New Planetary Gongs CD recorded in NY City at Alex Grey's Chapel of Sacred Mirrors
Maren Good, Senior Faculty and Certified Acutonics Practitioner and Michael Ungar musician and professional recording engineer have produced a new CD that truly captures the exceptional symphonic quality and unique soundscape of the planetary gongs.
Michael and Maren have been asked many times if their playing is rehearsed or if they "choreograph" the meditations. "Our playing is improvisational in nature. It is the interaction amongst the gongs themselves, and their individual personalities that leads and informs our playing," Maren stated.
Maren was first introduced to the Grey's during a workshop with Deepak Chopra, where she was part of a guided tour that was led by Alex Grey through his gallery, the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors in New York City. Alex a visionary artist has the unique ability to capture the energetic body and the numinous on canvas. Walking among the art, experiencing the journey through the Sacred Mirrors is an encounter one does not easily forget. Maren who experienced the space first hand describes it as physically vibrating, she felt compelled to bring her planetary gongs to this sacred space. When she extended this offer to Allyson and Alex Grey, they invited her to participate at their next New Moon Ceremony, a time for setting creative intention and manifestation through meditation and visionary journeying.
It was a match made in heaven, and for the next 2 years Maren and Michael participated in the monthly New Moon gatherings at CoSM. The Planetary Gongs quickly became the signature sound for these ceremonies, creating a sonic current for the evening's festivities. Every time Michael and Maren played the gongs in front of and amongst Alex's artwork, they experienced tonal qualities and harmonics even more vibrant than usual and they heard overtones that were unique to the space. A significant example of this was experienced when the paintings that had been behind the gongs for a year were changed. The Journey of the Wounded Healer was switched to his newer work, The Net of Being the image on the CD cover. After the ceremony, even Alex commented on how the gongs sounded different that night ... what had changed were the images and colors emanating through the gongs. Alex felt the gongs activated the paintings, and truly there were evenings where some colors in his paintings were virtually popping off the canvas. Maren and Michael both felt as though the gongs vibrated with anticipation by simply being in front of the Net of Being.
When Michael learned that the Greys were scheduled to move out of the Chelsea Gallery in December 2008 he asked if he could record the gongs in their space. Alex and Allyson opened the gallery to Michael and Maren on a Monday night when CoSM was usually closed. A professional recording engineer for over 25 years, Michael was intrigued by the idea of recording in this space, surrounded by Alex's artwork. He wanted to see if the unique sound colorations created in this sacred space could actually be captured. With the assistance of long time associate and recording engineer Sean Canada and a matched pair of Schoeps M 100 microphones, known for their purity of sound and lack of harmonic distortion. Michael and Maren played the gongs for two hours and were recorded. The recording was made at 96 bit, 128k, the highest quality digital recording available today. Nine planetary gongs were played that evening and the two hours of recording were edited down into 40 minutes of material and mastered by Bill Lacey, known best for his restorations and re-mastering of most of RCA's classical catalog.
"I've heard many recordings of gongs", said Donna Carey, co-creator of the Acutonics® Healing System, who introduced Maren to the Planetary gongs. "I've never before heard a recording where I felt as though they were being played around me, Michael and Maren have created something truly special. I am so grateful to the Greys for welcoming them and the gongs into their incredible world."
Michael said, " We are thrilled to have been able to so closely capture the interaction of sound, color and intention that together profoundly expands the harmonic resonance of these amazing gongs."
The CD retails for $15 and is available from the Acutonics Online Store, email inquiries to info@acutonics.com or call 575-587-2689.
To hear a brief sound clip of the CD, play the file at the bottom of the page.
The gongs inspire many of us to embark on creative projects, to read about Acutonics® Senior Faculty Member and Certified Practitioner Judy Bernard and her gong CD, Planetary Lullaby, a wonderful recording for relaxation or bedtime, click here.
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