this gong tree stands in my entry hall. few visitors, no matter
how music-shy, can resist the urge to bang a gong. it is also
useful for gathering the household for coffee and other
emergencies. along with the flowerpotophone and wack-a-phone, it makes up part of my
bangalon orchestra.
the tree is made of poplar. the arms are doweled on for
strength, and the back spine is a sort of long finger joint. pegs
stick out of the back of the arms at regular intervals to hold the
gongs.
the gongs on the top row are Burmese, and seem to be tuned to a
common scale. the second row contains Chinese opera gongs; the two
on the left have a classic shimmery sound, and the two on the right
have distinctive tam-tam style pitch bends. the gong at lower left
is Vietnamese, and has a very clear fundamental tone. a set of
chimes reserves the spot at lower left; i hope to get back to Clarion Music
soon for a whomping big gong to complete the tree.
due to the amazing tones of asian gongs, this project is not
just a fun showpiece; it turns out to be quite musical. as a
result, i hope to build more gong stands, and experiment more with
home-made gongs...
examples:
samples:
samples, loops, and Reason/Mach5 banks coming soon...
this gong tree stands in my entry hall. few visitors, no matter how music-shy, can resist the urge to bang a gong. it is also useful for gathering the household for coffee and other emergencies. along with the flowerpotophone and wack-a-phone, it makes up part of my bangalon orchestra.
the tree is made of poplar. the arms are doweled on for strength, and the back spine is a sort of long finger joint. pegs stick out of the back of the arms at regular intervals to hold the gongs.
the gongs on the top row are Burmese, and seem to be tuned to a common scale. the second row contains Chinese opera gongs; the two on the left have a classic shimmery sound, and the two on the right have distinctive tam-tam style pitch bends. the gong at lower left is Vietnamese, and has a very clear fundamental tone. a set of chimes reserves the spot at lower left; i hope to get back to Clarion Music soon for a whomping big gong to complete the tree.
due to the amazing tones of asian gongs, this project is not just a fun showpiece; it turns out to be quite musical. as a result, i hope to build more gong stands, and experiment more with home-made gongs...