Working with Gongs #4: Bowing Your Gongs

A look at using a Bow on Gongs

[@ColtonDrummer]

I swear i've heard this sound effect in movies.

[@Tbrah42]

You have

[@Tbrah42]

Who were you eight years ago?

[@Tbrah42]

Who are we,

[@Tbrah42]

Who are we?

[@Tbrah42]

Who are us

[@scottrogers9614]

Sounds from my worst nightmare...Awesome!

[@craigwg]

...but if you use a viola bow...may god have mercy on your soul.

[@pabloaraya2148]

All your videos about gong are very useful, thank you!

[@Gongtopia]

I'm glad you like them!

[@shiedakaynw]

2:40 Minecraft Cave sounds

[@sheepculture]

This is amazing!! Thanks for the post!

[@Gongtopia]

Actually, 'tam tam' is a term that was created when 'Gongs' were 1st used in symphonic music back in the 1800s to differentiate a flat faced Gong from a Gong with a raised center 'boss.' (There is no definitive answer as to where the term originated - same say it's Chinese, some say it's Hindi, still others say it's something else…) When a score calls for a 'tam tam' (like Messiaen’s 'Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum'),then a flat faced Gong, like a Chinese Chau, is used.

[@mitchellarcher5083]

After hearing about Iron Maiden bowing gongs for Empire of the Clouds I had to come learn about it. Thank you!

[@68PieceDrumKit]

Love your videos Michael!! Marty F.

[@RayZ-Sama-]

nice for horror games

[@berndschumannsvideos]

Thanks!

[@volvo850rex]

Great series. I got a 22" bronze (?) gong from Indonesian. Weighs 18 lbs. They hammered it out in the hills above Jakarta. Got it yrs ago but just started to appreciate the playing of it. Your videos help alot. Thanks.

[@gongtopia7336]

I'm glad the videos have helped. Yes, those bronze Gamelan Gongs are weighty beasts! They sound great!

[@ruthlessadmin]

Just an observation :P I think it's really cool, what people have done with them.

[@Kavukamari]

i think in CATS broadway, they used a bowed gong in the main leitmotif a few times, with the space synths

[@TheHexeract]

Skip ahead to 2:15 for actual video.

[@0vomit0]

I dont like you

[@kaan732]

@@0vomit0 did you come from that shorts video

[@Gongtopia]

When a score calls for a 'Gong' (like Puccini’s 'Madame Butterfly', or 'Turandot'), then a bossed Gong, either tuned or untuned, is used. But all Gongs are Gongs, and I don't play in the symphony…

[@RoniGlaser]

Interesting video. Thanks! Isn't that called a tam tam though?

[@ASMulldoonWong]

Pardon my ignorance, but would you also be able to bow a tam tam? :)

[@michaelbussewitz-quarm7719]

what size is this gong in the demonstration and do you find a “wind” gong is easier to bow than a concert gong?

[@Gongtopia]

This is a 32" Gong. A wind Gong, with its flat edge, can be easier to bow because you don't have to reach around to bow the edge. I have a Wind Gong with a center hole that I use for bowing.

[@Revelator2025]

Sound un-healing Lol 😂

[@InsertName125]

If you want to feel every hair stand up on the back of your neck, listen to this with headphones.

[@highlandstorm0137]

Bruh I listened to this with headphones. Yep. You're right.

[@andxmenx]

Dear Sir, thanks for your beautiful youtube channell, I am enjoying it very much. I have invented a mallett for my gongs and I am wishing to share the picture of it. I was ispired by your suggestions about friction mallets, it's very simple to build ... how can I send you a picture of it ? Maybe you have suggestions to get it better. Cheers from Italy ! Andrew

[@Gongtopia]

+andxmenx I'm glad you enjoy my videos. If you want to contact me, you can reach me here: gongtopia (at) aol.com. Thanks! MB

[@ysucae]

nobody believes me when i tell them i used bows on vibraphones and gongs and cymbals and shit when i was in an orchestra

[@Gongtopia]

Ahhh, some people. Percussionists have been using bows on instruments for ages. There are a lot of compositions with those parts written for bows. I hope you are still at it…

[@koraykumru1295]

What I'd like to know is if vibrato can be introduced while bowing.

[@bergerdrum]

I don't think so; the only way to simulate vibrato is to set the gong moving in a side to side motion (easiest with smaller gongs that can be handheld), and in doing that, you're making constant bow contact with the instrument very difficult, if not impossible. I think that it would only be possible AFTER the bow strokes are completed.

[@Putrefrye]

What uf you replace the gong with a steel pan

[@Gongtopia]

There's really no way to bow a steel pan, or at least the note area…

[@DanielSabzghabaei]

Why not?

[@ruthlessadmin]

if it makes noise, somebody has tried to bow it -_-

[@taffy4442]

Uh, what are you supposed to do with the rosin you showed?

[@Gongtopia]

The rosin goes on the bow hairs. You pull the bow back and forth across the rosin until the hairs are coated. The rosin is sticky and grabs onto the gong or string as you draw the bow across. This vibrates the gong or string, creating the sound.

[@taffy4442]

@@Gongtopia Got it, thanks! I've git a source for used bows and will give it a go.

[@BGDMusic]

that's a 20 year old bow now

[@codascheuer8426]

You can use a violin bow, a cello, bow, or a bass bow, but don’t you DARE use a viola bow

[@Gongtopia]

Use whatever bow you either have, or that makes the sound/s you want. It's just a bow…

[@codascheuer8426]

My comment was just a viola joke us string players like to tell. I’m not being serious

[@Gongtopia]

@@codascheuer8426 My comment was just a drummer joke about how we feel about string players…

[@ruoxiantan9263]

will it work using a violin's bows?

[@gongtopia7336]

Yes, you can use a violin, cello, or bass bow, as well as other types of bows. Each one will react a little differently because of the bow size.

[@Gongtopia]

Violin/viola/cello/bass bows all will work. Bass & cello bows are a bit wider and are usually preferred, but experiment with what you have. I use all types of bows.

[@andra_syawwal]

sus