Bowing Gongs with Contact Mics

shanemorris · Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 6:05 pm Post subject: Bowing Gongs with Contact Mics

I thought I would share a little of the sounds and sights of my latest experiments with bowing.

I built a couple contact mics lately (my first DIY project too) and they work quite well with bowing cymbals and gongs.

Here is some pics and recording of a 22" Wind Gong bowed with a contact mic and processed with reverb and delay. Very Happy

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Gong and mic

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My first DIY project ... Contact Mic on 1/4" cable

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BowedGong.mp3

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Download (listen)

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Inventor · Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 6:51 pm Post subject:

Shane, what a perfect beginner's project for you! It's simple, it's experimental, and it works with all your percussion stuff. I didn't even know you could bow a gong, I thought they were mainly for bashing. So you'll pick up some basic solder skills and have fun playing with the contact mics - what next?

Les

jfox · Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 7:11 pm Post subject:

Cool stuff Shane.. cool stuff.. Cool

there is loads of string instruments you can build and use with your Pizzo & Bow Very Happy

john

shanemorris · Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 7:21 pm Post subject:

Inventor · Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 9:14 pm Post subject:

to practice soldering, you might want to try your hand at wire art. Just get some wire and strip it and bend/solder some creation. Costs essentially nothing and is good practice...

Les

D.Miñoza · Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 11:08 pm Post subject:

rich harmonic overtones..

bliss!

shanemorris · Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 3:02 am Post subject:

blue hell · Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 5:49 am Post subject:

Great sounds Shane!

I would have expected the red and black mic wire exchanged ... but as you don't seem to have a hum problem prolly it's ok the way it is.

And maybe invest in some shrink wrap tubing, its more robust than tape.

D.Miñoza · Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 7:09 am Post subject:

I love bowls, bells and gongs, etc. LOVE Tibetan bowls..
Wondering how are you're "attacking" the gong?
Are you bowing the edge?

Your microphone project takes me back to Rebecca Mercuri's seminar at Pocono Skies,which opened my eyes and ears in a big way...

-this makes me wanna build something Smile

shanemorris · Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 8:17 am Post subject:

shanemorris · Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 8:26 am Post subject:

rlainhart · Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 6:33 pm Post subject:

You can also stop the gong with your thumb or finger at different locations while bowing to, with some practice, extract specific pitches. I did a multitrack tape piece in 1975 called "Bronze Cloud Disk" that used just that technique. You can hear a short excerpt of it, from my Experimental Intermedia release called "The Thousand Shades of Blue", here:

http://www.experimentalintermedia.org/mp3/115_disc1_1.mp3

There's another piece from the same time on that release, called "Two Mirrors Face One Another", that uses bowed Japanese temple bowls as the sound source. Here's an excerpt from that:

http://www.experimentalintermedia.org/mp3/115_disc1_2.mp3

shanemorris · Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 7:47 pm Post subject:

mosc · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 8:27 am Post subject:

Have you tried using two pickups on different parts of the cymbals for stereo?

shanemorris · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 9:37 am Post subject:

SPIKE the Percussionist · Joined: Jun 06, 2006 Posts: 74 Location: manipulate.net

Try bowing Vibes and a Marimba.
Hell...
Anything you can get an edge on that will vibrate.

I really love the sound of bowing metal.

I have a rig setup for just this noiz.

I radar dish to cymbals so i don't have to touch them when bowing.
I haven't seen anyone else do that and I don't know why they wouldn't have to begin with.
(I will need to ask my professor about that one.)

I attached a couple of pics.
One is my general rig of metallics.
The other is a noiz rig for a guest appearance with another project.

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mettallics rig

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noiz guest rig

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shanemorris · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 1:34 pm Post subject:

SPIKE the Percussionist · Joined: Jun 06, 2006 Posts: 74 Location: manipulate.net

cbm · Joined: Oct 25, 2005 Posts: 381 Location: San Francisco

Superballs are also great to excite gongs.

shanemorris · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 5:58 pm Post subject:

shanemorris · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 6:15 pm Post subject:

Here is a couple pics of my instruments and arrangement for tomorrow's performance on Atmosphera.

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Gong and Cymbals

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SPIKE the Percussionist · Joined: Jun 06, 2006 Posts: 74 Location: manipulate.net

SPIKE the Percussionist · Joined: Jun 06, 2006 Posts: 74 Location: manipulate.net

shanemorris · Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 4:02 am Post subject:

kkissinger · Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:33 am Post subject:

Shane, listening to your mp3 now. Great sounds -- very meditative.

Can you include this in the late-night-ambient drift music in Kansas City? (hint hint Wink

)