(updated 12/1/22)
Working with Gongs as a Meditation & Theraputic Medium
I have come into contact with many different people using Gongs, Singing Bowls, Bells, Tuning Forks, etc. in their sound meditation & healing practices. As varied as the people are, so are their methods. Many people using these instruments are not trained drummers or musicians. There is nothing wrong with that. Percussive or musical training is certainly not necessary. But as a trained percussionist myself, I feel that the techniques I've learned, facilitate and enhance my approach to these instruments.
For myself, I use the Gongs in two very distinct ways:
- In performance as a concert, featuring music I have composed for Gongs.
- In a meditation session.
As my musical approach has evolved over time, both the concert and the meditation session have blended together, coming out of the same percussive approach, as I do many of the same ideas in both. The difference is the intent. In a concert setting, there is a focus on a more rhythmic and melodic/harmonic aspect, while in a meditation session, there is still melody, but the time becomes stretched, or even nonexistent, often leaving the sounds floating in the air.
Gongs in Meditation & Healing
There are various people offering courses in sound healing where you receive a certificate suitable for framing and hanging on your wall. Some of these people are genuine experts with a wealth of true knowledge to offer (see my links page for some of these knowledgable teachers). Some others, that I have reservations about, have told me that people who have not taken their course are doing things wrong, and even doing things so badly that they need to take their course and become certified!
Today Gongs & Singing Bowls have become very popular, with many people now buying one. But I must say, that just because you own a Gong or Bowl, doesn't qualify you to call yourself a Gongmaster and hold Gong sessions at your local Yoga studio (just like owning a guitar doesn't qualify you to be a guitar teacher or a rock star up on the concert stage).
I have done my homework!
For the past 40+ years, I have done a lot of research and investigation into sound and how it affects us. I have read countless papers, reports, books, interviews, etc.. I have listened to many other players and hundreds of recordings. I have also spoken to, and interviewed, many sound practitioners. Additionally, I have conducted my own research and experiments in sound, and even belonged to a few mystical organizations which offered further instruction on sound & vibrations—so I have done my homework! And I'm still researching and learning more, because there is always more to learn!
Yes, I do give lessons and present workshops on sound & meditation! But first off, I tell people upfront that there are many ways to achieve the same end, and what I offer is only one way, drawn from my own personal experience and perspective. So rather than teaching them a mechanical method that is highly codified and one size fits all, I help them find their own way by giving a variety of ideas and options. I prefer to help people realize their own sound potential.
“One only needs to follow the Gong and let it be the teacher”
I’ve had numerous heated discussions about the above statement. My own belief is that it is naive to believe that you can just buy a Gong and let it teach you everything you need to know. This would be like thinking you can buy a football and learn how to be a football player from the ball—it doesn’t work that way! Yes, the Gong can teach you many things, but not to a pure beginner with no background or basis to proceed from. Once you have a foundationtion, then you can start to learn from the Gong itself, you can ask it the right questions. But each Gong is unique, so it becomes on ongoing process if you add more Gongs to your set up.
I have over 130 Gongs, and each one is different than the others. Each Gong needs to be played in its own way, reacts to the same mallets in its own way, and responds to my touch in its own way. It’s the same for the Bowls and Bells: each one has its own unique properties that require me to adjust my playing technique and approach in order to produce the sounds I want. There is no one size fits all technique that works for everything! You need a solid foundation in playing these instruments in order to just deal with them.
And it’s not just the instruments. There are a myriad of mallets and striking/rubbing implements available today. Which one do you use to get the sound you want? And beyond that, the same mallet will sound and react differently on each instrument. Then there is also the touch. How hard or soft you strike, and at what angle can make a huge difference in the resulting sound. So the possibilites are endless.
My workshops and lessons are about the possibilities inherent in all of us, about finding a personal direction with the Gong, Bowls, and Bells—what works for me may not work for you. So I act more as a guide than a teacher. If you open up to the Gong, it will reveal itself and its mysteries to you, but you have to start from a solid foundation of good technique and direction.
Even after over 40 years of playing Gongs, I am still a student, as there is always more to know.
There is no end,
no bottom,
no limits with the Gong.
~ Singal Rinpoche
That is why I never call myself a Gongmaster. You cannot bestow a title like that upon yourself. In traditional societies, a Shaman is not a Shaman until s/he is perceived that way by their followers. Only their followers can bestow a title, such as Shaman, upon them. It is the same for being a Gongmaster. If others wish to call me that, I am honored, but for myself, I will always be a student of the Gong.
My Personal Method
I am highly claire-sentient. This means that I perceive and process the world through feelings. These feelings are both emotional and physical. I am also clair-audient, meaning that I also perceive and process the world through sound. I am also on the Autism Spectrum, so my brain & nervous system are wired differently than most. For me, Gongs (and other ringing metals) are the ideal instruments, as I can sense the vibrations on a variety of levels, so too in fact, that I select my instruments by how they affect me personally. While I do not generally see auras, I do sense what I describe as pressure waves emanating from people and objects. In fact, as a percussionist, I relate to the various instruments by how they feel to me, often more than how they sound!
