paiste
DOMINATING sound HISTORY - one gong at a time
Paiste (pronounced Pie-stee) have been making gongs since the 1940s at their factory in Schacht-Audorf in north Germany. They are extensively used in British and European orchestras as well as by rock groups. They are particularly favoured by sound therapists due to the high quality workmanship and the purity of the metals used in their alloys. Paiste have extensive knowledge of the properties of alloys and production techniques for making the sheets of metal from which the gongs are made. Paiste produce or have produced several different ranges of gongs and tam-tams. They are made from a brass known as nickel silver to a formula of 63% copper, 25% zinc and 12% nickel.
symphonic gongs
Their main range consists of the Symphonic Gong (tam-tam) in diameters from 20”/50cm up to 40”/100cm plus 60”/152cm and the World’s largest commercially produced gong at 80”/203cm! These gongs are characterised by their sustained loud crash, full of harmonics and frequencies, and their quiet booming fundamental notes, especially in the larger sizes.
planet gongs
In the 1980s, Paiste in conjunction with Jens Zygar started to develop a range of Planet Gongs aimed at sound healing and meditation practitioners. In appearance they look just like Symphonic Gongs, but when they are played they have a much stronger fundamental tone. This fundamental tone is tuned to a specific pitch based on a natural harmonic series derived from the orbital properties of the Sun, Moon, Earth and other planets and planetoids in our Solar System. These frequencies were calculated by the Swiss mathematician Hans Cousto and explained in his book The Cosmic Octave – the Origin of Harmony
The gongs themselves are actually tuned an octave below Cousto’s frequencies. In reality, the tuning is not that stable and is rapidly lost, especially by overplaying.
sound creation gongs
The Sound Creation Gong range was developed during the 1970’s and early 1980’s. Initially, a set of ten ‘proto’ or prototype gongs were created as a result of these early experiments. These prototypes were then presented to various audiences in seminars, music schools etc who then filled in questionnaires asking them to describe a representation of the sound. The gongs were then marketed according to the groupings of these sounds and other esoteric feelings, using descriptions like ‘Sun’, ‘Moon’, ‘Fire’ etc. The original range consisted of ten gongs (plus four versions of the No. 3 ‘Earth’ gong). At the present time, only the four ‘Earth’ gongs plus the Nos. 8, 9 and 10 ‘Chakra’ gongs are available.
TUNED GONGS
Paiste also used to produce a ranged of tuned or bossed gongs. The range was spread over four-and-a-half octaves ranging from C2 to F6 and diameters from 36″/91cm down to 6″/15cm. The tuning was to either 440 or 442Hz A. Each gong had a specific fundamental note, very bell-like but had a tendency to ‘splash’ when played above forte. The range is no longer available due to the limited repertoire for tuned gongs in orchestral works and the availability of cheaper tuned gongs from South East Asia.
One company, more than any other, is associated with the production of some of the world’s finest gongs - the firm of Paiste.
meinl
MEINL - A NEW HERITAGE
The gongs look very similar in appearance to Paiste Symphonic Gongs, which is not surprising, as the maker of these gongs is Broder Oetken, one time master gong maker at Paiste. They use blanks from one of the foundries that supplies gong blanks to Paiste. The visual differences are that the scrape marks are horizontal rather than vertical, have ‘Symphonic Tam-Tam, Hand Crafted Masterpiece and made in Germany’ printed onto the top face and the Meinl logo below it. Acoustically, they are very similar to the Paiste Symphonic gongs.
Meinl also sell a range of Planet Gongs but note that both ‘Chiron’ and ‘Sedna’ are different sizes and have different tunings to the ones from Paiste.
Meinl also sell a range of different sized ‘Wu Xing’ or ‘5 Element’ gongs plus two versions of the ‘Flower of Life’ gong. These are essentially symphonic tam-tams tuned to a particular fundamental note. They also offer a range of Chau, Wind and other Chinese gongs sourced from factories in Wuhan in China.
