LATTER MAY BE
CONSIDERED A MEMBER OF THE BELL CATEGORY. GONGS
ARE MADE MAINLY FROM BRONZE OR BRASS BUT THERE
ARE MANY OTHER ALLOYS IN USE.
GONGS PRODUCE TWO DISTINCT TYPES OF SOUND. A
GONG WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SURFACE VIBRATES
IN MULTIPLE MODES, GIVING A "CRASH" RATHER THAN A
TUNED NOTE. THIS CATEGORY OF GONG IS SOMETIMES
CALLED A TAM-TAM TO DISTINGUISH IT FROM THE
BOSSED GONGS THAT GIVE A TUNED NOTE. IN
INDONESIAN GAMELAN ENSEMBLES, SOME BOSSED
GONGS ARE DELIBERATELY MADE TO GENERATE IN
ADDITION A BEAT NOTE IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 1
TO 5 HZ. THE USE OF THE TERM "GONG" FOR BOTH
THESE TYPES OF INSTRUMENT IS COMMON.
 #TYPES
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
CENTER BOSS. IN GENERAL, THE LARGER THE GONG, THE LARGER AND SOFTER THE
HAMMER. IN WESTERN SYMPHONIC MUSIC, THE FLAT FACED GONGS ARE GENERALLY
REFERRED TO AS TAM-TAMS TO DISTINGUISH THEM FROM THEIR BOSSED COUNTERPARTS.
HERE, THE TERM "GONG" IS RESERVED FOR THE BOSSED TYPE ONLY. 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.

LARGE FLAT GONGS MAY BE 'PRIMED' BY LIGHTLY HITTING THEM BEFORE THE MAIN
STROKE, GREATLY ENHANCING THE SOUND AND CAUSING THE INSTRUMENT TO "SPEAK"
SOONER, WITH A SHORTER DELAY FOR THE SOUND TO "BLOOM". KEEPING THIS PRIMING
STROKE INAUDIBLE CALLS FOR A GREAT DEAL OF SKILL. THE SMALLEST SUSPENDED GONGS
ARE PLAYED WITH BAMBOO STICKS OR EVEN WESTERN-STYLE DRUMSTICKS.
CONTEMPORARY AND AVANT-GARDE MUSIC, WHERE DIFFERENT SOUNDS ARE SOUGHT, WILL
OFTEN USE FRICTION MALLETS (PRODUCING SQUEALS AND HARMONICS), BASS BOWS
(PRODUCING LONG TONES AND HIGH OVERTONES), AND VARIOUS STRIKING IMPLEMENTS
(WOOD/PLASTIC/METAL) TO PRODUCE THE DESIRED TONES.

ROCK GONGS ARE LARGE STONES STRUCK WITH SMALLER STONES TO CREATE A METALLIC
RESONATING SOUND.
 Traditional suspended gongs
BY FAR THE MOST FAMILIAR TO MOST WESTERNERS IS THE
CHAU GONG OR BULLSEYE GONG. LARGE CHAU GONGS, Chau gong (tam-tam)
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. A CHAU GONG IS MADE OF
COPPER-BASED ALLOY, BRONZE, OR BRASS. IT IS ALMOST
FLAT EXCEPT FOR THE RIM, WHICH IS TURNED UP TO MAKE
A SHALLOW CYLINDER. ON A 10-INCH (25 CM) GONG, FOR
EXAMPLE, THE RIM EXTENDS ABOUT 1⁄2 INCH (1 CM)
PERPENDICULAR TO THE SURFACE. THE MAIN SURFACE IS
SLIGHTLY CONCAVE WHEN VIEWED FROM THE DIRECTION
TO WHICH THE RIM IS TURNED. THE CENTER SPOT AND
RIM OF A CHAU GONG ARE LEFT COATED ON BOTH SIDES
WITH THE BLACK COPPER OXIDE THAT FORMS DURING
MANUFACTURE; THE REST IS POLISHED TO REMOVE THIS
COATING. CHAU GONGS RANGE IN SIZE FROM 7 TO 80
INCHES (18 TO 203 CM) IN DIAMETER.
