hangforum.com - The Archive

Hey hangsters,

I accidently discovered something that is new to me, and I don't know if it is new to others - I have not seen anything written anywhere about it, unless I missed it somewhere...?

I was picking the hang up off a stool that had some thin padding on it and the gu made a great sound, so I put it back on and pulled it off a few times. I also found it does it on thick carpet.
It's like you get an air seal and pull it off and the sound is really great. I might consider recording it.

Has anyone been doing it/trying it?

yes this is another way to play the hang 'upside down' like an udu or ghatam. perfect for live intimate situations.

there are many videos online of hanghang being played 'gu side up' but the audio frequencies are so low that by the time youtube have compressed the file even more than the original camera did that there is very little left to hear!!

happy hanging

I'm aware of playing the gu where the hang is upside down, though the sound lifting off a thick carpet is much much bigger...I mean to use it this way more so that turning the hang upside down...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0WPVYfgD_g if you witnessed this live you would hear those 'hang on carpet lifting' noises when the whole flat palm is lifted from the whole gu opening (requires bigger hands and a soft but fast touch for the 'full' sound)

Hey Samjjanna -

You can get this rhythmically by lifting the hang by the rim and letting it rock back and forth - on a bed or sofa - and keep it rocking by pushing down on the rim as it rocks. It's another way of sounding the gu's helmholtz resonance. Bit of a novelty move I reckon, as it makes playing the rest of the hang a little tricky. And as all those videos show, you can create that whoopy glooopy groovin swoopy guuuuu sound with your hand.

Man I love Becappela's approach to this instrument - irreverent, curious, liberated.

Michael - brother! - hiya!

Edx

I checked out the video and I can't hear the sound like what I am saying, but I realise it could be because of the quality of recording. And when people say you can get the sound with the hand - they haven''t seen how small my hands are! I will try on the bed and sofa and see how that compares, and if it is not the same I might try to record the sound we experienced.

You can evoke the bass "whump" without covering the entire Gu, as you can see in that video, there's a technique (I've been practicing it! ) of using a "cupped" hand sliding in and against the neck of the Gu with some force.

If you vary how much it occludes the opening -- I do this by changing how "deep" or far I get in -- the pitch changes. The size of the opening is one determinant of the pitch of Hemholz resonance.

It's quite exciting when you get the technique going and play rhythmic percussion on the Gu side and Gu ring, and punctuate it with these bass "whompfs" -- definitely a whole other side (pun intended) to the Hang!

I enjoy playing the Hang vertically in my lap with the Ding side on my right and Gu side on my left, doing a percussive rhythm with the left hand as described little figures on the sound fields that aren't obscured and Ding with my right... on my 2nd Gen (IH tuning) you can get some very "trance-y" sounding grooves going this way, with the low A and Bb and D-Ding...

aaron

Yep, I understand all that, and had it demonstrated to me also when at the hanghaus.
The sound off the carpet is quite a bit different in my experience. I think it will be best if I try to capture it and see if I can offer a sample of the sound.

Hi Samjjana,


have you managed a recording? I am curious to hear a sample ot your "new" Gu sound.

Greetings
Frank

It will be a couple of days before I can get to it - will let you know once I have it. And by the way, it would be a sound file - not sure how to attach it here...?

Hi,

you cant upload the file direct on this forum. You can upload it on your webspace and make a link, or you send me the file per e-mail and I upload it on my webspace and make a link for download.

Greeting
Frank

I just tried to record it, but the microphone is very poor quality so it didn't work, but there is a place I can go early next week that has a good quality mic so I will arrange to record it there.
Cheers,

Hi folks,
Sorry it has taken me so long....CD post production, concerts, planning for imminent return to Australia, etc...!!!
Bad news is that after some effort to record the sound I have not been able to capture it with the quality of microphone I have had access to. It would have been good if the timing had been different as we were in the recording studio for many hours - it would have been the perfect time and place to do it. It will have to wait until I can get to a better recording situation, which will probably be a while.
Did my best!