Reimagining “Talempong” as a Digital Musical Interface Muhammad Ikhsan Assaat 1 , Kia Ng 2 ICSRiM —University of Leeds, 1 School of Music and 2 School of Computing, Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K. 1 ikhsan.assaat@gmail.com, 2 k.c.ng@leeds.ac.uk Abstract. This paper describes the design and development of a mobile instrument interface inspired by an Indonesian percussion called ‘Talempong’. The digital ‘talempong’ is implemented as an iPhone application exploring its movement sensors to stimulate physical playing gesture of the ‘Talempong’; the mobile phone acts as the stick to play the instrument. Using its iPhone motions sensors, the application use an algorithm to detect a hit in real‐time. Once detected, the hit is extracted and mapped to synthesise a ‘talempong’ sound according to the playing gesture. Additionally, visual and haptic feedback are provided using visual cues and device vibration. Keywords: Talempong, mobile music, iPhone, motion analysis, sensor 1 Introduction ‘Talempong’ is an Indonesian percussion which is a very important symbol/identity of the West Sumatran people. It is used in large social events such as wedding and other ceremonies, and a key musical instrument to accompany traditional dance and theatre show. The instrument consists of a set of small knobbed gongs, each produces a different pitch. To play the instrument, the player hold one or two gongs with one hand, and the other hand hit the talempong with a stick/beater. The word ‘talempong' applies to the instrument and the ensemble. A talempong ensemble usually consists of three players. With typically two gongs per player, the ensemble can produce around six notes. Talempong’s material produces a short sustain sound, which requires its players to play fast interlocking patterns. The fast and dynamic nature in talempong playing makes it challenging to simulate. Fig. 1. Playing two notes on a talempong