Digital percussion arrangement for percussion instruments

Abstract

The subject of the invention is a digital percussion arrangement (1) mountable in an instrument body (9), the arrangement (1) comprising a percussion surface (2), at least three force forwarding elements (3) fixed to the percussion surface (2), and a measuring element (4) connected to each force forwarding element (3); the measuring element (4) comprising a movable plate (6) and at least one fixed plate (7), the fixed plate (7) being removably connected to the instrument body (9), the movable plate (6) being connected to the force forwarding element (3), the movable plate (6) comprising a strain gauge (5). The percussion surface (2) is configured to move along a first axis (A1) in response to an external force, such that the movement of the percussion surface (2) is configured to also move the force forwarding elements (3) and the movable plates (6), such that the movable plate (6) is configured to move relative to the fixed plate (7), the strain gauge (5) being configured to measure a displacement of the percussion surface (2) caused by the external force, the percussion surface (2) being substantially perpendicular to the first axis (A1). The subject of the invention is also the method for the application of the arrangement (1).

Description

[0001] DIGITAL PERCUSSION ARRANGEMENT FOR PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The disclosure relates to a digital percussion arrangement that is mountable in a body of a percussion instrument, the percussion instrument being for example a drum or a handpan. The disclosure also relates to the method for the application of the arrangement.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Electronic musical instruments are now widely used in most styles of music. Digital technology has also been applied to nearly every member of the percussion family. Digital percussion instruments offer immense musical potential and great versatility to players, performers and composers.

[0006] Percussion instruments are sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. The percussion instruments they include xylophone, timpani, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, tambourine and handpan. Drums are perhaps the most known and popular form of percussion instruments; therefore they are abundant in digital percussion markets as well.

[0007] The handpan, i.e. the hang is a new type of percussion instruments that was only developed in the 21st century. A basic, non-digital handpan comprises two metal half-shells glued together, a centre tone field surrounded by a circle of at least seven tone fields on the upper side and an opening in the bottom side. Handpan striking techniques can really vary from barely touching the instrument to hitting, from using a single finger to a wrist. These and other things, such as the angle of the player's hand and the location of the strike all affect the sounds that are created by the handpan. For this reason, the digitalisation of the handpan has proved to be very difficult. Digital percussion instruments in the state of the art mostly use piezoelectric thin films as sensors that can only detect the vibration and measure the magnitude of the force of the strike. These sensors cannot sense or measure the pressure coming from the touching of the percussion surface or sliding a hand across the surface. A further disadvantage of using piezoelectric thin films is that there must be an additional sensor included to detect which of the tone fields were hit. Moreover, piezo sensors also have the disadvantage of having their own resonance frequency, which hinders the measurement of the force.

[0008] When using a static measuring sensor, the noise can be easily separated with a frequency filter above a few Hz, so the sensitivity of the sensor is less important. However, for musical instruments it is not possible to filter frequencies below 200Hz as the frequency of the vibration generated during striking falls within this order of magnitude.

[0009] Patent application No. CN109360545 discloses an electronic handpan comprising a photoelectric sensor. Thus, it can be concluded that this solution can only measure the amplitude of the vibration and cannot provide information about other quantities.

[0010] SUMMARY

[0011] It is an object to provide an improved digital percussion arrangement. The foregoing and other objects are achieved by the features of the independent claims. Further implementation forms are apparent from the dependent claims, the description, and the figures.

[0012] According to a first aspect, there is provided digital percussion arrangement mountable in an instrument body, the arrangement comprising a percussion surface, at least three force forwarding elements fixed to the percussion surface, and a measuring element connected to each force forwarding element; the measuring element comprising a movable plate and at least one fixed plate, the movable plate and the fixed plate being connected to each other, the fixed plate being removably connected to the instrument body, the movable plate being connected to the force forwarding element, the movable plate comprising a strain gauge, wherein the percussion surface is configured to move along a first axis Al in response to an external force, such that the movement of the percussion surface is configured to also move the force forwarding elements and the movable plates, such that the movable plate is configured to move relative to the fixed plate, the strain gauge being configured to measure a displacement of the percussion surface caused by the external force, the percussion surface being substantially perpendicular to the first axis Al.