THE EARLIEST CHAU GONG IS FROM A
TOMB DISCOVERED AT THE GUIXIAN SITE
IN THE GUANGXI ZHUANG AUTONOMOUS
REGION OF CHINA. IT DATES FROM THE
Chau gong (tam-tam)
EARLY WESTERN HAN DYNASTY. GONGS
ARE DEPICTED IN CHINESE VISUAL ART AS
OF THE 6TH CENTURY CE. AND WERE
KNOWN FOR THEIR VERY INTENSE AND
SPIRITUAL DRUMMING IN RITUALS AND
TRIBAL MEETINGS. TRADITIONALLY, CHAU
GONGS WERE USED TO CLEAR THE WAY
FOR IMPORTANT OFFICIALS AND
PROCESSIONS, MUCH LIKE A POLICE
SIREN TODAY. SOMETIMES THE NUMBER
OF STROKES WAS USED TO INDICATE THE
SENIORITY OF THE OFFICIAL. IN THIS WAY,
TWO OFFICIALS MEETING UNEXPECTEDLY
ON THE ROAD WOULD KNOW BEFORE
THE MEETING WHICH OF THEM SHOULD
BOW DOWN BEFORE THE OTHER.
 #Use of gongs in symphony orchestras
THE TAM-TAM WAS FIRST INTRODUCED AS AN ORCHESTRAL
INSTRUMENT BY FRANÇOIS-JOSEPH GOSSEC IN 1790, AND IT WAS
ALSO TAKEN UP BY GASPARE SPONTINI AND JEAN-FRANÇOIS LE
SUEUR.
HECTOR BERLIOZ DEPLOYED THE INSTRUMENT THROUGHOUT HIS
COMPOSITIONAL CAREER, AND IN HIS TREATISE ON
INSTRUMENTATION HE RECOMMENDED ITS USE "FOR SCENES OF
MOURNING OR FOR THE DRAMATIC DEPICTION OF EXTREME
HORROR." OTHER COMPOSERS WHO ADOPTED THE TAM-TAM IN
THE OPERA HOUSE INCLUDED GIOACHINO ROSSINI, VINCENZO
BELLINI, AND RICHARD WAGNER; ROSSINI IN THE FINAL OF ACT 3 OF
ARMIDA (1817), BELLINI IN NORMA (1831) AND WAGNER IN RIENZI
(1842). WITHIN A FEW DECADES THE TAM-TAM BECAME AN
IMPORTANT MEMBER OF THE PERCUSSION SECTION OF A MODERN
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. IT FIGURES PROMINENTLY IN THE
SYMPHONIES OF PETER ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY, GUSTAV MAHLER,
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH AND, TO A LESSER EXTENT, SERGEI
RACHMANINOV AND SERGEI PROKOFIEV. GIACOMO PUCCINI USED
GONGS AND TAM-TAMS IN HIS OPERAS. IGOR STRAVINSKY GREATLY
EXPANDED THE PLAYING TECHNIQUES OF THE TAM-TAM IN HIS THE
RITE OF SPRING TO INCLUDE SHORT, QUICKLY DAMPED NOTES,
QUICK CRESCENDOS, AND A TRIANGLE BEATER SCRAPED ACROSS
THE FRONT OF THE INSTRUMENT. KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN USED
A 60" PAISTE TAM-TAM IN HIS MOMENTE.
 Nipple gong
A NIPPLE GONG HAS A CENTRAL RAISED BOSS OR NIPPLE,
OFTEN MADE OF DIFFERENT METALS THAN OTHER GONGS
WITH VARYING DEGREES OF QUALITY AND RESONANCE. THEY
HAVE A TONE WITH LESS SHIMMER THAN OTHER GONGS, AND
TWO DISTINCT SOUNDS DEPENDING ON WHETHER THEY ARE
STRUCK ON THE BOSS OR NEXT TO IT. THEY ARE MOST OFTEN
BUT NOT ALWAYS TUNED TO VARIOUS PITCHES.
