秋 (Qiū) — 36 Inch Ohm Chau Gong Handcrafted in China

This is a 36-inch Chau gong handcrafted in China, made to Ohm Store specifications from a B20 bronze alloy, approximately 78% copper and 22% tin. This is the special and traditional alloy for this gong-style, the gong of the orchestra. 

The plate is formed through repeated cycles of heating, hammering, and cooling. A lathe then cuts the bright gold playing surface at center, and the dark oxidized patina at the rim is left exactly as the casting heat made it. 

Sound

A 36-inch Chau gong in B20 bronze has a dominant fundamental in the low-mid range with a strong sub-bass mode underneath.

Where larger format gongs (like our 40 inch Chau Tam Tam) produce a denser, more diffuse wash, this instrument has a more defined character in relation. 

The dynamic range of this instrument spans from a barely audible low hum at the softest touch to a full, room-filling crash at maximum force, with every gradation between accessible and usable.

The sustain on a gong this size in this alloy is significant.

A single full strike will hold for well over thirty seconds of audible decay, with the fundamental remaining the dominant presence throughout. At softer dynamics the individual frequency layers remain perceptible and distinct, which is what makes this size practical for close therapeutic work and not only large performance spaces.

You do not need to drive the instrument hard to access its complexity, it's nuances can be coaxed out through measured, skillfull playing. 

New instruments like these benefit from being played in. Over the first several weeks of regular use, the plate's internal structure will settle and the gong will open further.

The Character 秋

The character stamped above center is 秋 — Qiū, meaning Autumn. Its origins are in oracle bone script, where early forms depicted a cricket, the insect whose chirping signals the season's arrival. The character later evolved to combine 禾 (grain) with 火 (fire), a reference to the agricultural practice of burning fields after harvest to clear the land and return nutrients to the soil. It holds abundance and conclusion in a single image.

Specifications

Diameter: 36 inches (90cm). Alloy: B20 bronze (~78% copper, 22% tin). Weight is approximately 30 pounds. 

Handcrafted in China, exclusively for Ohm Store.

INCLUDED: Comes with Starter Gong Stand, Starter Gong Mallet and Gong Cover with Ohm Logo. 

Check out the 40 inch version of this gong here, or our current gong selection here.