How to play an ancient rock gong

The British Museum invited Dr Cornelia Kleinitz, an archaeologist specialising in rock art, and Liam Williamson, a modern rock drummer, to try and discover how a rock gong might have been played. This was the result.
Rock gongs are a type of lithophone that were used for thousands of years in several parts of Africa. They may have been used as part of rituals, to signal other people, or as a form of expression. Although they look like plain boulders, they have a hollow, metallic sound when struck due to the composition of the rock.
This film was created with the African rock art image project which is supported by the Arcadia Fund.
For more information visit: britishmuseum.o...

[@MrEvers]

This is the only genre of music that can truly be called "classic rock"

[@visionsoftheend4299]

It seems "heavy rock" to me

[@prongs82]

Ancient rock

[@franklinycampusanob1836]

I love this puns.

[@daniellipko710]

Classical Rock

[@aidanreyes8698]

True rock

[@Televisionary]

Thanks for the tutorial, just got my giant rock gong and had no idea how to play. This one saved my rock gong band

[@britishmuseum]

Bangin

[@Televisionary]

Lol

[@neilwilson5785]

I got a newb one from Amazon for £39.99, and am starting out. Those Franks won't even know what hit them.

[@kelpyg.9925]

@@neilwilson5785 them flint stones are such a strange family you know wanna play boulder ball?

[@martinstrength8532]

Bang a Gong

[@Jay-rb5pg]

They should record him playing a loop and just have it quietly going in that room.

[@FumblsTheSniper]

Top idea, would be soothing and interesting. Not to mention a paycheck for a young artist.

[@dandman9373]

"who the fuck is banging the stones"

[@wormswithteeth]

Perfect ambiance.

[@KumaBean]

That's a great idea, it would really help bring the exhibition to life 👌

[@notflanders4967]

after reading, im disappointed they didnt...

[@montimuros2837]

KZbin is really pushing the whole 'return to monke' thing with these recommendations.

[@jasperfk]

monke brain like rock go smash

[@aliendoggy1]

oki

[@ijlala3799]

As it should be

[@Psychentist]

LOL!

[@TheEldestSister23]

Everyone is watching return to monke videos!

[@mennod97]

Museum sign: "Please, do not touch" This guy:

[@crystalm4324]

But the sounds would be TOTALLY different with the rocks on rocks rather than the tinny sound of the metal shelf it’s on.

[@EggBastion]

I suppose even if they were mounted more authentically they'd still sound a bit different in that room than they would in a cave or wherever . . . but those metal stands though? I guess --I've-- _we've all_ got more important things to worry about *_`: \_*

[@viclorenz2522]

no the rocks really do sound like metal when you bang them...no matter what you set them on

[@umbertopaggi3006]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZzVYndrYqyKapY

[@Jesse__H]

@@umbertopaggi3006 ^this video is enlightening. I thought the metal mounting bracket was affecting the sound too, but that video suggests otherwise.

[@glennchartrand5411]

I think its actually the "town bell" and not a musical instrument. It could be heard for miles and used to call people in for dinner or worship.

[@lazydreamerr]

pioneers used to play these babies for hours

[@abendigo]

woah ok Im glad i stumbled upon this comment 😂

[@lazydreamerr]

thank you

[@superchargedadventures]

Gimme that pizza!!!!

[@MrGregorychant]

And they're in great shape!

[@justinchey2281]

It’s not a boulder, it’s a slab ;)

[@Skenderbeuismyhero]

It would be hilarious if these were just used to work leather or something.

[@eyesofthecervino3366]

A young artist and an experienced archaeologist, ten thousand years from now, trying to figure out how to play an anvil XD

[@mitsuomits9077]

Yeah! ... interesting possibility. Hummm. One thing I’ve noticed, archeologists some times jump into conclusions of the use of some artifact not knowing that much about the culture they are researching. It’s as if they want to ne the ones who gave the use instead of leaving the door open to other possibilities for latter findings where they’ll find or understand a bit more about it.

[@Skenderbeuismyhero]

@@mitsuomits9077 I think there are those types in any field of science. There was a family in Turkey whose kids all walked on all fours and some highly regarded geneticists and others jumped to the conclusion that they had some missing link gene. They really just had abnormal cerebellums.

[@mitsuomits9077]

@@Skenderbeuismyhero That's true. And about the Turkish family, I think I saw a documentary about them, are they the ones that can walk with their knees almost all straight ( if I remember well)?.