[0013] This solution, in particular the measuring elements of this embodiment, provides possibility to simultaneously measure the magnitude and direction of the external force and the pressure coming from keeping a finger, palm, hand or wrist on the percussion surface; touching of the percussion surface or sliding a hand across the surface. Using the measuring elements also allows to locate the impact position on the percussion surface precisely. This means that with a single analog measurement three mechanical quantities can be calculated and / or measured: the magnitude of the force, the static pressure and the exact impact position on the percussion surface; providing a lot more options for performers and players. Therefore, a performer's movements can be thoroughly detected, measured and analysed. As a result, more colorful musical experience can be created. Using a strain gauge provides the advantage of measuring static and dynamic signal at the same time even within a single sensor signal. The strain gauge enables extremely precise measurements in a repeatable manner and has both a long service life and reliability. Another advantage of the strain gauge is that it does not have its own resonance frequency and is not sensitive to external acoustic noise sources. Using a strain gauge in the digital percussion arrangement also has the technical effect of enabling non-linear measurement with a large dynamic range, which is especially desirable in the world of musical instruments, without the problems of overcontrolling the signal. An advantage of the force forwarding element is that it can act as a vibration dampening element, absorbing external acoustic vibrations and high- frequency vibrations better than the widely used piezoelectric thin films.

[0014] In a possible implementation form of the first aspect, the measured data by the strain gauge is a magnitude and a velocity of a displacement of the movable plate the strain gauge is connected to. This facilitates detecting and measuring the external force and the simultaneous measurement of multiple mechanical quantities in a precise and repeatable way. This also facilitates measuring different external forces impacted on the percussion surface at the same time.

[0015] In a possible implementation form of the first aspect, the arrangement further comprises a computer unit, and wherein each strain gauge is configured to send the measured data to said computer unit such that the computer unit is configured to calculate an impact position of the external force on the percussion surface using the measured data from the strain gauges. This facilitates precise measurement and the possibility of calculating the exact impact position of the external force on the percussion surface. Not only the impact position on the percussion surface can be calculated, but if used in a percussion instrument with multiple percussion surfaces, also the one percussion surface where the external force impacted can be detected and pointed out.

[0016] In a further possible implementation form of the first aspect, the force forwarding element is arranged between the percussion surface and the measuring element. This facilitates an improved digital percussion arrangement with an effective force forwarding arrangement.

[0017] In a further possible implementation form of the first aspect, the percussion surface is circular and is enclosed within the instrument body. This facilitates an improved arrangement that is easily mountable in a drum or handpan, such that the instrument can be used conveniently and without the need of changing the instrument body, shape or structure of the drum or the handpan.

[0018] In a further possible implementation form of the first aspect, the measuring element comprises two fixed plates and one movable plate, the plates being arranged substantially parallel to each other, having a space between said plates. This facilitates a simple structure of the measuring element resulting in a long service life and a relatively inexpensive design. In a further possible implementation form of the first aspect, the force forwarding element is connected to the movable plate by a connecting element and has a longitudinal axis A2 substantially parallel to the first axis Al. This facilitates an improved digital percussion arrangement with a relatively simple design and effective force forwarding arrangement.

[0019] In a further possible implementation form of the first aspect, the measuring elements are mounted within or below the instrument body. This facilitates an improved digital percussion arrangement where the measuring elements are not visible from the outside and are safely covered by the instrument body.

[0020] In a further possible implementation form of the first aspect, each strain gauge is connected to a channel amplifier and is configured to send measurement data to said amplifier.

[0021] According to a second aspect, there is provided a digital percussion instrument comprising a digital percussion arrangement according to the first aspect. This solution provides a standalone digital percussion instrument.

[0022] In a possible implementation form of the second aspect, the instrument is an electronic handpan comprising multiple digital percussion arrangements. The number of the arrangements is preferably nine. This facilitates an improved electronic handpan. Even though multiple separate percussion surfaces are present in the instrument, the problem of crosstalk is eliminated due to the measuring elements comprising strain gauge sensors.

[0023] According to a third aspect, there is provided a method for the application of the arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the strain gauges measure a magnitude and a velocity of a displacement of the movable plates caused by an external force; and the computer unit calculates an impact position on the percussion surface using the measured data from the strain gauges. This facilitates an improved creation of digital music where a single analog measurement provides that three mechanical quantities can be calculated and / or measured: the magnitude of the force, the static pressure and the exact impact position on the percussion surface. This and other aspects will be apparent from the embodiments described below.

