Theactblog

Originating from China, the gong is a percussion sonorous instrument made in the form of a broad thin disk with a deep rim. Since its inception, it has spread to Southeast Asia as a type of flat bell and across the globe today. Gongs vary in diameter from about 20 to 40 inches, and they are made of bronze containing parts of tin and copper; but in many cases the proportion of tin is considerably less. The gong is beaten with a round, hard, leather-covered pad that is fitted on a short stick or handle. Once hit, it emits a peculiarly sonorous sound–its complex vibrations bursting into a wave-like succession of tones, even deep shrills. In China, Japan and other Asian nations known to use it, the gong is used in religious ceremonies, state processions, marriages and other festivals. You can actually modify its tone by particularly striking the disk in various ways.