[@HaileISela]

and even then the rocks would still sound. and since most crafts are rhythm based, working these stones would most likely still generate music. check "FOLI (there is no movement without rhythm)" to get an idea of that... our societies are tuned into very different kinds of rhythms than most other who ever shared this planet, yet even our machines are music

[@Abdega]

They don’t make them like they used to anymore

[@WickerManLP]

XD made my day

[@Arvak777]

Reliced vintage gear is always so expensive.

[@Arvak777]

A Netflix Nerd Girl now you're the 3rd :)

[@addledhead]

A Netflix Nerd Girl lmao why so salty? It's a funny joke

[@dickymain8604]

A Netflix Nerd Girl looks like he got 500+ more likes than you by saying something

[@rexmundi3108]

As a stone carver I know the ring of good marble, but outside a museum in Bangkok I came across an ancient stone gong and just rapping it with my knuckles produced a bell tone. I was amazed.

[@honouryourvomit]

certain igneous rocks seem to have enough tension to ring when struck

[@Theserjtankianfan]

I bet the rap was lit 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@protein3266]

*caveman see’s this* :why they beat table?

"Ug... It called _rock_ It be big some day"

[@DanJuega]

@Brian Holtzman **Caveman sees comment** :what's picture?

[@flamebird2218]

@@DanJuega **Caveman sees computer monitor playing video** What this thing? Light come out! Me see mini people! Why can't me go inside?? **caveman destroys monitor out of curiosity** It magic! Light go away!

[@theshuman100]

Caveman: uh it do be fire

[@francescaa8331]

Lol

[@SkyeRangerNick]

Long ago, jamming together must surely have been compulsive and addictive. People craved the bond that arises from collaborative effort. That was the success of people in all endeavors, collaboration and improvisation. Jamming is as Human as it gets.

[@DaarkDestiny]

Yes, I love this point of view!!! Connection through shared experience and collective consciousness! Small communities of people who shared their lives with one another and knew loyalty. People who worked hard for the collective and felt that connection 😌

[@AslanW]

True

[@i.i.iiii.i.i]

well, whales and birds (and probably some other animals) also like a good jam, it's not exclusively human but still...

[@fendermustang94]

later the guitar was invented and so created greed and selfishness 😂😂😂 now everyone is a show off they don't want to do teamwork...

[@Fgway]

We are a song

[@tobiasziesmann1720]

Gotta love how they speculate over how these people played the music, one handed, two handed, squatting, seated, Meanwhile I'm just thinking, they hit it, it made sound, create a beat and play until you get bored.

[@Wasabiofip]

They're trying to figure out what the culture was around it, though. There's a certain way you play a guitar, for example, and it's very recognizable and part of our cultural image of a guitar. It would be neat to know if our distant ancestors had a cultural image of a rock gong player. They're studying how our ancestors thought of the rock gong, not just how they used it.

[@OwMeEd]

Very insightful, Tobias - I can see why you became an anthropologist

[@TheClimbingBronyOldColt]

Hey, that's just what I do with soda bottles.

[@Trund27]

That’s why you’re not a scientist.

[@finndriver1063]

The video really doesn't do the noise justice. I had an opportunity to play some of these on my uncle's farm in South Africa, they were surprisingly resonant and sounded closer to a wooden xylophone.

[@travisjones3838]

Is there something special about these rocks? Is it just that they are the right shape for playing? Thanks :)

[@mainjockeynumbaone]

Travis Jones just a guess, but perhaps the high silica content might contribute to it's resonance

[@travisjones3838]

Jon Dunham most commonly diorite ( I googled it)

[@SoundlessScream]

Finn Driver Cool

[@stephengalindo6340]

They sound like garbage because they're in a museum. The acoustics of that room is atrocious. Imagine that played in an open field or a cave.

[@titusalabat5173]

not indie enough for me

[@thatonegoblin7051]

this comment is under rated

[@drhoneybadger]

I only listen to Mongolian throat singing

[@madscientistshusta]

drhoneybadger thats so mainstreem! Me i only listen to yaks mating.

[@sofialaya596]

best comment

[@polycultural-capital-enjoyer]

Not old school enough for me.

[@sirlagsalot8474]

imagine if this guy was actually not allowed to be there and he just started smacking the rocks while the camera people were making documentaries

[@governmentspydrone7214]

How the hell can this be an instrument while mayonnaise isn't?

