Design and Development of the E-Bonang Musical Instrument as an Integration of Music and Electronic Prototyping for Educational Purposes

Bonang is one of the instruments used in the gamelan orchestra, which is one of the most valuable cultural heritage of Malaysia. However, due to its high price and bulkiness of the traditional design, the Gamelan is beyond the reach of many schools and musicians in terms of affordability, space and mobility. Development of the E-Bonang is an innovative approach to solve these issues as well as sustaining and promoting this musical heritage through technology to a wider audience, especially the younger generation. The aim of this paper is to highlight the design and developmental process of the E-Bonang musical instrument and the potential of the device in integrating both music education and electronic prototyping education. One of the main contributions of this design approach is that the instrument’s weight will be reduced up to 60% and can be manufactured with much lower cost. The product has the potential of introducing students to traditional music education (gamelan) while emphasizing the D.I.Y feature of electronic prototyping as an experiential education which includes circuit building, microcontroller programming, sound experimentation and product assembly.