Meinl are a German-based company who specialise in a wide range of percussion instruments sourced from all over the world. In 2011 they added gongs to their catalogue.
Sona
REINTERPRETING TRADITION
From 1996 until 2004 the SONA gongs were produced as a special series exclusively for Heimrath at the Paiste workshop. Since 2006 they have been manufactured in small numbers at a workshop on Heimrath’s sound healing campus at Klein Jasedow in north east Germany. Thus the gongs share a heritage with Paiste, as originally they had been Sound Creation gongs modified according to Johannes Heimrath's specifications. Furthermore one of the gong makers at Klein Jasedow, Heiko Palkus, had once been a master gong maker at Paiste. SONA also use blanks from a foundry in Germany used by Paiste as well as manufacturing the mallets both for Paiste and themselves.
The ‘Erde’ (Earth) Gongs have a very definite lineage to the Paiste Earth Sound Creation Gongs (models 3-3C) which at that time were influenced by Johannes Heimrath’s therapeutic experience. It has a very heavily hammered face with definite raised hammer marks almost like bubbles on the metal face. They are made from a slightly thicker blank of nickel silver and available in two sizes:- 30″/75cm and 41″/105cm. They are described by SONA as having a ‘mysterious multicoloured sound of a large, moving, dynamic flexible harmonic spectrum’.
The ‘Kosmos’ gong shares a lineage with the Paiste Symphonic Gong. Unlike the Paiste SG, the Kosmos Gong has a radially scraped face from the central disc and there are no characters or branding on the front of the gong. They are available in three sizes:- 30″/75cm, 41″/105cm and 60″/150cm. SONA describe them as having an embracing sound from a large full bandwidth with dynamic and powerful but balanced overtones. The standard size is the 105cm gong, and it differs from the Paiste Symphonic Gong as the sound is deeper, the whole instrument softer, thus readily supporting the more gentle playing techniques often applied in therapeutic situations.
Sona have connections to one of the original exponents of using the gong for sound healing, Johannes Heimrath, who was cooperating with Paiste since the late seventies.
Tone of Life
A NEW STANDARD IN SOUND
Tom has gone on to develop other gongs in conjunction with Johannes Heimrath and currently Tone of Life Gongs are made at the Klein Jasedow workshops. They are made from sheet nickel silver in the style of gongs made by Paiste though the metal is a little thicker than similar sized gongs from Paiste and Meinl. Tom and Johannes have effectively resurrected the old Past Sound Creation Gong range but with new and interesting takes on the original designs.
The Cosmo Gongs are analogous to symphonic gongs produced by other companies. They are available in 5 sizes from 30”/75cm to 60”/150cm. Tone of Life now offer Air Gongs, Water Gongs, Earth Gongs, Moon Gongs, Sun gongs and Fire Gongs of various sizes all with varying characteristics but representative of the elemental feel of the gongs. Also offered are Dance gongs which come with a convenient wooden handle on the suspension chord and a ‘Dream’ Gong.
The gongs are all made from Nickel Silver but are generally thicker than other German made nickel silver gongs. For instance, the Water Gong is made from 2mm thick nickel silver.
Tom Soltron Czartoryski has been working with gongs since 2002. He worked with Don Conreaux during his first visits to Europe to set up gong training in Poland as well as establishing the third World Peace Bell garden in Krakow, Poland. Tom also worked with Don to develop gongs for use in Don’s workshops and Gongmaster Training.
ufip
AN ANCIENT ITALIAN CRAFT
Bronze working in the area around Pistoia in Italy can be traced back nearly 4,000 years to the Etruscans. Centuries later, during the 1700s, the Tronci family were using bronze in pipe organs. They had a long tradition of bell making dating back to the Renaissance and, by the 1800s, they had expanded into chimes, bells and cymbals with the demise of large pipe organs. The great Italian opera composers such as Puccini, Verdi and Mascagni commissioned large gongs and tam-tams for their operas (e.g. Puccini uses large tuned gongs in Turandot).
