Gong Playing in Funeral

Usually, the Bahnar gong ensemble consists of three bossed gongs and seven to ten flat gongs. Each of the gong players holds and hits a gong tuned to a different pitch, including octaves, repeatedly with variation of timing to create an interlocking pattern. This produces something akin to melody and rhythm. Generally, the players of the flat gongs are responsible for the melody, while those playing the bossed gongs handle the accompaniment. In addition, one ensemble member plays a large, double-sided drum to lay down the basic beat.

In funeral rites, the sound of gongs functions as a bridge connecting the land of the living to the world of the dead, and they play gongs at the house of the deceased all through the night.

This is a excerpt from “Music of the Bahnar People from the Central Highlands of Vietnam” Sublime Frequencies 2016 (SF107)

Website