Tam-Tam Facts
Tam-Tam Facts
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| Interesting Tam-Tam Facts: |
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| The word 'tam-tam' is derived from the word 'tammittam', from the Malaysian language which means 'drum'. |
| The first time the tam-tam was used as a solo instrument was in 1964, by Karlheinz Stockhausen. His piece was titled 'Mikrophonie'. |
| The tam-tam is made to have a slightly concave shape, and the material is usually cast bronze or sheet bronze (hammered). Holes are drilled in places on the tam-tam that do not vibrate to enable wire or twine to suspend the instrument. |
| Some tam-tams are suspended on frames that sit on wheels. |
| The best quality tam-tams are made in the region where they originated from - including Japan, China, and other Asian countries. |
| The mallet head (that is attached to the shaft) which strikes the tam-tam is made of wood, metal, and felt. They can range in diameter from 6cm to 15cm. |
| The shaft of the mallet used for the tam-tam is between 28cm and 35cm long. |
| Some musicians will use mallets from other instruments for striking the tam-tam including mallets normally used for the cymbal, timpani, or bass drum, as well as beaters for the triangle, brushes, and even their hands in some cases. |
| Some musicians rub the tam-tam with objects such as chains, wine glasses, and cardboard tubes. |
| To make sound with the tam-tam the instrument is rubbed/stroked, or struck with a mallet or other object. |
| When a musician strikes the tam-tam they do not hit the center. They hit a few inches or more from the center, depending on the size of the instrument and the instrument itself and based on the desired sound. |
| In some cases the musician must strike the instrument to begin the vibration prior to actually striking it to make a note. |
| The tam-tam has been described as booming, screeching, brilliant, metallic, and majestic, among many other adjectives. |
| The note produced by a tam-tam when it is struck can resonate for as long as several minutes. |
| The tam-tam was included in orchestra pieces such as Gustav Mahler's 6th Symphony (1906), Maurice Ravel's La Valse (1920), Alban Berg's Violin concerto (1935), and Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures of an Exhibition (1874). |
| Other names for the tam-tam include the chau gong, bullseye gong, or Chinese gong. |
| When writing music for the tam-tam the composer must stipulate what size of tam-tam the piece is written for. The notation for this instrument is written on a single line. |
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