NIPPLE GONGS RANGE IN SIZE FROM 6 TO 20 INCHES (15 TO 51
CM) OR LARGER. SETS OF SMALLER, TUNED NIPPLE GONGS CAN
BE USED TO PLAY A MELODY.
NIPPLE GONGS ARE USED IN CHINESE TEMPLES FOR WORSHIP
AND BUDDHIST TEMPLES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA.
THESE ARE THE PRIMARY GONG IN THE TRADITIONAL
PHILIPPINE MUSIC OF KULINTANG.
IN INDONESIAN GAMELAN ENSEMBLES, INSTRUMENTS
THAT ARE ORGANOLOGICALLY GONGS COME IN VARIOUS
SIZES WITH DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS AND DIFFERENT
NAMES. FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE CENTRAL JAVANESE
GAMELAN, THE LARGEST GONG IS CALLED GONG AGENG,
RANGES IN SIZE UP TO 1 METER IN DIAMETER, HAS THE
DEEPEST PITCH AND IS PLAYED LEAST OFTEN; THE NEXT
SMALLER GONG IS THE GONG SUWUKAN OR SIYEM, HAS A
SLIGHTLY HIGHER PITCH AND REPLACES THE GONG
AGENG IN PIECES WHERE GONG STROKES ARE CLOSE
TOGETHER; THE KEMPUL IS SMALLER STILL, HAS A HIGHER
PITCH, AND IS PLAYED MORE FREQUENTLY. THE GONG
AGENG AND SOME GONG SUWUKAN HAVE A BEAT NOTE.
 #Opera gongs
AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE ORCHESTRA FOR
CHINESE OPERA IS A PAIR OF GONGS, THE
LARGER WITH A DESCENDING TONE, THE
SMALLER WITH A RISING TONE. THE LARGER
GONG IS USED TO ANNOUNCE THE ENTRANCE OF
MAJOR PLAYERS OR MEN AND TO IDENTIFY
POINTS OF DRAMA AND CONSEQUENCE. THE
SMALLER GONG IS USED TO ANNOUNCE THE
ENTRY OF LESSER PLAYERS OR WOMEN AND TO
IDENTIFY POINTS OF HUMOUR.
OPERA GONGS RANGE IN SIZE FROM 7 TO 12
INCHES (18 TO 30 CM), WITH THE LARGER OF A
PAIR 1 OR 2 INCHES (3 OR 5 CM) LARGER THAN
THE SMALLER.
 #Pasi gongs
A PASI GONG IS A MEDIUM-SIZE GONG
12 TO 15 INCHES (30 TO 38 CM) IN SIZE,
WITH A CRASHING SOUND. IT IS USED
TRADITIONALLY TO ANNOUNCE THE
START OF A PERFORMANCE, PLAY OR
MAGIC. CONSTRUCTION VARIES, SOME
HAVING NIPPLES AND SOME NOT, SO
THIS TYPE IS NAMED MORE FOR ITS
FUNCTION THAN FOR ITS STRUCTURE
OR EVEN ITS SOUND.
PASI GONGS WITHOUT NIPPLES HAVE
FOUND FAVOUR WITH ADVENTUROUS
MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD KIT
DRUMMERS.
#Tiger gong

A TIGER GONG IS A SLIGHTLY

DESCENDING OR LESS COMMONLY
ASCENDING GONG, LARGER THAN AN
OPERA GONG AND WITH A LESS
PRONOUNCED PITCH SHIFT. MOST
COMMONLY 15 INCHES (38 CM) BUT
AVAILABLE DOWN TO 8 INCHES (20 CM).
#Shueng Kwong

* A SHUENG KWONG GONG IS A

MEDIUM TO LARGE GONG WITH A
SHARP STACCATO SOUND.
