Designing A Tangible Rhythmic Interface for Digital Drum Talk

Pierre-Valery Tchetgen

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract

I propose a tangible user interface and communication protocol for computer mediated rhythm-based interaction for educational applications (music, language, mathematics). Thinking beyond the paradigm of keyboard-and-screen-based interfaces, this project is based on previous work on the Drumball. By converting rhythmic input into multimodal output, it creates an entangled ecosystem where the human body, digital musical instruments, and the Internet of Things intersect. Such a digital orality system could offer parents and practitioners a novel method for introducing children to literacy, STEAM skills and multimodal communication in the early years. I present design iterations of 1) a tangible rhythmic interface for digital drum talk inspired by the style of play of the Djembe, 2) a protocol for sending piezo sensor outputs over a custom PCB shield, which can be recognized across multiple platforms and web-based environments without additional customization; and 3) a suite of rhythm-based learning games using the Alphariddims multimodal symbol system based on the Morse code. I argue that such a culturally-grounded approach to music technology design provides a viable avenue for the preservation and revitalization of the vibrant, yet intangible, cultural heritage and traditions of the African talking drum cultural systems.

Citation

Pierre-Valery Tchetgen. 2025. Designing A Tangible Rhythmic Interface for Digital Drum Talk. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15698962 [PDF]

BibTeX Entry

@article{nime2025_83,
 abstract = {I propose a tangible user interface and communication protocol for computer mediated rhythm-based interaction for educational applications (music, language, mathematics). Thinking beyond the paradigm of keyboard-and-screen-based interfaces, this project is based on previous work on the Drumball. By converting rhythmic input into multimodal output, it creates an entangled ecosystem where the human body, digital musical instruments, and the Internet of Things intersect. Such a digital orality system could offer parents and practitioners a novel method for introducing children to literacy, STEAM skills and multimodal communication in the early years. I present design iterations of 1) a tangible rhythmic interface for digital drum talk inspired by the style of play of the Djembe, 2) a protocol for sending piezo sensor outputs over a custom PCB shield, which can be recognized across multiple platforms and web-based environments without additional customization; and 3) a suite of rhythm-based learning games using the Alphariddims multimodal symbol system based on the Morse code. I argue that such a culturally-grounded approach to music technology design provides a viable avenue for the preservation and revitalization of the vibrant, yet intangible, cultural heritage and traditions of the African talking drum cultural systems. },
 address = {Canberra, Australia},
 articleno = {83},
 author = {Pierre-Valery Tchetgen},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.15698962},
 editor = {Doga Cavdir and Florent Berthaut},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {June},
 numpages = {8},
 pages = {570--577},
 title = {Designing A Tangible Rhythmic Interface for Digital Drum Talk},
 track = {Paper},
 url = {http://nime.org/proceedings/2025/nime2025_83.pdf},
 year = {2025}
}