tam-tam technique

techniquestam-TAM tek-NEEKfrom Malay/French

Playing techniques for the large orchestral gong including striking with various mallet types, bowin‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‍‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‍‍‍‍‍g the edge, and using friction to excite specific overtones.

In Depth

The tam-tam responds to a remarkable range of playing techniques beyond simple striking.‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‍‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ Using a large soft mallet produces a slow-building wash of sound; a hard mallet creates a more immediate, cutting attack. Bowing the edge with a contrabass bow excites specific overtones, producing an eerie, singing tone. Rubbing a superball mallet across the surface creates whale-like groaning sounds. Placing small cymbals or other metal objects on the tam-tam while playing creates sympathetic vibrations and rattling textures. These extended techniques have been explored extensively by contemporary composers and percussionists. The tam-tam's rich overtone spectrum means it responds to even subtle changes in striking location, mallet hardness, and technique. Water gongs — slowly lowering a vibrating tam-tam into water — produce a distinctive descending pitch bend used in film scoring and contemporary music. The instrument has become a laboratory for percussive exploration, far beyond its traditional role as a climactic orchestral effect.

Did you know?

Rubbing a superball mallet across a tam-tam produces an otherworldly groaning sound so uncanny that it has been used in horror films to simulate the voice of supernatural entities.

Related Terms

tam-tam gong extended technique

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Keep Exploring

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