 # Wind gong
WIND GONGS (ALSO KNOWN AS FENG OR LION GONGS) ARE FLAT
BRONZE DISCS, WITH LITTLE FUNDAMENTAL PITCH, HEAVY
TUNED OVERTONES, AND LONG SUSTAIN. THEY ARE MOST MADE
OF B20 BRONZE BUT CAN ALSO BE MADE OF M63 BRASS OR NS12
NICKEL-SILVER. TRADITIONALLY, A WIND GONG IS PLAYED WITH
A LARGE SOFT MALLET, WHICH GIVES IT A ROARING CRASH TO
MATCH THEIR NAMESAKE. THEY ARE LATHED ON BOTH SIDES
AND ARE MEDIUM TO LARGE, TYPICALLY 15 TO 22 INCHES (38 TO
56 CM) BUT SIZES FROM 7 TO 60 INCHES (18 TO 152 CM) ARE
AVAILABLE. THE 22-INCH (56 CM) SIZE IS MOST POPULAR DUE TO
ITS PORTABILITY AND LARGE SOUND.
THEY ARE COMMONLY USED BY DRUMMERS IN ROCK MUSIC.
PLAYED WITH A NYLON TIP DRUMSTICK THEY SOUND RATHER
LIKE THE COIL CHIMES IN A MANTLE CLOCK. SOME HAVE HOLES
IN THE CENTER, BUT THEY ARE MOUNTED LIKE ALL SUSPENDED
GONGS BY OTHER HOLES NEAR THE RIM. THE SMALLER SIZES, 7
TO 12 INCHES (18 TO 30 CM), HAVE A MORE BELL-LIKE TONE DUE
TO THEIR THICKNESS AND SMALL DIAMETER.
 #Sculptural gongs
SCULPTURAL GONGS (ALSO KNOWN AS GONG
SCULPTURES) ARE GONGS WHICH SERVE THE DUAL
PURPOSE OF BEING A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT AND A
WORK OF VISUAL ART. THEY ARE GENERALLY NOT DISC
SHAPED, BUT INSTEAD TAKE MORE COMPLEX, EVEN
ABSTRACT FORMS. SCULPTURAL GONGS WERE
PIONEERED IN THE EARLY 1990S BY WELSH
PERCUSSIONIST AND METAL CRAFTER, STEVE HUBBACK,
WHO WAS PARTIALLY INSPIRED BY THE WORK OF THE
FRENCH SOUND SCULPTORS, FRANCOIS AND BERNARD
BASCHET.
HUBBACK'S WORKS HAVE BEEN USED BY MANY
MUSICIANS INCLUDING SOLO PERCUSSIONIST DAME
EVELYN GLENNIE AND ROCK DRUMMER CARL PALMER.
ENGLISH GONG AND CYMBAL MAKER, MATT NOLAN,
PARTIALLY INSPIRED BY THE WORK OF HUBBACK, ALSO
CREATES SCULPTURAL GONGS OF HIS OWN DESIGN OR TO
PRIVATE COMMISSION.
 # working of gong
SOUND IS PRODUCED EITHER BY STRIKING THE GONG OR
RUBBING IT. A WIDE VARIETY OF DIFFERENT MALLETS IS
USED. THE GONG IS STRUCK RIGHT IN THE CENTER, IN OTHER
WORDS, ON THE KNOB, SINCE IT IS HERE THAT THE GREATEST
VOLUME AND PUREST TONE ARE PRODUCED.
THE LARGER THE GONG, THE HEAVIER IT IS. TO ACHIEVE THE
FULLEST-SOUNDING TONE GREATER FORCE IS REQUIRED,
WHICH MEANS THAT THE MALLETS MUST ALSO BE LARGER
AND THEREFORE HEAVIER. CARE SHOULD BE TAKEN ALWAYS
TO THE RIGHT MALLET FOR EACH GONG.
THE PITCH OF THE GONG IS ALWAYS EASILY RECOGNIZABLE,
WHETHER THE NOTE IS PIANO OR FORTISSIMO.
