A Brief History of Gongs

The gong is one of the oldest musical instruments in the world. Archaeologists have unearthed gongs built almost four thousand years ago. No wonder when we hear a gong we feel like we are being touched in our soul.

The earliest written mention of the gong was in China in the 6th century. In these ancient documents the Chinese claim that another culture from Central Asia introduced it to them. While we can't be certain which culture created the gong, it's safe to say the sound resonated with the Chinese and that they made the gong their own.

The Chinese used gongs for many ceremonial functions. They were struck to announce when the Emperor or other important political and religious figures arrived. Military leaders also used gongs to gather men together for battle.

The gong and its music then migrated from China to Java -- the term gong is actually Javanese in origin -- and became established in Indonesia by the 9th century.

The Javanese made their gongs in a new way that was much different from the large flat Chinese gongs; they used deep turned-down rims with a raised knob in the center. The Indonesians also developed a style of playing many of their gongs at once, in a percussion orchestra known as a gamelan. In gamelan, the gongs are usually different sizes, with each one tuned to a different specific pitch.

Gongs migrated slowly from Asia to Africa ?- they didn't have the Internet and airplanes to speed things along back then -- and finally arrived in Europe in the eighteenth century.

The style of gong that Europeans first saw and heard was the big Chinese gong of indefinite pitch that you have probably seen in the back of orchestras.

Though now a regular part of the percussion section in Western orchestras, the first symphony to include one was Mirabeau, written by the French composer Francois Gossec, in 1791. Debussy became the first major composer to incorporate the sounds into his symphonies.

Andrew Borakove is a media writer and a gong aficionado. He is also the proprietor of Gongs Unlimited, the only internet store devoted solely to gongs. http://www.gongs-unlimited.com

---

Buying A Guitar - Do You Know What To Look For?

Buying a guitar is an important decision that my students have often asked me about. They want to know what they should be looking for. This is... Read More

The Top 10 Reasons Why You Suck At Playing Guitar

You don't 'need' to play guitar enough.If you desire to become a great guitarist, you have to want it badly enough to sacrifice other parts of your... Read More

Launch Pad Introduces Subliminal

Who would have ever thought that a call out for a guitar player from the audience would turn into such a wow! Beginning the night off at... Read More

Record Collecting Still Thriving in the Twenty-first Century

It may surprise many to find that the hobby of record collecting, long thought dead after the introduction of the compact disc, is still alive and well.... Read More

The History Of Drums - A Journey Of Sound

Music and musical instruments are an extremely important part of human history. The use of rhythm and song has long been used to express meaning, and feeling... Read More

Interview With An Up And Coming Musician From Toronto

Today, Norm Goldman, Editor of Sketchandtravel.com and Bookpleasures.com is delighted to have as our guest, Dan Goldman, Guitarist, Song Writer, Poet, Arranger and a musician of many... Read More

Surf Waves With Jack Johnson

Lately I've been listening to some pretty cool music by some beach bum named Jack Johnson. The tunes he plays really touch a chord within me. They... Read More

Music and Healing: The Power of Meaningful Words and Music

We All Have a Favorite Piece of Music that Moves Us to a Special Place in Our Hearts. A Conversion About the Music We Love and How... Read More

Play The Piano Like A Pro

Meet the 12 Major Notes:1. C (do)2. C# - Db (do sharp or re flat) (one-key only)3. D (re)4. D# - Eb (re sharp or mi flat)... Read More

Getting Rhythm - Three Tips for Guitar Beginners

If you are just starting out learning guitar one of the hardest things can be getting a good rhythm and keeping that rhythm going while you change... Read More

Modal Theory for Guitar Players - Part 2

Playing the ModesWhen I used to use this pack with students, I provided them with a CD which contained a backing track for each of the modes.... Read More

Managing Your Time, when Music isnt Your Day Job

You CAN do everything.Repeat.You CAN do everything. What you cannot do, however, is do everything at the same time, or create a day that's longer than 24... Read More

A Guitar Lesson to Help You Develop Your Vision

Have you ever done any of the following?1. Made excuses for not practicing because you "didn't have time"? 2. Practiced the same licks and exercises that you... Read More

Creating Your Own Unique Music

Have you ever dreamed of penning your own compositions? Writing music has been a dream of mine for the longest time. And it's a dream I am... Read More

Guitar Tuning Tips

Most new guitar players and even some experienced ones have trouble staying and playing in tune. I'll try listing here some of the common mistakes and there... Read More

Composing for Dummies

When most people hear the word composer, they automatically think of classical composers like Mozart or Beethoven. This is the point where many "would be" composers freeze... Read More

The Irish Harp

The harp that once through Tara's halls the soul of music shed, now hangs as mute on Tara's walls, as if that soul were fled. So sleeps... Read More

Tips on Performing Your Music for Others

Have you ever dreamed of performing a piece you created for others. Imagining that they are captivated and held spellbound by the music? If you have, you... Read More

Tips for a Great Recording Session

You know your songs are great (and so does your girl/boyfriend, family, pets etc), and you finally decided to record an album in a real studio. That's... Read More

Right Hand Guitar Playing Tip

This lesson can open for you a secret of high-speed guitar playing. If take the given technique for 2-3 weeks you'll feel progress in high-speed playing of... Read More

Music For Self Improvement

Would you like to pop in a CD and have a better quality of life, and even self improvement? There are three ways you can use music... Read More

So You Wanna Learn How To Start a Record Label?

Well, you love music so much that you have decided you want to start a record label of your own. This can be a very exciting step... Read More

CD Review: Amber - My Kind of World

Pop/Rock Recording Artist Amber, who has scored seven #1 Billboard Hits (and 3 more Top Tens) in her Career, including "If You Could Read My Mind", "This... Read More

12 Reasons You Should Learn to Play the Piano

All right, folks, here you go: My 12 reasons why you should start learning how to play the piano. Immediately. As in today. This very minute.Okay, fine,... Read More

Who?s Playing What? A Guide To The Guitars Of The Pros

Eric Clapton performs his slow-handed magic on his. Even with just nine fingers, Jerry Garcia kept countless Deadheads dancing as he played with his. At the mere... Read More

Ibanez SR400 Bass Guitar

The Ibanez SR400 bass guitar is very comfortable to play. The neck is thin up at the headstock, you can move your hand along it well because... Read More