[@zoeyxjake2906]

because it’s a fucking house

[@SuaraNakal]

What do you mean "mayonnaise isn't"?

[@MonkeyGun77]

Mayonnaise is always an instrument

[@meganlodon]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2bNn5mqd7aqaLc

[@SuaraNakal]

@@meganlodon thank you!

[@wadeguidry6675]

"How do we know this rock was used as an actual rock gong?" Easy: we just flip it over and see the ancient Ludwig drum manufacturing company logo, duh.

[@Tombombadillo999]

Wade Guidry 😂🤣😂🤣🤟🏻 “im rick harrison and this is my rock shop”

[@Cludensyo]

I know this is a reference from somewhere

[@nerychristian]

These were produced by Remo.

[@chilliam00]

@@nerychristian those hand rocks were made by Vic Firth 😂😂

[@mitsuomits9077]

Hahaha that was a good one😄

[@joshlockie9285]

Humans millions of years ago: banging on rocks Humans now: banging on rocks on KZbin

[@Olly676]

Humans didn't exist millions of years ago. Just FYI.

[@ElectricAlien577]

@@Olly676 Modern humans didn't. But similar creatures did, and I'm sure they banged on rocks for fun too

[@Olly676]

@@ElectricAlien577 I don't think there's any evidence that they did? But sure, whatever

[@jacobshabir2722]

@@Olly676 ‘humans’ as in homosapiens have existed for roughly 300,000/400,000 years, but evolution is much more complicated than that and the earliest known human relative is anamensis’ around 4 million years ago.

[@Olly676]

@@jacobshabir2722 Recent estimates tend to place the emergence of modern humans somewhat more recently than that (see, for example, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6736881/ ), and arguably all cellular life is a known human relative, no? Our hominid ancestors were using stone tools up to a few million years ago, though, true. Were they doing it because they enjoyed the sound it made? Who knows, maybe.

[@fuferito]

I'm only in my 40s and I think Neolithic music is the best music ever.

[@kaptainplanet7203]

So if you were 80 you would like them more ???

[@urdumb2772]

@@kaptainplanet7203 you’re dumb

[@unitedkingdomoffiveeyes9765]

I don't believe you sorry.

[@D-Vinko]

What's next?

[@treyellis3]

@@urdumb2772 username checks out

[@Mountaindewdewable]

I would probably accidentally break it

[@godot9407]

Osama Bin Laden lmao

[@Graknorke]

Damn, what kind of arms you got on you to break a 30cm slab of rock.

[@CamsLifeAdventures]

Mountaindew ii

[@Mountaindewdewable]

Graknorke It’s just that I’m a rock breaker, and my father before me was a rock breaker, and his father before him, and his father before him....it’s in my blood to break rocks

[@hPdrumcrafts]

Mountaindew "probably accidentally"

[@ulrikeberndt8573]

There are very similar gongs still around in Ethiopia at some of the older churches. Usually they are suspended from a small tree or something and give off pretty clear sounds.

[@TheLeftwheel]

"Ma'am?? Ma'am!! Please stop!!" Me, jamming on King Tut's sarcophagus: "it's ok, it's fine. I been at this 15 years."

[@valiroime]

Thanks a lot, now I've got Steve Martin's King Tut stuck in my head. yay. "... Born in Arizona, moved to Babalonia. King Tut"

[@vivekambekarIndia]

I know right 😂

[@ihaveseverefrootsnackism]

"What's your favorite type of music?" Rock. No literally. *Rock.*

[@derekwall5570]

“We even know a few of the songs that the first people played, they left their demo tape underneath and called themselves the Rolling Stones”

[@calliph]

Ugh.

[@GardenofDiamonds]

Derek Wall 😂😂😂

[@brettb9194]

the band got off to a rough start - until they took the corners off

[@rusemode]

Just the Stones?

[@ilovefabricandflowers8543]

Keith Richards original name was 'grog grog".

[@JaquesBobe]

It sounds to me like most of the sound comes form those metal stands that hold the rocks :/

[@19AGJ86]

Nurpus That's exactly where it's coming from.

