The Hanging Gong

The Hanging Gong

Hanging gongs are hanging on large wooden stands. The gongs are drilled with two holes in the rim, and a strong piece of cord is tied onto it. The gongs are then hang on the stands which are constructed by two side posts supporting a crossbar. These stands are often carved with images of flowers, and the crossbar are usually carved with intertwining dragon. The carvings on the racks are usually painted in gold and the rest in one other color, usually a darker color. The carving and the painting is actually not essential. It depends on the gamelan makers. Many gamelan exist with simple carving or none at all. Some of them are even unpainted.

Hanging gongs' knob are on the side. The gong player need to sway the mallet sideways so that the head of the mallet can struck on the central knob. The mallets have a head in the shape of a disc which is covered by a detachable ring of padding. While playing, the strokes are usually very gentle.

Hanging gong has a flat surface. At the center, there is a protruding knob, and the surface become slightly concave near the edge. There are many sizes of hanging gong. It can be very big and heavy.

Basically, there are two types of hanging gongs:

Gong Ageng

Kempul

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