Gong Hacks - #13

I'm always looking for ways to improve my set up and improve how everything works. It's often the simple and inexpensive things that seem to work the best. Here are 2 easy and inexpensive hacks for your own use.

Table Matters

I use a table in front of me covered with Rin & Singing Bowls, Bells, and other percussion instruments. Even though I use a covering on the table—which itself is carpeted—sometimes things move around. Also, the Bowls probably lose some resonance by sitting flat on the table cloth. 




So what did I do? I went to Target™ and bought an 18" X 8' roll of a rubbery, slightly sticky cupboard shelf liner. You can find it in various colors at most variety and hardware stores, and of course on Amazon. I bought a very dark black/grey color. 


Shelf liner on top of my percussion table

My table is 2X4 feet, so I just cut the roll in half to have an 18" X 4 foot piece to lay on top. It's perfect! I now have 1 piece for my gigging set up and 1 piece for my studio. The liner is slightly tacky, so even the small bowls don't move around when struck hard on the sides. And the cushion of the liner seems to improve the resonance of them. Everything else on the liner stays in place until I need it.


All Bowls & Bells are secure

Total cost: $8.99

Magic Wands

This one was a complete accident that worked to my advantage. Yesterday, while shopping at the local grocery store, I was walking down an isle when I spotted something that looked familiar. “Could it be the same thing,” I asked myself?


One of these things is just like the other…

There, among all the other cook out items, sat a box full of different colored grill skewers with an 'e' shaped handle. Hmmm, flumi at the grocery store? I bought one to test out. It needed a bit of breaking in, but it works! So I will be buying the rest of the box tomorrow.

The only difference is I can see is the Gong Wand/eWand has a rubber coating on the handle. The skewer does not. But I have a jar of rubber handle coating, so I added just enough to cover the pointed end and give me a place to rest my little finger.

eWand cost:  $25.00
Skewer cost: $4.00
Savings:        $21.00

If you are aware when you are out shopping, you never know what you can find to make your life easier and save a few dollars/pound/yen/euros.

~ MB

Chop Wood / Carry Water / Play Gongs™





Comments

Popular posts from this blog

528Hz, 432Hz, and Other Fallacies

Cracking/Breaking Gongs

What's The Best Gong To Buy?