If you come to more than one of my sessions or workshops, you will notice that they are each different from the other! I have no script or master plan that I follow. While I do have specific sound ideas and techniques that I use, I may or may not use some of them at a session. In a true jazz fashion, I improvise. What I do do, is take in the feelings/vibes of each session—the participants, the room, the weather, anything that presents itself—and I use that information to determine what course to take. I may concentrate more on one instrument than another merely because it feels right at the time.
Many Gong practitioners use one or two Gongs. The question has come up as to why I use so many (usually 5-12, or more)? There is nothing wrong with using a single Gong, or 2 Gongs, and many people do excellent work that way. I just happen to perceive things in perhaps more broader terms and prefer to have more sound options available. I may even bring a Gong and not use it at all if I don't feel some sort of connection with its vibrations at that moment.
Chakras/Colors/Tones
It has become popular here in the Western world to assign our ways and values to the ancient Chakras and other energy systems. In this matter I defer to the great Frank Perry, who has written a wonderful essay on this here (look for the essay PONDERING THE REALM OF HEALING WITH SOUND).
Just to add a bit of my own feelings to this, I have always preferred the sounds that are in between what we perceive as harmonious, or in tune. Perhaps that is why I feel so attracted to percussion, because other than the mallet instruments, percussion deals more with pure sound than any system of melody/harmony. For example, I use a 28" Paiste Planet Jupiter Gong, which is tuned to F#2 (183.58 Hz) which is said to be in the color spectrum of red. This would match up closely with the Root Chakra, which is said to be the note G at 194.18 Hz and the color red. To say that the Jupiter Gong will only affect Root Chakra issues, is to me, short sighted. I personally feel that things are fluid, and any tone/note can affect any Chakra at a given time. The important thing is determining which tone/note is needed at the present moment. Sometimes it's a combination of tones that creates the right vibrations to release blocked energy.
Another aspect of the Gongs is that they also produce a wide array of harmonics. So while the Jupiter is tuned to a fundamental note of F#2, there are a myriad of harmonic tones also present, which give the Gong its characteristic sound. These harmonics can also have a great affect on the body and its energy systems. Himalayan Singing Bowls, which are ritual objects often used for sound healing, produce multiple fundamental notes with many harmonics. In fact, different notes will present themselves depending on how the Gong/bowl is played, and what type of mallet/wand is used. Then there is the combination of tones from multiple Gongs and/or bowls, that will produce further tones. Bells are another thing. While they tend to have a much more focused and predominant pitch, they also have various harmonics/tones that can be brought out with different mallets and playing techniques.
While I have various Planet Gongs, and Bowls at various tunings, I personally do not go along with any sort of idea that the Gongs are working with any sort of magical planet energy or aspects. Likewise, I don’t subscribe to any Bowls (or Bells for that matter) being asigned to specific Chakras. I feel that this is more or less wishful thinking. All the instruments I use have been picked out purely for their sound and that it is a sound I can work with. It really doen’t matter to me what planet, color, flower, etc. each instrument is associated with. I see all matter and energy as being fluid and ever changing, so I work from that idea.
A Deeper Look At Vibrations
The science of Church Bell making is very detailed as to shape/fundamental, and partial tones. The sound of most metal percussion, while often perceived as a single note/tone, is a complex weave of tones. If you are interested in some very indepth writing on bell making and the related science of harmonics and waveforms, please check out Australian Bell.
The Myth of Frequencies
One of the other poular ideas circulating today, is that of the frequency of A=432Hz being nature’s perfect tuning. There is a lot of Indiana Jones type mythology being put out there of how there is a conspiracy, started by the Nazis or the Illuminati, to make 440Hz or 442Hz the standard tuning frequency, in order to somehow control everybody. This would all make a great novel or film if it were true.
If we look at many of the most famous classical composers of the past few hundred years, we would find them using a wide variety of tuning standards, with none of them being exactly 432Hz. Composers in different geographic areas tended to have their own tuning standards. This was often based on the instruments they were using at the time and what tuning range they sounded best in. In opera, composers often based the tuning on where range of the the main singers voices were.
It is only fairly rencently that a modern tuninging standard of A=440Hz (or even 442Hz) was established. Rather than being some sort of conspiracy, it is a way to make sure that orchestras from Berlin, London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and beyond are all playing the same music to the same tuning standard.
Even with this standard, some musicians/groups (most notably rock bands and electronic musicians) will tune lower, like 438Hz or 432Hz, to achieve a fuller sound. On the opposite side, some will tune higher to achieve a brighter sound. And then there are musicians/composers like Harry Partch who invented his own instruments and came up with his own tunings and scales. Outside of America and Europe, many countries and ethnic regions have their own differing tuning standards that vary from 432Hz and 440Hz.
So all conspiracy theories aside, there’s really nothing to see here.
Perception is Everything
In the end, what matters most is how you feel about any given sound/tone/vibration.
Does the sound affect you in a positive way?
Is the sound both calming and opening?
Does it help you move through, or past some sort of trauma or blockage?
Any sound can affect you differently on different days. What's important, is that there is a sound for you in the moment. What the specific note/frequency is, is not the most important factor. What affect it has on you is.
My ideas and methods may not align with your needs. And that's OK. You should always check out various practitioners and teachers to see if what they offer aligns with your own spirit and values.
~ MB