[0024] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In the following detailed portion of the present disclosure, the aspects, embodiments and implementations will be explained in more detail with reference to the example embodiments shown in the drawings, in which:

[0026] Fig. 1 shows an exploded three-dimensional illustration of a digital percussion arrangement in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a measuring element in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Fig. 3 shows an exploded three-dimensional illustration of a digital percussion arrangement in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the arrangement being mounted in an instrument body;

[0029] Fig. 4 shows a top view of a digital percussion arrangement in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the arrangement being mounted in a digital percussion instrument;

[0030] Fig. 5 shows a perspective side view of a digital percussion arrangement in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the arrangement being mounted in a digital percussion instrument as in Fig. 4;

[0031] Fig. 6 shows a perspective side view of a digital percussion arrangement in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the arrangement being mounted in a different digital percussion instrument. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Fig. 1 illustrates an exploded three-dimensional image of a digital percussion arrangement 1 according to a possible embodiment of the invention. The digital percussion arrangement 1 is mountable in a body of a percussion instrument. The instrument body 9 is not part of the digital percussion arrangement 1.

[0033] The digital percussion arrangement 1 comprises a percussion surface 2 and at least three force forwarding elements 3 fixed to the percussion surface 2 by connecting elements 8. The connecting element 8 may be screw, bolts or adhesive. Alternatively, the force forwarding element 3 can be a part of the percussion surface 2. In this embodiment, the percussion surface 2 is circular. However, the percussion surface 2 in other possible embodiments can also have a shape of a quadrangle, for example a square, or can have any other convex or concave shape. The force forwarding elements 3 can be any type of elastic or rigid elements. In a preferred embodiment, the force forwarding elements 3 are elastic vibration dampening elements, made of rubber as an example. The digital percussion arrangement 1 comprises a measuring element 4 connected to each force forwarding element 3. Therefore, the arrangement 1 preferably comprises three measuring elements 4. In this possible embodiment, the measuring element 4 has one movable part, i.e. movable plate 6 and two fixed plates 7, the movable plate 6 comprising a strain gauge 5. Preferably, the movable plate 6 and two fixed plates 7 are connected to each other and the movable plate 6 and two fixed plates 7 are parts of the same plate constituting the measuring element 4. However, the structure and arrangement of the measuring element 4 is optional, it can have any number of movable plates 6 and fixed plates 7, as long as there is at least one movable plate 6 and at least one fixed plate 7. The movable plate 6 is able for small movements along a first axis Al in response to an external force. The first axis Al is substantially perpendicular to percussion surface 2. In this possible embodiment, each force forwarding element 3 is connected to a movable plate 6. The fixed plates 7 are removably connected to the instrument body 9. Therefore, the fixed plates 7 do not move along the first axis Al in response to an external force but stay in fixed position, connected to the instrument body 9. The first axis Al is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis A2 of the force forwarding elements 3.

[0034] The percussion surface 2 is preferably relatively stiff. The percussion surface 2 is able to move, vibrate along the first axis Al in response to an external force. The percussion surface 2 moves freely and relative to the instrument body 9, since the percussion surface 2 and the instrument body 9 are only connected via the movable plates 6 which is not a fixed element. Thus, the percussion surface 2 and the instrument body 9 are not in immediate, direct connection. Since the percussion surface 2 is connected to force forwarding elements 3, it is the force forwarding elements 3 and the measuring elements 4 that absorb the energy of pressure and vibration.

