Layika: A Wearable Device Mapping Traditional Hand Gestures to Tabla Sound

Prakriti Mukherjee, Akhilesh Kumar Bhagat, Kratika Jain, Vivek Rawat, Lakshmi Srinath, Soubhagya K Dev, Sumit Kumar, and Gowdham Prabhakar

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract

We present Layika, a glove-based MIDI device that integrates Tabla accompaniment with finger-counting gestures traditionally used to maintain Taal in Hindustani Classical music. In this style, vocalists commonly use hand and finger gestures to track complex rhythmic structures during practice. Each finger pad corresponds to a mnemonic representing a beat within a rhythmic cycle, with each beat associated with a specific Tabla sound. Layika builds on this existing practice by allowing finger taps to directly generate corresponding Tabla audio, giving singers direct control over rhythmic accompaniment. Layika was developed through multiple design iterations, with attention to sensing reliability, latency, and ergonomic fit. A small user study (N=4) with trained Hindustani Classical vocalists examined how the device integrates into solo practice. Findings indicate perceived usefulness and engagement, alongside technical limitations that informed subsequent refinements.

Citation

Prakriti Mukherjee, Akhilesh Kumar Bhagat, Kratika Jain, Vivek Rawat, Lakshmi Srinath, Soubhagya K Dev, Sumit Kumar, and Gowdham Prabhakar. 2026. Layika: A Wearable Device Mapping Traditional Hand Gestures to Tabla Sound . Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20784305 [PDF]

BibTeX Entry

@inproceedings{nime2026_101,
 abstract = {We present Layika, a glove-based MIDI device that integrates Tabla accompaniment with finger-counting gestures traditionally used to maintain Taal in Hindustani Classical music. In this style, vocalists commonly use hand and finger gestures to track complex rhythmic structures during practice. Each finger pad corresponds to a mnemonic representing a beat within a rhythmic cycle, with each beat associated with a specific Tabla sound. Layika builds on this existing practice by allowing finger taps to directly generate corresponding Tabla audio, giving singers direct control over rhythmic accompaniment.  Layika was developed through multiple design iterations, with attention to sensing reliability, latency, and ergonomic fit. A small user study (N=4) with trained Hindustani Classical vocalists examined how the device integrates into solo practice. Findings indicate perceived usefulness and engagement, alongside technical limitations that informed subsequent refinements. },
 address = {London, United Kingdom},
 articleno = {101},
 author = {Prakriti Mukherjee and Akhilesh Kumar Bhagat and Kratika Jain and Vivek Rawat and Lakshmi Srinath and Soubhagya K Dev and Sumit Kumar and Gowdham Prabhakar},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20784305},
 editor = {Benedict Gaster and João Tragtenberg and Anna Xambó and Tom Mitchell},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {June},
 note = {},
 numpages = {7},
 pages = {853--859},
 presentation-video = {https://youtu.be/7Xfmlg0FM5M},
 title = {Layika: A Wearable Device Mapping Traditional Hand Gestures to Tabla Sound },
 track = {paper},
 url = {http://nime.org/proceedings/2026/nime2026_101.pdf},
 year = {2026}
}