These performances always start with a gong and finish in the same way. A star performer in a local bei guan troupe explains the importance of the gong: "If your gong is loud enough, you can overpower the other troupes and force them to play to your beat."
互相較量之際，起音、結束的指揮是鑼，「鑼聲夠響，一聲就壓倒對方，好的鑼聲也會把別人陣頭的板指（節拍）搶過來」，一位北管樂團的團員這麼說。