The current range of UFIP gongs and tam-tams are made from either cast bronze (B20) or from rolled sheets of bronze (B8) or brass. Generally, instruments up to 28”/71cm in diameter are made from bronze and from 32″/81cm diameter from brass. Forming the gongs from either casting or from rolled metal sheets involves hammering as well as lathing techniques.
Somewhat overshadowed by their European counterparts at Paiste, UFIP (Unione Fabricanti Italiani di Piatti musicali e tam-tams) are nevertheless part of the European gong-making tradition.
sabian
Rock STars’ CHOICE - FROM CYMBALS TO GONGS
Sabian was founded by Robert Zildjian in 1981 after he had parted company with his brother Armand, both of whom had inherited the Zildjian Cymbal Company from their father Armand. Hence the art of cymbal making at Sabian can be traced back some 350 years to its cymbal making ancestors in Constantinople (modern Istanbul).
When it comes to gongs, Sabian also make their own as well as importing Chao and Wind gongs from China. The factory-made gongs consist of a Symphonic Gong (based on the old Zildjian ‘Turkish’ gong) and a Zodiac gong made from Nickel Silver and manufacturing techniques similar to European practice.
Sabian are one of the three largest cymbal manufactures in the world.
oetken
MASTER GONG MAKER GOES SOLO
Broder eventually left Paiste after that company wanted to concentrate on its Symphonic and Planet gong ranges whereas Broder wanted to carry on with developing new gong sounds in the tradition of the Sound Creation series.
He has set up his own gong making company - Oetken Gongs. With access to the foundries supplying blanks for Paiste, he was originally commissioned to produce a range of tam-tams for the Meinl Company. These ‘Symphonic Tam-Tams’ were first displayed at the Frankfurt Musikmesse in 2011. He is also producing the Planetary Tuned Gongs and Wu Xing gong ranges for Meinl as well as gongs for Olli Hess. He has also worked with individual gong players to produce gongs for their needs.
Broder has also developing his own range of gongs in between the commissions for Meinl and others. His first bespoke gongs were a pair of ‘Sol’ or Sun gongs made at my suggestion and tuned to B1 but 36" (90cm) in diameter with radial scrape marks. He has since made the ‘Erda’ gong which is 36" (90cm) in diameter and tuned to C2#. Other Oetken gongs include a Thor’s Hammer gong, a heart gong, (designed with Graham Bater) several Earth gongs and gongs made as tributes to the legendary Walter Meyer. Broder can also produce symphonic gongs and planetary tuned gongs. He also runs a gong making workshop once a year where you can try your hand at making a 16’’ gong!
Broder Oetken was a master gong maker at Paiste, working alongside Walter Meyer for many years.
gongland
THE EVOLUTION OF A LIFELONG APPRENTICESHIP, GONGLAND’S ROLF NITSCH IS PUSHING BOUNDARIES
THE NEW PREMIUM
Rolf Nitsch started with Paiste in 1977 and worked with master gong makers such as Rudi Bonness over a 20 year period where he perfected his gong making skills. In 2013 he started working with Johannes Heimrath at SONA gongs and helped develop many of the Tone of Life element gongs.
In 2017 Rolf started Gongland and developed a range of gongs that now numbers at least 50 variants from 20”/45cm diameter to 60”/150cm diameter. This includes his ‘Classic’ series featuring gongs called ‘Dark Water’, ‘Old Wise Earth’, ‘Dusk’, ‘Universe’ and ‘Eclipse’. Other gongs include an expanding range of ‘Planet Gongs’ and ‘Advanced Gongs’ which are based on more esoteric concepts. The gongs are made from nickel silver, thicker than Paiste but the same as Tone of Life. No gong leaves Rolf’s workshop until he is very satisfied with it which means that Gongland Gongs are amongst some of the highest quality nickel silver gongs in the World.