Gong Master Training

THE SHRUTI, THE VOICE, THE LISTENING

The Gong may be at the heart of Gong Master Training, but learning to work with sound reaches far beyond the Gong itself.
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The shruti box holds a particular place within this practice. Its continuous drone creates a tonal ground a steady field in which the voice can explore, listen and find its own resonance.
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At GMT, Tim Byford brings his experience as a musician and multi-instrumentalist into this exploration, guiding students through the relationship between shruti, voice, toning and overtone singing. His approach combines musical understanding with the creativity, curiosity and playfulness that are central to his teaching.
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This work also carries forward an important strand of Don Conreaux’s teachings.
Voice, toning, overtoning and shruti practice have long been part of his wider approach to Gong Mastery exploring how the human voice can meet and become part of a field of sound.
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With the shruti holding the drone, we begin to hear differently: not simply singing over a sound, but listening into it discovering harmonics, resonance and the changing relationship between voice and tone.
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Another instrument. Another way of listening.
Part of the wider journey into the art and science of the Gong.

GMT Don Conreaux Aidan McIntyre

THREE TRAININGS. ONE JOURNEY. 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

🌀Gong Master Training UK🌀
offers a path into the art and practice of the Gong rooted in the teachings developed by Don Conreaux and Aidan McIntyre and together with Tim Byford is carried forward today through practice, experience and transmission.

Today, the training is led by Aidan P McIntyre and Tim Byford, together with Elisabetta Fossaluzza and the GMT faculty, continuing a tradition of learning through direct experience, deep listening and shared practice.
Each year at Hawkwood College Hawkwood this path unfolds through three different trainings offering different ways to begin, immerse and deepen.

🌱GONG INITIATION🌱
A focused introduction to the Way of the Gong.
A space to develop foundational playing skills, explore the relationship between playing and listening, and begin working with the Gong, singing bowls shruti box ,conch shells and many other sound instruments for yourself, individuals and groups.

🌟10-DAY GONG MASTER TRAINING🌟
At the heart of the GMT programme:
a ten-day immersion in the art and science of resonant sound.
Technique, philosophy, Gong Baths, voice and overtone practices, singing bowls shrutibox conch shells and other instruments, group performance and the all-night continuous playing Gong Puja come together in an intensive experience of learning, practice and community.

✨️FURTHER JOURNEYS IN GONG MASTERY✨️
For those who have already begun their training and wish to go deeper.
An intensive retreat dedicated to refining Gong and singing bowl techniques along with shrutibox and conch shells , deepening our listening and exploring one-to-one and group work, intention, communication and the relationship between player, sound and receiver alongside a deeper exploration of the origins, structure and ceremonial context of the Gong Puja.
Three trainings.
Different stages of the same journey connected by the invitation to play, listen, explore and continue learning.

💫The 2027 Gong Master Training UK programme will be announced in October.

Course information & booking: https://www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk/

https://www.gongmastertraining.co.uk

✨️The journey doesn’t end when the training ends✨️

Further Journeys in Gong Mastery is an invitation to return to the practice — and go deeper.

Designed for those who have already begun their journey with the Gong, this immersive training at Hawkwood offers the space to refine technique, expand awareness and develop a more confident, intuitive and responsive way of working with sound.

Led by Aidan McIntyre and Tim Byford, the training moves between technique and artistry, individual and group work, deep listening and direct experience.

Students will explore and deepen their practice with Gongs and different mallets, singing bowls, conch shells, shruti box, voice, toning and chanting — with access to a remarkable collection of master-quality instruments.

From one-to-one practices to complete individual sessions, the emphasis is not simply on learning more, but on integrating and developing what you already know: listening more deeply, understanding when and how to play, adapting your approach to different people and settings, and recognising your own strengths and areas for growth as a practitioner.

All within the wider Way of the Gong — where technique, intention, awareness and care become part of the same practice.

19–23 October 2026
🍂Hawkwood🍂

If you have already begun your journey with the Gong and feel ready to take your practice further, this is your invitation to return to the circle.

Join us this October and take the next step in your Gong journey.

Discover the full programme and reserve your place through: https://www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk/

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During our latest Gong Master Training at Hawkwood, Don Conreaux joined the circle once again — this time from across the distance, live on screen, supported by his daughter Yaelle Yaelle E. Shaphir, L.Ac

Students had the opportunity to listen, ask questions and share a moment of direct exchange with one of the teachers whose vision helped shape the Gong Master Training from its beginnings.

