"Do It Yourself" tamt-tam/gong.

Not very happy about it (I DO HATE shopping malls), four days ago I went to IKEA to buy some stuff for my daughters´ bedroom. Fortunately, and because it was Tuesday morning, it was not too busy.

Believe or not, there are many things there a percussionist could make good use of, and today I´m going to write about one of them: the STOCKHOLM 2017 tray, article number 103.452.47, which you can find HERE. It´s made of stainlees steel, it´s 40cm in diametre (15.5") and features the same flange tam-tams have (4cm). Taking into account that artisans like Lance Campeau,  Matt Nolan, Dave Collingwood, Greg Keplinger..., have (or have had) stainless steel instruments in their catalogs, it was not too crazy thinking this tray could end up as a musical instrument... Also, because it was 15€, it wouldn´t hurt my pocket much should the experiment failed.

Here´s the tray fresh from IKEA:

© David Valdés

© David Valdés

© David Valdés

I need to hang it in order to play it, so the first and only thing I did was drilling the flange so I could pass a rope through the holes. Taking into account the orientation of the logo (if we are going to do it, let´s do it right... 😊), I draw a line from its centre to the edge. From that line, I moved 7cm to each side (totally random, it was the measure I felt was OK), and then marked the centre of the flange with a felt pen.

© David Valdés

I marked those two points with a single blow of a nail so as to make way for the bit (use a bit for metal and not the first one you get your hands on... 😉) and to prevent it from sliding while drilling. I started with a size 1 bit, progressing up to size 9 (the one allowing the rope to comfortably pass through).

© David Valdés

© David Valdés

I did so with both points on the flange. When done, I used this tool to get rid of imperfections and shavings.

© David Valdés

In order to avoid the rope being damaged by the rough inner surface, I wrapped the size 9 bit with grade 500 sand paper and worked the inside of both holes untill they were smooth like a baby bum.

© David Valdés

I passed a cotton rope through them...

© David Valdés

... and the tray became a tam-tam. 

© David Valdés

© David Valdés

And yes, same we go around with Paiste, Zildjian, Sabian..., logos, I´ll go around with an IKEA one right in the centre of my instrument 😆.

© David Valdés

How does it sound? Pretty well... Here you have a video (recorded using an iPhone). Headphones or good quality speakers are recommended. I have played dead centre, very close to the flange and half way between both so you can check the different sounds it can produce (very much noticeable live), Surprisingly enough, you can sometimes here the glissandi opera gongs are capable of.

What can I say? For 15€ and a couple of holes, the result is spectacular. If you give it a try (no pun intended), maybe the article "Do It Yourself gong beater" is a good start to make your own beaters.

If you feel adventurous, I´ll be happy to see and hear what you come up with.

…et in Arcadia ego.

© David Valdés