gong, a circular metal platelike percussion instrument, usually having a turned-down rim. In most forms it is struck in the centre with a felt- or leather-covered beater, producing a sound of either definite or indefinite pitch. Its vibrations issue from the centre, in contrast to bells, which vibrate principally at the rim. Gongs may have shallow or deep rims (kettle gongs) and may be bossed (knobbed in the centre) or unbossed. Rimless gongs occur occasionally.
Gongs are pictured in China in the 6th century ce and were used in Java by the 9th century. (The word gong is Javanese.) A deep-rimmed Roman gong from the 1st or 2nd century ce was excavated in Wiltshire, Eng. Flat gongs are found throughout South and East Asia, and knobbed gongs dominate in Southeast Asia. Flat gongs (gangsa) used in ensembles of the northern mountains of the Philippines are struck by hand, like drums, and create resultant melodies through the use of various rhythmic patterns. The kulintang ensembles of the southern Philippines use a rack of tuned, knobbed gongs, but the musicians define pieces through rhythmic patterns rather than specific melodies. The bossed gong chimes of Southeast Asian ensembles may either play melodies or function as time markers, i.e., they define large rhythmic units. In East and Southeast Asian religions, knobbed gongs are used to mark sections of chant or ceremony. Large bossed gong ensembles such as the saing-waing of Myanmar (Burma), pi phat of Thailand, and gamelan of Indonesia continue a rich tradition of concert, theatre, and ceremonial music.
The Western orchestra uses the flat Chinese gong of indefinite pitch (called tam-tam in the West); beginning in the late 20th century, some composers called for such gongs to be played by passing a violin bow along the edge. Occasionally, orchestral music calls for the use of deep-rimmed gong chimes. Acoustically, steel drums of the type originated in Trinidad are multiple-toned gongs.