[@jaykdoovus1140]

can't believe more people haven't noticed that

[@jonski007]

without the stands it would just be like beating you living room wall. I doubt these were used for musical purposes

[@HidekiShinichi]

read the description c:

[@francescadakin8471]

If you are interested though give her paper a read on the Sudan rescue-archaeological dig if you want a bit more info :-) s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/30514902/Kleinitz2004_RockArtSudan_IshashiSurvey_Sudan-Nubia8.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1526989357&Signature=ftrwW2aaTwiqLSZ1nW%2FR%2Ft1xQMs%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DRock_art_and_rock_gongs_in_the_Fourth_Ni.pdf

[@squirrelspown]

I would want to see an uncut session of him just messing around with the rock gong

[@STAN_MAN94]

If she hasn't played the rock gong before...she's too young for you bro!

[@omahajoe5421]

Plot twist. It's just a normal rock

[@cooliodiablo6117]

@@joeykangaroo8396 That's a wooden shelf that's painted grey my dude.

[@Alusnovalotus]

Omaha Joe and were just a normal organic accident.

[@hotwheelskng1573]

@@cooliodiablo6117 the British Museum doesnt have 600 lb caveman instruments on "wooden shelves" my dude.

[@AnaVerona_]

@@joeykangaroo8396 there is no way the components of the rock make it sound like a metal. That's the sound of the metal base the rock is set on.

[@umbertopaggi3006]

@@AnaVerona_ you clearly never played with rocks, or pottery tiles, same ringing high pitched sound

[@justlucasmiguel]

what if they bring back the cave man and they just be like “nah thats just a rock man”

[@jahanwatson2423]

I’m curious how they came to the conclusion that this was used as a gong and not possibly just a surface to crack buts or grind flower or something like that

[@elianereis1180]

Thats what i thought dude

[@tiberiusmagnificuscaeser4929]

She mentioned that they found small amounts of wear all over the rock, which wouldn’t have been the case if it were used to grind stuff, plus the wear pattern of a grinder is very different from hitting it like a drum, so they would’ve been able to tell if that was it’s purpose. Also, you don’t really need a rock that big in order to crack nuts or grind flower, the job can be done with much smaller and more transportable stones.

[@wetdroidedition2549]

A lof of anthropology is an hoax.

[@atreyanixx2024]

I'm not trying to be a nitpick here dearies but it's Flour*

[@GrimrDirge]

Obviously there's speculation here, but I think the position and wear pattern of the stones (vs known wheat grinding rocks) but it seems entirely reasonable that grinding stones led to drum stones once someone noticed the change in pitch.

[@helium-379]

"What instrument do you play?" "Its complicated..."

[@Aron-ru5zk]

“I’m in a rock band, we’re pretty underground”

[@Sr.Pirulito]

A tip on the Pt-br translation: use "tocar" instead of "jogar", "jogar" is about playing a game while "tocar" is playing an instrument.

[@ulture]

wonder if they got that wrong in Spanish too

[@MrJeffcoley1]

Great. Eight minutes of hearing them talk about how ancient people hit these rocks, and virtually no playing of the rock. And when he does play, people are talking over it

[@rorqualmaru]

I was thinking exactly this. I want to hear him play uninterrupted.

[@Kanoshe]

@@rorqualmaru ik and she even invited him back @britishmuseum give us more!

[@surfneptune]

It would take an archeologist with an open mind to really discover the music in the stones. How they were mounted or placed originally would have a huge effect on how much they resonated. The size of and weight of the mallet object and the reflectivity of the surrounding area. It would be interesting to let a musician have a go at it without any input on how it is thought to have been played. Allow them to find the tones in the material. Super interesting.

[@rylanwebb6921]

Yes. Finally a good instructional video to play my rock gongs

[@ethanschenck9714]

All of these know-it-alls in this comment section saying that these weren't musical instruments annoy me to no end. First, these archaeologists obviously know what the difference between wear and tear from grinding up grain, building, and other such things, so clearly they wouldn't make another completely different explanation for the hell of it. Second, and probably most importantly, rock gongs are still made and played in some parts of the world today, so they would clearly have a reference point.

[@mmestari]

It's well known, that these "experts" have come up with utterly ludicrous bullshit over the years, that have later been proved to be absolutely false. The general problem with people who start to study history or archeology as a major, is that their motivation is often politically biased to begin with, not objective desire for increasing knowledge. People who actually have actual desire for increasing knowledge as motivation, usually study an actual science instead. Anyone who disagrees with this: 1) Has never studied at a university for significant period of time 2) Is poor judge of character 3) Is part of the problem Or some combination of those 3 Blind belief in authority is willful ignorance.

