How to Make a Chinese Gong

Last Updated: February 15, 2022

A gong is one of the oldest musical instruments in the world, and consists of a flat metal disc that resonates when struck with a mallet. The most common form of Gong in the Western world is the "Chinese gong," also called a tam-tam or Chau gong. These gongs come in various sizes and are hammered into shape from brass or bronze. Hand-hammering an authentic Chinese gong is out of the financial and technical reach of most people, but you can make a Chinese gong at home using a few improvised materials. This project is great for making musical instruments for children or for augmenting a collection of improvised percussion instruments.

Steps

1
Gather your materials. To build your homemade gong, you will need a disposable cake or pie pan, an electric drill, and some string or twine for hanging it. You can use nearly anything for a mallet, but it will need to have a long handle and a relatively soft head.
2
Drill holes in the pie pan for hanging. The gong will need holes to be suspended with the string. Begin by fitting your electric drill with a bit just wider in diameter than your string. Drill 2 holes near the top of the pan, about 6 inches (15 cm) apart.

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3
Loop the string through the gong. Begin by passing the string through the first hole from back to front, and then pass the string through the second hole from front to back. Tie the loose end of the string to the other side of the string to create a loop of string about the same diameter as the pie pan. Cut off any excess string with scissors.
4
Construct a mallet for striking the gong. You can improvise a gong mallet from materials you already have in your home. For example, a small mallet can be made by poking the tip of a pencil through a wine cork. Hold the pencil in your hand and strike the center of the gong with the cork end. An alternative is to take a long object such as a pencil or wooden spoon and wrap electric tape thickly around one end to form a bulb shape. Use the taped end for striking the gong.
5
Suspend the gong from a stand if desired. The gong can be played by holding it from the stringed loop and striking it with your free hand. If you want to mount your Chinese gong from a stand, however, you can build one from materials you have around your home. The string loop should be hung from a horizontal brace supported by 2 vertical pillars on each side. These supports can be made from cardboard, PVC pipe, or any other sturdy household material you have.

Community Q&A

Question

What instrument family does the gong belong to?

Community Answer

Percussion - auxiliary percussion to be precise. They can typically be found in nearly all forms of ensembles, such as orchestra and concert band, even marching bands have them in their front ensembles.
Question

Can you paint the gong with the paint or any other thing to make it a little bit more attractive?

Yesgirl

Community Answer

Sure! However, the Chinese gong was made to make sounds, not to be decorative. If it doesn't make sound, then it's not a traditional Chinese gong. However, it would be an amazing decoration!