Don may no longer be physically present at every training, but his teachings remain deeply woven into the work.

Today, Aidan McIntyre and Tim Byford, together with the GMT faculty, carry the training forward — honouring its lineage through the practices we explore, the teachings shared in the classroom, and a living body of knowledge that continues to be experienced, questioned and passed on.

That transmission also continues through the written word.

Each GMT student receives a collection of books and study texts reflecting Don's lifetime of exploration into the Gong, sacred sound, consciousness and holistic resonance.

And sometimes, beyond the pages, the circle opens again.

A screen becomes a meeting place.
A question becomes a conversation.
Distance disappears into listening.

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“You don’t play the gong, the gong plays you.”
— Don Conreaux

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An ancient voice, carried by the breath.

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Long before the instruments we know today, the conch shell was already being used across cultures as a call — a sound travelling through open space, marking moments of gathering, ceremony and connection.

At Gong Master Training, students are invited to discover this ancestral instrument through direct experience: learning how breath becomes vibration, and how something formed by the sea can reveal such a powerful and unmistakable voice.

And there is something particularly beautiful about playing the conch outdoors.

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Breath meets shell.
Sound meets landscape.

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Across the gardens and open spaces of Hawkwood, its voice travels beyond the player — through the trees, across the land, and into the distance.

A practice that connects us not only with an ancient instrument, but with one of the oldest and most instinctive ways of making sound:

breath becoming voice.

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This summer, the 32nd UK Gong Master Training returns to Hawkwood.
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What began decades ago through the meeting of Don Conreaux and Aidan McIntyre continues today as a living practice of listening, vibration, and awareness.
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Over the years, their collaboration helped shape a training rooted not only in technique, but in a deeper relationship with sound — where the Gong becomes a pathway into listening and transformation.
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Guided by Aidan McIntyre and the GMT faculty, the training continues under the inspiration of Don’s teachings.
His writings remain part of the journey, MEM Yoga continues to be practiced, and although Don can no longer be physically present, he will once again join the training through special live Zoom connections.
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The circle remains alive.
The practice continues.
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We gather again this summer at Hawkwood to listen, to learn, and to enter more deeply into the field of sound.
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“To play the Gong is to enter the ocean of sound.”
— Don Conreaux
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🔗 gongmastertraining.co.uk

"A very gentle tap with the Aspen mallet allows the bowl to reveal its higher voice."
~ Aidan McIntyre ~

Singing bowls carry a different quality of sound depending on the mallet or technique used.
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Where the gong expands almost immediately into a wide field of vibration, the bowls invite a more focused and intimate listening experience.
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Whether gently tapped or gradually awakened with the wand, both approaches support individual sessions and subtle work on and around the body.
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At Gong Master Training, this aspect of the practice is explored alongside gong playing, offering a more complete understanding of sound as a field of awareness.
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During the training, participants work with Aidan McIntyre's collection of antique singing bowls, each carrying its own unique tones and resonances, shaped by time and carefu use - and always treated with the care these precious master-quality instruments require.
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This year, a selection of these bowls will also be available for purchase.
An opportunity not only to learn, but to connect with instruments that carry a living tradition of sound.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXspVBej_S9/?igsh=MW14N3Zubjdqb2V3ZQ==

Bring Me Back Home To 💗@timbyford Thank You! Beautiful demo of original “Shruti Revelation” and Overtoning. #shruti #onlinegongmastertraining #gongmastertraininguk

An invitation into sound and resonance🌀🌀🌀

We are delighted to be part of the May Day Festival at on Monday 4th May.
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A day of community, creativity, and connection — with music, workshops, talks, and shared experiences set within the natural surroundings of Hawkwood.
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During the festival, Gong Master Aidan McIntyre and the GMT team will offer a Gong Bath — an immersive experience of sound and vibration.
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A space to pause,
to listen,
and to be gently carried by the resonance of the gong.
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Whether you are discovering it for the first time or returning to the practice, you are warmly invited to experience the subtle power of sound.
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Join us from 10am to 5pm.

Find out more and explore the full programme:
https://www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk/our-programmes/may-day-festival-2026
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