[@sideoutside]

So what you're saying is Libtards are full of shit, and they lie :P

[@janbaer3241]

How do you know someone's political affiliation? Also, liberals won the US Revolutionary War and Civil War, as well as WWII.

[@anothermoth]

Using cliches is a way of avoiding thinking for yourself.

[@TheStuF]

Erilaz could also try analysing "the general problem" with himself and others like him. "people who actually have actual desire...usually study an actual..." What???? Erilaz you cannot even speak and yet you want to criticise ALL archaeologists that EVER existed. Please go back to the school that told you you passed and get your money back :)

[@classmst89]

Scientist - we are trying to figure out how the would have played then Dummer - hold my sticks

[@oceannuclear]

Rock music.

[@cantthinkofaname5670]

k

[@personzorz]

Classic Rock.

[@Mlchitzdq]

The Original ""ROCK" Music"!

[@DrtyTreeHuggr]

Finally!!

[@halvmane5969]

experimental folk noise?

[@xraydoge5430]

“I HEAR THE ROCKS ECHOING TONIGHT, but she hears only whispers of some quiet monke”

[@timhyatt9185]

would love to hear some recordings of them in their original environment....to hear the sound play of other surfaces in the vicinty; doing it in the museum gives you a basic notion, but the acoustics of the space are inevitably going to be strikingly different..

[@rorqualmaru]

The original environment is meters deep underwater now, a dam was built.

[@charlesalexanderable]

I wonder if they have much sound at all when not mounted to steel reverberation chambers.

[@rorqualmaru]

@@charlesalexanderable look up rock gongs. There are videos of people playing these type of rocks. Those aren’t metal reverberation chambers, they’re just mounting frames. They sound like they do acoustically because they contain high iron content.

[@theGreaterAwareness]

Civilian: "Ah, they blew up my house again. Why do we have wars? All I see are ruins" RockDrummer: "I see potential"

[@dliessmgg]

I'm less annoyed by the cynical people in the comment section and more sad that they seem to have lost all sense of wonder and excitement about the possibilities for good things this world has to offer.

[@madi0711]

Everything's subjective, hence why we have opinions. If it weren't that way, we'd all be the same carbon copy of each other. Which is clear to everyone. They didn't assume anything, simply disappointed everything is a rebuttle and an argument not just "hey thats pretty cool" or even if you don't like it simply "eh im not interested *click*".

[@Anomalous-Plant]

I had a really shitty day today because of witnessing the incredible negativity and stupidity of people for multiple times today. Your comment cheered me up, reminded me of the other type of people out there. Thanks man.

[@keylupveintisiete7552]

This is not about taste it's about curiosity. That's how people have been indoctrinated by their governments, they don't think, they don't go beyond anything they just see a rock, they don't see our ancestors expressing themselves and the beginning of music. People are uneducated and when presented with something new they don't understand (or that doesnt have a touchscreen on it), instead of being CURIOUS about it they dismiss it as stupid and not worthy of their time. You only need to see how a kid would react to this and how an adult that has been through the "education" system does.

[@JN-rf2tg]

Dliess Mgg thank you for saying exactly how I felt I agree but you know what there are some people that still have Wonder in their heart I'm one of them and I'm glad to know that you are too

[@bushyman477]

Why does everyone have to be a skeptic lmao...

[@paulagebhardt6018]

A lot of this evidence seems extremely circumstantial....

[@paulagebhardt6018]

@@absoluteunit8628 I'm not opposed to looking at research and, as a professional musician with a degree in vocal performance, am VERY interested in the origins of music. I'm human so I'm wrong all the time and am totally ok with being proven wrong again, but this just seems really vague. Also, why the name calling? What about what you know about me makes me a whore?

[@absoluteunit8628]

Sorry

[@paulagebhardt6018]

@@absoluteunit8628 I appreciate your apology. Thank you.

[@woutervanr]

Damn, seems like I found something interresting in this vulgar burial ground that is the youtube comment section. Bit more digging is needed though, because the find seems incomplete. A piece of the comments seems to have gone missing. We'll probably never know what it said exactly....

[@woutervanr]

@@paulagebhardt6018 It seems like our search has come to an end. After ten, long, sleepless minutes the missing piece to our lifeswork has been found. We can now die peacefully. Spread this story, of heroes and fallen commenters amongst your friends so that it can live on...forever...

