Use an Arduino to Build These 3D-Printed MIDI Finger Drums

If you want to make music, you have a lot of options. There are, of course, dozens of traditional instruments you can play, and there are also a virtually unlimited number of ways to make music electronically. While there are certainly very expensive electronic instruments and MIDI controllers on the market, they don’t necessarily have to cost an arm and a leg. For instance, you can build these simple 3D-printed MIDI finger drums using an Arduino and a few inexpensive components.

Most electronic drum sets utilize piezo sensors to register strikes and their force. But this project uses simple strain gauges instead. When connected to the Arduino Uno, those strain gauges can be used to measure how far a surface is bent. That’s where the 3D-printed parts come into play. The drum surface is attached to the base through a relatively thin stem. When you tap on the drum surface, the stem flexes slightly and that is registered and measured by the Arduino.

Other than the Arduino and strain gauges, the only other components necessary are those to build a simple differential amplifier to boost the output of the gauges. The provided code calibrates the readings at startup so it can accurately detect taps on the drums surface. When plugged into a computer, the Arduino acts as a typical MIDI controller thanks to LoopMIDI and Hairless MIDI software. That allows you to use it with any music production software you want. Just assign some drum sounds, and start tapping!