Kempisc

Built on demand.   Ships in 2-4 weeks.

Kempisc is a set of small yet heavy gongs. As minimalist adaptations of bossed gongs, they produce a clear pitch. When struck in the center, the tone is calm but has a very strong focus — that is, projection — meaning the sound is tightly bundled and directed, like a ray of sine waves. Think of it as a laser beam. When the gongs are struck closer to the edge with a harder mallet, the sound becomes richer in overtones, spreads more broadly, and moves in the direction of a gamelan-like character.

The gongs can be tuned quite precisely — to major, minor, according to Euler harmonies, Wilson scales, Bayati, or other specific tuning preferences. The standard tuning for a set of 4 gongs (⌀ = ~23/22/20/18 cm) is captured in the recording below. To discuss custom tuning requests, please get in touch.

(wooden stick not included)