[@judgevongrudgenstein3112]

i love the sound it makes! i could totally see myself disappointing my prehistoric parents when I tell them I want to be a rock "gonger" instead of a hunter like my dad

[@LDrosophila]

😄 most underrated comment

[@exosproudmamabear558]

Being gonger is not a real job. You will go to the hunt with your dad tomorrow, young man. I dont want any complaints, end of the discussion.

[@olgierdvoneverec4135]

do you think that the leather drum was met with opposition when invented? i mean, if these were used ceremoniously once they invented the drum with a completely different tone people would've felt it was out of place and maybe there was some people who spent a significant amount of time learning to produce the right sound on the stones, and the techniques didn't exactly translate to the drums so they bashed it as dumb, inefficient or a children's toy back in the day. idk, just a random thought i had.

[@thehutch4823]

Diego R. Huh good question

[@JackhammerJesus]

It seems perfectly understandable for me. Just like people today claim that music sounds better on vinyl than on CD. But eventually leather drums would come out on top, because of their easy mobility.

[@yamiyomizuki]

If your ceremony calls for rock gongs, you use rock gongs, nor reason leather drums would win out since a ceremony does not need to be efficient. Keep in mind historical people might travel ridiculous distances to visit religious places. In france people would climb tje steps of mont sant michele on their knees and in tibet people will prostrate themselves for the full circuit of the Potala Palace and sometimes even the journey to and from the Potala Palace even.

[@JackhammerJesus]

A pilgrammage is all about the journey and making an effort. A ceremony on the other hand is a purely symbolic act and can (and will) be fitted for the situation.

[@yamiyomizuki]

JackhammerJesus that is a somewhat modern atitude, historically many people would have viewed the ritual al having very real importance. I should also point out that people still use rock gongs in some places so clearly leather drums did not completely replace them.

[@fabianvanderelst9643]

But could they play smoke on the water?

[@FuzzySamurai]

me: "time to sleep" youtube: BUT ROCK GONG

[@RyanIKJ]

Friend : Do you play music? Me : Yes, i play rock! Friend : Rock music? Nice! What instrument do you play? Me : A Rock

[@guthixisdead]

Well, how neat is that! I love, love learning about human culture, and in particular deep, pre-historical human behaviors. This video was right up my alley. Thanks for the content.

[@mombiethezombie7536]

I’m trying to figure out just how they came up with an instrument from this. It seems more likely that these would have been used for making/sharpening tools. That seems way more logical than an instrument.

[@JovemGordo]

Hi, the right translate of "play a instrument" in brazil is "tocar" like "how to play drums" the right translate will be "como tocar bateria" Nice video btw 😀

[@MrJazzman24]

I'm an audio engineer...I'm just imagining someone coming to the studio with this. Like "Hey, can you mic up my rock?!"🙃

[@francescaa8331]

Sorry, Gibson doesn't make a pickup for that.

[@roussos87]

Back in my days we had real music. Then they started hitting at the edges

[@fazergazer]

Hi! My name is ot’geth’tsu, my ancestors played these stones called che’ bal’gi. This translates roughly to “announcing sound’ when we approached a settlement we played kl’p kl’p which let people know who we were and our intent❤

[@io1380]

ok but can we have some undisturbed footage of liam playing the gongs.... please?

[@TheFrogsmog]

Right felt like i was in history class

[@ShaneTMcClure]

That’s a nice boulder.

[@sevenbeverly2568]

Cavemen: "that's that real music right there"

[@jaredpurcell8835]

How to play an ancient rock gong: You bang on it. That's it.

[@plasmaglowmusic1655]

**imagines cavemen screwing on top of the rock**

[@jakobraahauge7299]

Ok, this is super cool and awesome! This kind of archeology and art is just amazing! Marvellous!!

[@mathiashansen8622]

Still better rock than Nickelback.

[@sparraw5603]

YOU TALK SHIT BOUT NICKELBACL???

[@Hokage_-ql4ti]

Howdy Justice same

[@dripz167]

Good One *Cousteau voice*

[@traininggrounds9450]

The stigma against Nickelback comes from wanting to distance yourself from actually having enjoyed their music when you were younger. And now you want to appear older and having progressed away from what actually still sounds good to you though you don't want to admit it since they sound too emotional for your tastes. Sort of how you feel bad when you see something you did a long time ago because it was childish, you now feel bad for having enjoyed Nickelback since the tastes of today are much less emotional and more "hardcore". When hardcore is really just about not having any feelings at all.

