A talempong a small kettle gong which gives its name to an ensemble of four or five talempong as well as other gongs and drums. The term can refer to the instrument, the ensemble, or the genre of music.
Talempong is a traditional music of the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, Indonesia. The talempong produce a static texture consisting of interlocking rhythms.[1]
Talempong was brought into Negri Sembilan, Malay Peninsular by people of West Sumatra in 14th century. Here, talempong is also known as caklempong.[2]
Talempong can be used to play a wide variety of music, including both traditional or modern. Talempong have been used in some experimental gamelan pieces composed at Sekolah Tinggi Seni Indonesia Surakarta, as there are instructors and students from West Sumatra there.[3]