What kind of a gong is this one?

I don't really know but it looks more like the head of a huge drum than a gong.

First of all, not "gong", the name is "tam-tam".

A gong is a TUNED percussion instrument.

A tam-tam is a percussion instrument of indefinite pitch.

And yes, I suspect this is indeed a VERY large drumhead.

I believe it's called a gong drum. Jamie might be able to clarify better than I.

First of all, not "gong", the name is "tam-tam".

Second of all, tam-tam is a type of gong. :toothygrin: I want to know the exact type of the gong.

not sure i would call it a gong tom either, they usually have different rim set up (similar to tympani) as made by TAMA. Sure would be nice to get a side shot of the drum in question. My guess is that it is a unique instrument for the project they are working on. definitely a one-of-a-kind

It's a giant frisbee. Duh.

Really? I thought it was a vertical frying pan, like the ones NASA made so austronauts could cook in space... :x

Second of all, tam-tam is a type of gong. :toothygrin: I want to know the exact type of the gong.

No, a tam-tam is a tam-tam.

A gong is a Chinese instrument that has a specified pitch.

The shape and fabrication of a tam-tam is quite different from that of a gong.

QC, I have to respectfully disagree with you — "gong" is in fact an inclusive term to indicate any of a number of instruments in the family, only some of which are of Chinese origin. The "tam-tam" is the Western word for a traditional Chinese gong called the "Chau" gong, and it is one of a few popular types of unpitched gong models. Pitched gongs, as encountered frequently in Indonesian gamelan ensembles, also fall under the "gong" umbrella term.

Back to the topic of the thread though, the instrument in question is not at all unique, though it is fairly rare outside of film scoring applications. It isn't actually a gong (it's a drum), but it IS called a "gong drum". :thumbsup:

I guess the "gong" vs. "tamtam" question comes down to whether you're talking about systematic musicological terms or practical use to avoid confusion. A tamtam is a form of gong, musicologically, but if used alone "gong" implies the pitched form and is better avoided in a practical context, when a tamtam is meant.

It probably depends on which country you are from as well.

Americans have always referred to all "gong-type" instruments as "gongs".

While in French there is a very clear distinction between a Gong and a Tam-tam.

Hmmm, what does that sound like? Looks like it'd sound like a really thin but extremely low and solid bass drum to me, I've never heard of gong-drums.

Btw, you just got respectfully pwnd, Michel.

I don't think so... "gong" definitely refers to a definite-pitched instrument, while a tam-tam definitely refers to an indefinite-pitched instrument. While the two are superficially similar (metal plates with curved lips), there is a difference between the two.

Americans are just sloppy and imprecise with their language. :)

That's what I was always taught too, until I read about it in specific percussion books, which basically said what Marius said. Gong is a term of Javanese Gamelan music that is applied to the whole family of instruments made of hammered bronze in the form of a round plate, which is more or less bent like a "bowl", hit in the centre, and hung from its side. Practically speaking, two forms of east-asian gongs have entered the western orchestral ensemble and in this usage have been restricted to the term "tamtam" for the unpitched variant and "gong" for the buckled, thicker, pitched variant.

So when speaking of your typical orchestral instruments, the distinction between tamtam and gong is certainly important to avoid confusion. But when talking about instrumental families, they still both are "gongs".

But I'm not denying that there might be differences depending on languages.

Back to the topic of the thread though, the instrument in question is not at all unique, though it is fairly rare outside of film scoring applications. It isn't actually a gong (it's a drum), but it IS called a "gong drum". :thumbsup:

What kind of a sound does it produce?

I didn't find a handy piece to show you which would have a very clear statement from the instrument, but if you listen to the score for Benjamin Button (the scoring session for which that picture was taken at) then you will be able to hear some subtle presence in cues such as "Submarine Attack". In that cue it's mostly played very softly to produce a very very low "boom" that's more felt than heard — to represent the submerged threat.

Basically, imagine the "tight" sound of a timpani, except remove the extra resonance of the body and obviously a low pitch. I've never had the chance to play one myself, but I've heard that, depending on how you play it (mallet type, strength of strike, etc) it can either produce deep bass-drum like tones (but with a sharper attack), or more "buzzy/springy" hits reminiscent of a strong timpani hit.

Thank you, Marius!

Do you perhaps know whether any classical scores call for one?

Any time. :happy:

And no, as a matter of fact, I don't know of any that do. Which doesn't mean that there aren't any, it's just that I'm not familiar with them — I'd be interested to find out too though, so let me know if you discover any.

If is made of metal, and hanging like that, is a Gong, if is not metal, no, is not of course ...

Tam-Tam is a Gong too, (I think French call them Gong-Tremulant, or something like that) there are many kind of gongs. The Pitched Gongs are called "Thai Gongs" (or Burmese Gongs), and they are from big low pitch to very small high pitch (called Gamelang Gongs) Tam-tam is an unpitched gong indeed and it has been enhanced since years ago to creat that brilliant sound we know. Some Scores published today still comes with the word "Gong", everybody knows that the score is meaning a Tam-tam....

Anyway...the picture is very weird...

Psst, we already went over all that, monsieur SYS65.