Beautiful gongs but how do they sound? Gordon's Grotta Sonora gongs review

Gordon reviews a collection of six gongs produced by the Italian experiemental musical instrument makers Grotta Sonora - “sound cave” in Italian. The gongs are stunningly beautiful but how do they sound?
00:00 Introduction
02:29 Lotus gong
05:45 Harp gong
09:10 Dragon gong
12:10 Stargate gong
13:55. Om gong
15:42 Sunbeam gong
17.59 Ensemble
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Gordon's Gong Soirees website: www.gordonsgongsoirees.com
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A drummer and percussionist since his teens, Gordon Coxon was drawn to the gong more than 20 years ago through a deepening involvement in yoga and meditation and it has since become his main sphere of interest. He has studied for many years with Grand Gongmaster Don Conreaux - the world’s foremost authority on the gong - and when in the UK offers gong baths regularly in group sessions and on a one-to-one basis in Brighton and London, across southern England and elsewhere.
Gordon now spends some of his time in Taiwan where in 2016 he launched Sonic Blessings, an East meets West, yin meets yang adventure in sound with partner Yi Ling Chao. Gordon and Yi Ling integrate yoga, meditation and sound healing as they explore the universal resonant power of the gong worldwide through gong baths, workshops, training, and retreats.

[@danieldzolevski]

We have a 38”gong in our studio from them it’s really nice sound is universal and can honestly say it sounds better then many paiste gongs

[@tinalee4964]

Those gongs look amazing! Thanks for your video.

[@kristinsassi3933]

Great Review. I really appreciate it. Beautiful gongs.

[@dkrypta]

Many thanks for your support and thanks for watching!

[@briane.paulson]

Amazing.

[@misteryofnada4660]

To be honest, I am not very convinced by the sound of this gongs. They seem to have a short sustain. I don’t know why so many people are praising this gongs from GS but in my opinion also the physical appearence are to glamorous, shiny and too much focus on the aspect rather on the sound.

[@dkrypta]

I tend to agree. In my view the makers create playable art objects that, at least initially, were designed to be played in caves - grotta is Italian for cave - where the resulting resonances would likely enhance the sustain.

[@Pilzwelten369]

They are out of steel ......

[@timfoster8885]

People praise them because they have beautiful tunings that can be played very musically, and are capable of producing clear chords, as well as containing many hidden overtones that can unlock further musical expression. This is especially true when using friction mallets, (which this video did not demonstrate). Their gongs of this size really shine best in sets, paired with other instruments tuned to similar keys, or through exploration of the isolated overtones to match with the the fundamentals and overtones of the other gongs, rather than the traditional method of playing multiple gongs shown at the end of this video. The comment made at 8.55 in the video is a good way to be approaching their gongs to unlock their full potential. The larger gongs (40inch upwards) are thicker, have a longer sustain and produce sounds closer to what people are more accustomed to when played "traditionally", though not still without the distinctive characteristics found in the smaller size range. Regarding the physical appearance, that's more to personal taste, but as someone who has been using a large collection of their gongs for many years, and as someone who has grown to know them personally since, I can assure you that they do not prioritize the design of their gongs over their sound! It's all down to personal preference of course, but I'm very happy with them :)

[@misteryofnada4660]

@@timfoster8885 I feel your comment is more about promoting their gongs, than making an objective comment. I am expecting to see also the downsides, not the story that also GS team is saying about their tunning. I have different types of gongs, which are not tuned, but still finding the right instruments to play with them in harmony. I agree it is a personal choice, but we need to agree the wickness points of material, and to see also the business behind their production.

[@timfoster8885]

@@misteryofnada4660 That's an interesting interpretation of my comment. I don't work for them or represent them. You said that you don't know why so many people are praising these gongs. I am one of those people who praise their gongs, so I gave you my reasons why based on my extensive experience using these gongs, not what the GS team are saying. You also said you were not convinced by the sustain, and I responded that they have other sizes of gongs which have better sustain than the ones demonstrated in this video. I said this from my own experience with our own collection and others I used in different locations. I then explained what I personally like more about their gongs of the size in this video. I never said that other gongs can't be used in the same way. I'm not sure what kind of objective response you were expecting to from someone giving an opinion.

[@theresaggiffin9556]

Fantastic!! I learned something new tonight. Thanks!!! Where do you purchase these gongs? It sounds like birds chirping in the background?

[@dkrypta]

Hi Theresa, Glad you liked the video. Here's a couple of supplier links: Gongs Unlimited are US based and ship worldwide: gongs-unlimited.com/collections/grotta-sonora-gongs-and-instruments Or you could try Grotta Sonora's own website: www.grottasonora.com/gong . They are based in Italy but I'm pretty sure they also ship worldwide. And, yes, we often have birds singing outside our studio when we are filming. They seem to like the sound of the gongs!

[@soundsforthesoul896]

Wonderful!!! I own several GS gongs. It looks like one of the mallets you use in this video is an Ollihess. What was the other mallet you where using?

[@dkrypta]

Many thanks for your support! You are right - the purple headed mallet I used in the video is an Ollie Hess model. I also used a Vic Firth Soundpower GB2. You may also have spotted towards the end of the video I used another mallet which was a medium heavy Sona mallet, now branded Tone of Life. There's more info and demos of many of the mallets we use in my Gordon's Gong Mallet Guide video.

[@danielgoldberg476]

That sunbeam gong is wild. Where are those sold?

[@dkrypta]

In the US you could try Gongs Unlimited who ship worldwide - gongs-unlimited.com/collections/grotta-sonora-gongs-and-instruments Or check out the Grotta Sonora website - gongs-unlimited.com/collections/grotta-sonora-gongs-and-instruments

[@1peradventure]

I'm so curious about these. To clarify, did you say they're made of a stainless steel alloy vs the traditional nickel silver, or of an alloy made from stainless steel and nickel silver?

[@dkrypta]

Grotta Sonora gongs are made from an alloy with a high presence of nickel mixed with stainless steel.

[@brucescanlon]

stainless steel is an alloy of iron and chromium, and often nickel@@dkrypta So unless there is also copper ? One might say they are made of stainless steel.

[@dkrypta]

​@@brucescanlon Indeed. I'm no metallurgist. I was quoting directly from the Gongs Unlimited website. gongs-unlimited.com/products/grotta-sonora-26-deep-gongs?variant=43339222810816

[@dakotasilvers9117]

The technique used in this video do not do these gongs justice. Look up other videos where they are played with more finesse and intention and they sound incredible.

[@dkrypta]

This video is merely an introduction and short demonstration of each of the gongs so not really comparable to an intention-led gong meditation or gong bath.