[0035] When a user, i.e. player, performer, exerts an external force on the percussion surface 2, the percussion surface 2 vibrates and thus moves along the first axis Al in response to the external force. The external force may be a touch with a palm or finger, a strike with a finger or wrist, or a hit by a finger, hand, beater or percussion mallet. In a preferred embodiment, the force forwarding element 3 is arranged between the percussion surface 2 and the measuring element 4. The movement of the percussion surface 2 also moves the force forwarding elements 3 that are connected to the percussion surface 2. Furthermore, the movement of the force forwarding elements 3 also moves the movable plates 6 that are connected to the force forwarding elements 3. During these small movements, the fixed plates 7 do not or barely move, as the fixed plates 7 are connected to the instrument body 9. Thus, the movable plate 6 moves relative to the fixed plate 7. During and / or after the movement, the strain gauges 5 located on the movable plates 6 detect and / or measure at least one mechanical quantity of the external force. The mechanical quantity can be any of the amplitude of the vibration, the magnitude and / or the direction of forces (dynamic or static) and pressure. The pressure may come from touching of the percussion surface, keeping a finger, palm, hand or wrist on the percussion surface 2 or sliding a hand across the percussion surface 2. Preferably, the strain gauges 5 measure the displacement of the percussion surface 2 caused by the external force. This is done by measuring the magnitude and velocity of the displacement of the movable plate 6 the strain gauge 5 is connected to. (Displacement is a vector which points from the initial position of an object to its final position. The standard units of displacement are meters.) Then each strain gauge 5 sends the measured data to a computer unit. The computer unit is preferably arranged in the arrangement 1 or in the instrument the arrangement 1 is mounted in. Using the data from the strain gauges 5, the computer unit can calculate the exact impact position of the external force on the percussion surface 2. Therefore, the computer unit is responsible for calculating the impact position. The strain gauges 5 are responsible for measuring the displacement of the percussion surface 2, hence the magnitude of the external force and pressure.

[0036] Accordingly, with a single analog measurement three mechanical quantities can be calculated and / or measured simultaneously; the magnitude of the impact, the static pressure and the exact position on the percussion surface 2. The greatest advantage is being able to precisely locate the exact impact position on the percussion surface 2. When the arrangement 1 comprises only one or two measuring elements 4, the position on the percussion surface 2 cannot be calculated. As mentioned before, the preferred number of the measuring elements 4 in an arrangement 1 is therefore three, but it also works with more than three.

[0037] Each strain gauge 5 is connected to a separate channel amplifier and each strain gauge 5 provides independent measurement data. The signal is processed with a multi-channel analog-to-digital converter, optimally at a sampling frequency of 8kHz per channel, but a minimum of 4kHz is required for accurate sampling. The signals from the strain gauge 5 sensors are processed in the computer unit by a software using a microcontroller. The vibration caused by the external force on the percussion surface 2 appears directly on the output signal of the strain gauge 5 sensors; the magnitude of the impact force can be calculated from the average of the peaks of the first rising wave, and the impact position can be calculated from the maximum amplitude of the three strain gauge 5 sensors using geometric formulas known for skilled person. In the same way, the pressure can be determined from the average of the static signals before the moment of impact, and the strength and position of the static signal can be determined at any time, even during vibration.

[0038] Due to the use of force forwarding elements 3 which are able to act as vibration dampening elements, when all the measuring elements 4 are attached to the same instrument body 9, it is easy and reliable to determine which of the percussion surfaces 2 has been struck, or even several percussion surfaces 2 at the same time, and which percussion surfaces 2 vibrate indirectly, taking over the vibrations of the others. When exerting external force on a percussion surface 2, the first rise of the three strain gauges 5 sum pulses has a predeterminable sign, positive or negative, depending on the specific design. This sign is independent of the strength or position of the external force. Due to their inertia, the strain gaugea 5 of the adjacent and more distant percussion surfaces 2 generate a pulse with the opposite sign and a much smaller rise, so it can be located which percussion surface 2 was actually hit. Even better results can be achieved by reducing the mass of the percussion surfaces 2, because the amplitude of indirect unwanted vibrations is proportional to the mass of the percussion surface 2 and the force forwarding elements 3 and the measuring elements 4 connected to the percussion surface 2.

[0039] Due to the characteristics of the strain gauges, the arrangement 1 achieves a particular sensitivity and a particularly wide measurement range on the percussion surface 2, approx, from 2-3 g to 5 kg. Another technical effect of the measuring element 4 having a strain gauge 5 is that it is not sensitive to external acoustic noise, such as concert noise. Any traditional, known strain gauge can be used in the arrangement 1. The positioning of the strain gauge 5 on the measuring element 4 and the size of the plates 6, 7 is arranged such that the elongation resulting from a pressure typical to percussion instruments does not exceed 1000 pe, which is the maximum of a strain gauge, ensuring a long service life. The strain gauge 5 has an optimal resistance of 350 +-0.1%. It is also possible to use a strain gauge 5 with a lower resistance, which reduces the measurement noise, however, this has the disadvantage of higher energy consumption, especially in case of multiple percussion surfaces 2 in an instrument. Full bridge strain gauge can also be used. This has the advantage of being temperature compensated and having sensitivity double that of a quarter bridge connection. The latter is not temperature compensated, but the processing software can track a relatively slow temperature change, which automatically sets the null offset. Each strain gauge 5 is preferably connected to an amplifier with a wire of 150 mm or less. One side of this wire is soldered to the measuring element 4 with a soldering iron, which results in further noise reduction, especially with regard to the filtering of external electrical noise sources.

