Make A Good Sound

One thing I stress to my students is, make a good sound. It's not enough to just play the notes correctly, or to have a lot of feeling, you have to be aware of the sound/s you make. Think of any musician you admire. I bet a big part of what attracted you to them was their sound. You can probably also pick them out from other musicians because their sound is identifiable. 

 As a drummer/percussionist, don't just hit your instruments! 

  • Think about what you are doing. 
  • Think about the stroke you make. 
  • Think about how your stick/mallet makes contact with your instrument. 
  • Think about how you release that contact. 
  • Think about the resulting sound.

Stick & mallet selection…

Sound is very important to me. Whenever I play, I always bring a large assortment of sticks/mallets/beaters in order to facilitate getting a wide array of sounds from my instruments. And when I play, I'm always thinking about and listening to my sound. Now what's a good sound in one musical situation may be a bad one in another. Everything changes with the music, with the venue, with the acoustics we have to deal with. So I'm always aware of my sound in the room, the space, the air around me. And I make changes accordingly.

Another part of this is intention. It's not enough to just make the physical motions, you have to intend to get the sound you want. A good example of this is a recent Gong Meditation Session I presented. Afterwards, my wife said, "There were a lot of low tones tonight." This was what I was feeling and working to draw out of the Gongs. My intention was to bring out the lowest tones I could. That is what I did.

And just to clarify things, by good sound I don't always mean pretty sound. If you are playing some beautiful marimba piece, then yes, you may want to produce a beautiful sound. But I also like to play improvised music using sheet metal and scrap metal. The sound there is not beautiful, but I still strive to create a good sound based on both the music and the instruments being played. 

So don't just hit things, make a good sound!

~ Mb

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tam Tam vs Gong

Image
I can't tell you how many times this argument of "A tam tam is not a Gong" comes up. It came my way no less than 3 different times this week. Actually, 'tam tam' (also tam-tam) was 1st used in symphonic music back in the 1800s to differentiate a flat faced Gong from a Gong with a raised center 'boss.' (There is no definitive answer as to where the term tam tam originated - some say it's Chinese, some say it's Hindi, still others say it's something else…) To add to the confusion, 'tam-tam' is a term often used for either an   African  djembe or talking drum. When a score calls for a 'tam tam' (like Messiaen’s 'Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum' or various works of Richard Wagner), then a flat faced Gong, like a Chinese Chau, is used. Flat Faced Chinese Chau Gong/Tam Tam When a score calls for a 'Gong' (like Puccini’s 'Madame Butterfly', or 'Turandot'), then a bossed Gon...
Read more

What to Look for When Buying a Gong

Image
Today's blog is a revised & updated blog I posted 3 years ago on my old website. I'm always having people ask me about buying a Gong. Well, here's some tips: •••••••• So you’ve decided to get a Gong. The first thing to ask is, what will I use a Gong for? What type of music do you play? Do you want to use it in a rock band, a jazz band, solo? Are you looking for a meditation device? These are important questions and will help determine what type and size of Gong to get.  One important thing to look at is how big a Gong do you want? Gongs are heavy. Gongs are not easy to transport. If this Gong will stay in your house/studio, then that makes it easy to have a larger size. But if you plan to travel in a band with it,  you need to look at the impact a different size Gong will have on transporting it.  A lot of drummers want a Gong because they look cool and sound cool. They also want that type of sound in their percussive arsenal.  A good place ...
Read more

Music Notation for Gongs

Image
Recently, I was asked a question about how Gongs are notated in a musical score. Here are various examples of different ways they have been notated, from traditional classical, to modern musical forms. The first thing is to differentiate the 2 main types of Gongs: the flat faced, usually termed Tam Tam in a classical score, and the Bossed Gong, with a raised center boss (AKA cup, nipple). A good example of a traditional symphonic Tam Tam part would be from Gustav Holst’s, The Planets . This example is from Mars, the Bringer of War : We can see the Gong/Tam Tam notated traditionally on a single staff line.  The next example is from Puccini’s opera, Turandot . This is the Tam Tam part, notated on the bottom line. Example #3 is also from Turandot. The score also calls for Tuned Bossed Gongs. Unfortunately I was unable to find a score example of them. John Cage used various Gongs in his percussion music. This is an example of how he notated ...
Read more