[@simonleferink1248]

Cavemen beating a rock: Uhg... So primitive Modern man beating a rock: ART

[@thetheflyinghawaiian]

I can't help but wonder what those would sound like on rocks or the earth rather than that hollow ish metal platform that is reverberating.

[@hirokokueh3541]

it's the sound of the rock, I was studying geology when in college, that's the same sound when out hammer and pickaxes hit a quartz based rock

[@lastOFtheBOHEMIANS]

Hiroko Kaku it would sound different on different stand. Go put a rock on the ground and smack it then put it on a countertop and smack it.

[@ethangreenhaw128]

AdamOrnelles read the description

[@ghhg-je8wv]

Lol Im with adam, that has to effect the tone...

[@spoutnik7703]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKvLkGV6gLeefa8

[@ElwoodPDowd-nz2si]

I once found a tree with sticks nearby. I thought to myself, "must be a marimba".

[@Crxig3]

"Right, but how do we know that this was a rock gong?" "We'll because it is. I tell you it is, so it is."

[@Titaniumjake1472]

100% lol it has idents must be a muscial instrument not a tool making area or anything lol

[@owlthepirate5997]

So, is that the only explanation they had for the "unnatural wear and tear"? How do you even notice something like that, and then decide it's a gong, that people played thousands of years ago..? I'm not doubting this at all btw, I just find it amazing how they figure out what stuff is, that they've never seen before!

[@catarinabarbosa2247]

the wear patterns for natural wear vs use for grinding grain/tools vs this are all different

[@circaen]

Oh, you most definitely should find it amazing.

[@akocbibbo]

don't know if the british musuem is reading this - but you could actually record each hit and create a sound board / looper track and allow artists to come up with music based on the sound of the rock gongs...as a drummer that's something I would love to do

[@rootboycooks]

Music with rocks in!

[@barbaracunningham964]

The Root Boy Cooks ! - Pterry !

[@romaerb4161]

Falling in love with a percussionist served to make for a new way of hearing music. Thank you from a light sculptor in the Show Me state, for sharing this history of music. When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. You gotta read the words "Tulips on an organ," to know a person is talking about flowers and music. The words may take on a different visual meaning in the listener's mind's eye.

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

Great. Another stoner rock band :P Ba-dum-tisch ... pardon the gong

[@britishmuseum]

How is that the first time that joke has been made in the last 3 years? You get an official British Museum point!

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

@@britishmuseum I cannot say ... but I shall gratefully put that on my CV in the hopes that it may count towards a free beer at some future point in time. And now you will kindly excuse me, for I am off to work on my upcoming album which shall henceforth be known throughout the land as "Sergent Pebbles Stony Quartz Club Bang".

[@britishmuseum]

Send it to us when you're done. We've had Paleohead's Ok Compewter playing in the office for what feels like eons.

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

@@britishmuseum I shall. But brace yourselves for a bumpy ride. I understand that vinyl is back in black but this is going to play more like the Rosetta Stone at 78 RPM.

[@groovywooky1008]

😂👍👍👍

[@entropyfan9417]

It is official the Stonehenge was used to make music by humans on Halloween, probably spooky scary skeleton

[@Alusnovalotus]

MiaPow Stonehenge Coachella

[@fabianvanderelst9643]

The Stonehenge orchestra: now on tour! 1 concert in a decade! Reserve your tickets now! Anyways, the Egyptians carried gigantic stones too, so why wouldn't they be able to go on tour as well?

[@jamesomewhere]

You are actually correct, Stonehenge has acoustical features. Recent simulation has shown that if a group of people were to chant within Stonehenge it drastically the sound of the chant, making it more powerful. There is examples online if you are interested:)

[@stephsmanicshenanigans8017]

Rene Dominguez yes, and the stones have been moved over time to different spots to make new noises from them or as a whole from the site. They tuned them like a big instrument it’s pretty amazing to try to imagine how that would be possible with those massive rocks

[@mesientogut6701]

Spoopy doots

[@paleogeology9554]

If your interested> Im a Geologist from Pennsylvania, USA. I found a very special type of blue stone here that rings like nothing you've ever hear so I started cutting tabs on these big stones which then really produces some crazy sounds

[@theharlequin7280]

Pfff... I was listening to people smashing rocks together long before it got popular and everyone jumped on the bandwagon.

[@Psychentist]

You know you're old when this brings back memories

[@grabindragin3307]

Considering that classic rock, metal, and hard rock are all the most complex forms of "main stream music" you gotta love this. Music has always been an integral part of society and human development.