[0040] Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the measuring element 4 according to a possible embodiment of the invention. As it is shown in this figure, the measuring element 4 can be a plate that comprises two types of plate parts: movable and fixed plate, where only the fixed plate 7 is connected to the instrument body 9 and the movable plate 6 is free to move relative to the fixed plate 7. The movable 6 and the fixed plate 7 are therefore preferably connected to each other. In this possible embodiment, such as in Fig. 1, the measuring element 4 has one movable plate 6 and two fixed plates 7, the movable plate 6 comprising a strain gauge 5. The one movable plate 6 and two fixed plates 7 are arranged preferably substantially parallel to each other, and there is a space 10 between the plates 6, 7. The space 10 allows the movable plate 6 to move relative to the fixed plates 7. The plane of the plates 6, 7 is substantially parallel to the percussion surface 2 and perpendicular to the first axis Al. This figure also illustrates that the force forwarding element 3 is preferably connected to the movable plate 6. The removable connection between the movable plate 6 and the force forwarding element 3 is arranged by a connecting element 8 that may be a screw. The strain gauge 5 is located on the movable plate 6, on the side opposite to the force forwarding element 3. In this embodiment, the movable plate 6 is the middle part of the measuring element 4, so that there is a space 10 next to the movable plate 6 on both sides. The force forwarding element 3 is preferably an elastic object for the most effective vibration dampening, e.g. rubber, and is preferably arranged between the percussion surface 2 and the measuring element 4.

[0041] The connecting elements 8 suspending the measuring elements 4 from the instrument body 9 and the design of the movable plate 6 allow a non-linear (similar to a logarithmic curve) measurement. The reason is that the central axis of the force acting on the measuring element 4 moves towards the inside of the movable plate 6 in proportion to the deflection and due to the asymmetric compression of the force forwarding element 3, thereby shortening the force arm on the movable plate 6.

[0042] The force forwarding element 3 can have any shape as long as it is able to forward the force and movement to the movable plate 6. The force forwarding element 3 can also be made of any type of material and can be rigid as well. However, the material of the force forwarding element 3 is preferably EPDM 55+-5 SH (Shore Hardness). The use of an elastic material that returns to its original shape as quickly as possible when the load is removed, with a favorable elastic hysteresis curve, is preferred for accurate measurement. Natural rubber can also be used, but in that case the measurement might be less accurate.

[0043] The measuring element 4 can have any suitable shape and material and can be equipped with any number of strain gauges. The preferred material of the measuring element 4 is heat treated spring steel. The preferred size of the measuring element 4 is 30x23x1 mm. Fig. 2 also shows connecting elements 8 that can be used to removably attach the fixed plates 7 to the instrument body 9. These connecting elements 8 may be screws as in the figures. However, any of the connecting elements 8 may also be an adhesive, bolt, suction cup, clamp, sticker, etc.

[0044] On the measuring element 4, the connecting elements 8 are located in line with the center axis of the force forwarding element 3, ensuring that the tensile and compressive forces occurring on the connecting elements 8 arise parallelly to the first axis Al without torque, which is also an important factor in terms of service life. This preferred design of the measuring element 4 has different advantages; maximizing the sensitivity of the strain gauge 5 and increasing the measurement range. It is important that the strain gauge 5 is able to produce an evaluable output signal even if the external force is just a small and / or short touch of the percussion surface 2. Fig. 3 shows an exploded, three-dimensional illustration of a digital percussion arrangement 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The digital percussion arrangement 1 is mounted in an instrument body 9. The instrument body 9 is a part of a digital percussion instrument, such as an electronic handpan, i.e. Hang, or an electronic drum. The digital percussion instrument can be provided with one or multiple digital percussion arrangements 1. A digital percussion instrument comprising at least one a digital percussion arrangement 1 can function as a standalone instrument, i.e. without connecting it to a computer and fully independently of other hardware or software. This figure also illustrates that the measuring elements 4 are preferably mounted within or below the instrument body 9 such that they are protected by the instrument body.

