Creating Contemporary Music for Solo Piano through the Interlocking Gong Music of Sabah, Malaysia

This research explores the creation of new contemporary art music for solo piano inspired by the traditional interlocking gong music of Sabah in Malaysia. Sabah gong ensembles feature six or more musicians playing distinct rhythmic patterns that interlock to form a single continuous melody. While composers often use complex interlocking rhythms, the specific mathematical and rhythmic mechanics of Sabah gong music have not been fully analysed or translated into contemporary art music forms. This study addresses this gap by developing a clear compositional method to fuse the intuitive cultural knowledge of a Sabahan composer with formal techniques.

The research follows a cycle of creation involving three stages: inspiration, analysis and composition. First, foundational musical materials from the Kadazandusun and Murut ethnic groups are identified. Next, these patterns are transcribed into standard musical notation to objectively map their rhythmic and structural data. Finally, this data is used to compose new works for solo piano. The piano was chosen because its percussive nature allows one performer to recreate the complex textures of a full gong ensemble. Ultimately, this creative research produces innovative piano compositions that successfully blend indigenous Sabahan heritage with contemporary art music while helping to document local cultural knowledge.