[@frozenpine1781]

The thing is, they could totally be wrong about its use and we’ll never know

[@lenlevi3151]

reading comments is more entertaining than the videos.

[@JEAthePrince]

What video? Oh yea

[@woodybob01]

I'm glad to see he asked the first question I had on my mind straight away

[@prilodito2364]

roses are red violets are blue im watching a guy playing an old gong and so are you

[@sparrow5813]

Thanks KZbin for providing us with _valuable_ knowledge during Mr. Rona....

[@Ribo138]

It's a big, beautiful, old rock! Oh, the pioneers used to ride these babies for miles! And it's in great shape.

[@NeonsStyleHD]

Now this is the sort of stuff you expect to see on the British Museum Channel. :)

[@888SpinR]

Was the starting music made using these rock gongs?

[@britishmuseum]

+888SpinR It was indeed! One point to you.

[@britishmuseum]

+bret spath here's a clip of some rock gongs being played in situ - kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZzVYndrYqyKapY They also have a very metallic sound, mainly due to the composition of the rock.

[@assbread5950]

+888SpinR: how to rip a 2,000 year old rock bong.

[@CurtisEFlush5962]

No it was actually Darude Sandstorm

[@editexe1247]

Squidward: is rock an instrument? Patrick: yes

[@spikeman4pres]

In the past would they make these? or would they simply find them lying around and use them?

[@TheStuF]

Good question, a bit of both is the simple answer :)

[@vladimirpetrov3564]

spikeman4pres probably the latter, why would you spend your time grinding at a large piece of stone.

[@TheStuF]

Vladimir - you may be correct in the first part of your comment. I must say - "why would you spend your time..." This is a foolish question! The answer is of course "because you want to make the stone a different shape". In The Future people will ask (with their minds) "why would you spend your time talking to other people?" I will tell them the answer "because you want to make your/their mind a different shape." The way people "Spend Time" is not something to question casually... I knew a guy that spent two years shaping a piece of stone to look like someones head - Now THAT is something to question, after all everybody could already just look at the guys head and see the same shape. Get me?

[@livus3787]

It's funnt to see that in the british museum how hard they are thinking how it could have been played, and the next video about it on youtube is about people in africa keeping traditions/rituals/rhythms alive..

[@rfldss89]

I wonder how much of the sound is due to resonance in the metal stand, and how it would sound outdoors

[@ben76326]

It's hard to say. But if you search Rock gong in KZbin, there is a Bantu rock drummer. And the rocks are sitting on stone, but still have that metallic sound to them.

[@JMRabil675]

I think theres a lot of metal compounds in the rocks

[@k8eekatt]

Basalt columns, which are naturally occurring in many areas around the earth, make a very clear bell sound if they are the right length and laid out sideways, then struck.

[@signdeals4972]

Plot twist: That stone summons legions of evil spirits.

[@Sucellusification]

I always love to hear some good rock music

[@oliverray1814]

Literally *rock music*

[@accidentian]

I feel that the way of the rock is held or placed would also affects how it sound when hit. It doesn't make sense that the bottom would have so many different hitting position if all it makes is one singular sound. If it's positioned in a different way, say on a steady point at the bottom and have less contact surface with the supporting structure, it may produce more notes.

[@stefangross1728]

Yeah but can you play Tom Sawyer on it?

[@conordunne2460]

They sound like anvils

[@Mirakuruuu]

that would be heavy metal

[@conordunne2460]

@@Mirakuruuu haahahaha that killed me 😂😂😂

[@emseebe]

That's amazing, I never knew rock gong's existed before this, thank you.

[@ShinobiNeon]

"My name is Liam Williamson, I've played drums for 15 years, and yet I still don't know what a comb is."

[@ABC21129]

Ah I remember this kit, drummer Ogg Gogbahgon and AC/BC were touring on the summer of 50000 BC where I watched them live.

[@SquidzitAce]

I was there too! I still have my concert fur.

[@ABC21129]

@@SquidzitAce MammothStruck is one of their songs that stood the test of time

[@Spazticspaz]

*takes a sip* Yup, Quake III was a great game

[@D3V1LM0NK3Y]

Is mayonnaise an instrument?

[@LiamWilliamson1982]

Only when mixed with Ketchup

[@arnabghosh3457]

ah yes....the first ROCK concert in human history.....amazing !!!