[0045] Figs. 4 and 5 show a digital percussion arrangement 1 being mounted in the body 9 of a digital percussion instrument, the digital percussion instrument being an electronic handpan. The electronic handpan is an example of digital percussion instruments. In this embodiment, the percussion surface 2 of the digital percussion arrangement 1 is circular and is enclosed within the instrument body 9. In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, there are multiple digital percussion arrangements 1 mounted in the digital percussion instrument.

[0046] Fig. 6 illustrates a digital percussion arrangement 1 being mounted in another digital percussion instrument, an electronic drum. In this embodiment, the percussion surface 2 is circular and is enclosed within the instrument body 9. In this embodiment, there is only one digital percussion arrangement 1 mounted in the digital percussion instrument. When playing the electronic drum, the external force is exerted by drum sticks, beaters or percussion mallets.

[0047] As it is shown in Figs. 4-6, the digital percussion instruments may have different numbers of digital percussion arrangements 1, may have different numbers of percussion surfaces 2 in different arrangements, the percussion surfaces 2 having different shapes and sizes. The various aspects and implementations have been described in conjunction with various embodiments herein. However, other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed subject-matter, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measured cannot be used to advantage. A computer program may be stored / distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state medium supplied together with or as part of other hardware, but may also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunication systems.

[0048] The reference signs used in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope. Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read (e.g., cross-hatching, arrangement of parts, proportion, degree, etc.) together with the specification, and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of this disclosure. As used in the description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up” and “down”, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure as the particular drawing figure faces the reader. Similarly, the terms “inwardly” and “outwardly” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Digital percussion arrangement (1) mountable in an instrument body (9), the arrangement (1) comprising a percussion surface (2), at least three force forwarding elements (3) fixed to the percussion surface (2), and a measuring element (4) connected to each force forwarding element (3); the measuring element (4) comprising a movable plate (6) and at least one fixed plate (7), the movable plate (6) and the fixed plate (7) being connected to each other, the fixed plate (7) being removably connected to the instrument body (9), the movable plate (6) being connected to the force forwarding element (3), the movable plate (6) comprising a strain gauge (5), wherein the percussion surface (2) is configured to move along a first axis (Al) in response to an external force, such that the movement of the percussion surface (2) is configured to also move the force forwarding elements (3) and the movable plates (6), such that the movable plate (6) is configured to move relative to the fixed plate (7), the strain gauge (5) being configured to measure a displacement of the percussion surface (2) caused by the external force, the percussion surface (2) being substantially perpendicular to the first axis (Al).

2. The arrangement (1) according to claim 1, wherein a measured data by the strain gauge (5) is a magnitude and a velocity of a displacement of the movable plate (6) the strain gauge (5) is connected to.

3. The arrangement (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the arrangement (1) further comprises a computer unit, and wherein each strain gauge (5) is configured to send the measured data to said computer unit such that the computer unit is configured to calculate an impact position of the external force on the percussion surface (2) using the measured data from the strain gauges (5).

4. The arrangement (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 3, wherein the force forwarding element (3) is arranged between the percussion surface (2) and the measuring element (4).

5. The arrangement (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 4, wherein the percussion surface (2) is circular and is enclosed within the instrument body (9).

6. The arrangement (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 5, wherein the measuring element (4) comprises two fixed plates (7) and one movable plate (6), the plates (6, 7) being arranged substantially parallel to each other, having a space (10) between said plates (6, 7).

7. The arrangement (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 6, wherein the force forwarding element (3) is connected to the movable plate (6) by a connecting element (8) and has a longitudinal axis (A2) substantially parallel to the first axis (Al).

8. The arrangement (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 7, wherein the measuring elements (4) are mounted within or below the instrument body (9).

9. The arrangement (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 8, wherein each strain gauge (5) is connected to a channel amplifier and is configured to send measurement data to said amplifier.

10. Digital percussion instrument comprising the arrangement (1) according to any of the claims 1-9.

11. The digital percussion instrument according to claim 10, wherein the instrument is an electronic handpan comprising multiple digital percussion arrangements (1), preferably nine arrangements (1).

12. Method for the application of the arrangement (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the strain gauges (5) measure a magnitude and a velocity of a displacement of the movable plates (6) caused by an external force; and the computer unit calculates animpact position on the percussion surface (2) using the measured data from the strain gauges (5).

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