DEPENDING ON WHICH KIND OF MALLET IS USED (AND ON
THE DYNAMICS) THE GONG SOUNDS DARK, METALLIC OR
MAJESTIC.
THE GONG’S DYNAMIC RANGE IS SMALLER THAN THAT OF
MANY OTHER PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS (SNARE DRUM,
TAM-TAM, ETC.). THE MAIN REASON FOR THIS IS THAT AT
FORTISSIMO LEVELS THE DYNAMICS ARE LIMITED; ONCE A
PARTICULAR VOLUME IS REACHED THE GONG “OVERSHOOTS”
AND LOSES VOLUME. MANY STRONG PARTIALS DEVELOP
WHICH DETRACT FROM THE SOUND
IN THE 1960S, PHYSICISTS STUDYING FLUORESCENT MOLECULES FOUND THAT A
REFLECTIVE SURFACE COULD INCREASE THE DECAY TIME OF AN EMITTER AND SHIFT ITS
SPECTRUM. TODAY, SUCH INTERACTIONS BETWEEN LIGHT, MATTER, AND A BOUNDING
WALL ARE STUDIED WITHIN THE FIELD OF CAVITY QUANTUM ELECTRODYNAMICS (CQED)
USING EXPENSIVE, HIGH-PRECISION OPTICAL COMPONENTS. BUT LUTZ LANGGUTH FROM
THE FOM INSTITUTE AMOLF, NETHERLANDS, AND COLLEAGUES HAVE FOUND A
MUSICALLY INSPIRED WAY TO DO A CLASSROOM DEMO OF CQED CONCEPTS WITHOUT THE
HIGH-END MACHINERY. THEY SHOWED THAT A NEARBY WALL SHIFTS THE FREQUENCY
AND DECAY TIME OF A SOUNDED GONG IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO THAT OBSERVED
WITH FLUORESCING MOLECULE, AN EFFECT THEY CAN DEMONSTRATE WITH ONLY A
LAPTOP AND A SIMPLE RECORDING DEVICE.

THE TEAM USED A CHINESE CHAO GONG, WHICH IS A CIRCULAR BRASS PLATE WITH A
TURNED UP RIM. IN AN OPEN SPACE, THE GONG HAS NINE DISTINCT RESONANCES
BETWEEN 300 AND 3500 HZ. THE GROUP ANALYZED THE TWO LOWEST FREQUENCY MODES,
AT 306 AND 561 HZ, WHEN THE GONG WAS CLANGED WITHIN A SHORT DISTANCE FROM A
CONCRETE WALL. THEY THEN RECORDED THE FREQUENCY AND DURATION OF THESE
RESONANCES AS THEY ALTERED THE SEPARATION BETWEEN THE WALL AND THE GONG.
THE PITCH OF BOTH RESONANCES DECREASED BY 0.1 HZ FOR GONG-WALL SEPARATIONS OF 20 CM OR
LESS. THIS INAUDIBLE SUPPRESSION IN FREQUENCY ARISES BECAUSE SOUND WAVES REFLECTED FROM
THE WALL DISTORT THE SHAPE OF THE GONG, SHIFTING ITS RESONANT FREQUENCY. LANGGUTH AND
COLLEAGUES ALSO FOUND THAT THE PROXIMITY OF THE WALL EXTENDED THE DURATION OF THE
GONG’S “CRASH.” ACCORDING TO THE RESEARCHERS, THE MODULATIONS IN FREQUENCY AND DECAY
TIME SHOULD BE GREATER IN HIGHER QUALITY GONGS, WHICH CONVERT A LARGER FRACTION OF
THEIR MECHANICAL ENERGY INTO SOUND WHEN STRUCK. THESE ACOUSTIC EFFECTS COULD
THEREFORE BE USED AS A METHOD TO CHECK FOR IMPERFECTIONS IN A GONG OR IN OTHER
MATERIALS.