The Way of the Gong™

First, my apologies to those of you who follow this blog for my prolonged absence. Life has sent a number of difficult distractions my way, but I'm ready to resume things here. I had a recording session today which shows the importance of putting your time in, doing the work, and knowing your sounds. I was asked to play some Gongs and bells to a track for an upcoming art installation. I arrived at the studio on time, brought my gear in and set it up. Then I went into the control room where I listened to the 10 minute track. After hearing it, I asked what sort of sounds they were looking for. We talked about a base track of big Gongs and then overdubbing some bells. In the studio… (photo by Meg Mullaney Vartanian ) I went into the studio, got set, and they hit record . I played the big Gongs, matching pitches here, adding a counter point there, just flowing with the music. When it was done, I felt good about it. I went back into the control room for a listen. We played it ...