This article will cover over 20 steel tongue drum quality manufacturers, including the best steel tongue drum reviews of specific models as well as reviews of steel tongue drum makers.
If you are trying to decide on the best steel tongue drum and where to buy a steel tongue drum you are in the right place.
The FAQs below the reviews include popular sheet music and tutorials for steel tongue drum music plus we answered all your tank drum questions to serve as a buying guide for the steel tongue drum. (FAQs found below the Reviews)
Lets dig in!
Best Steel Tongue Drum Makers With Reviews
VibeDrums Double Steel Tongue Drum 18 note, 9 per side
Scale info: With Vibedrums, even those purchased on Amazon, you choose your scale. These drums have 9 notes on each side IF you choose the ¨double¨ option.
See all VIBEDRUMS Steel Tongue Drums on Amazon
Number of Notes and Drum Diameter: 9 notes per side, 18 notes for a double, 13 inch diameter
Drum Material: 13 gauge Lead Free Stainless steel
Production notes: Double Powder coated using VOC free powder coat that´s more scratch resistant than other brands. Hand tuned.
Vibedrum Steel Tongue Drum review:
Some Vibedrums, including the one shown above, even ones sold on Amazon, allow you to choose your scale or scales, if you choose the double side option. (Message seller after purchase to indicate which scale you want).
If you do not choose a scale, the most popular scale is sent. In the case of this double 18 note moonshine finish shown above, they will send you F-Akebono-440 Hz / D-Minor-432 Hz if you do not indicate the scale after purchase.
Vibe drums is one of the pioneers in steel tongue drum making and they have one of the best quality tongue drums available. The notes vibrate for longer than less expensive drums, the tongues are properly spaced so the vibration of one does not interfere with the sound of another tongue, and the tongue has the telltale vibedrum octagonal shape to ¨maximize the sweet spot¨ playing surface of each tongue.
Vibedrums is a small family based business that began in Europe in 2008 and later opened a manufacturing facility in Arizona in 2015. This means Vibedrums are able to offer you a steel tongue drum made in the USA, which are hard to come by.
Links to other VibeDrums Steel Tongue Drums:
The drum above is the standard, which is a double sided drum. If you want to see the basic, single sided vibe drum with just 9 notes, click here.
Vibedrums also makes a 10 inch mini drum that is designed to be portable. Find the vibe drum mini here.
Zenko Akebono Steel Tongue Drum
Scale info: Akebono scale, a traditional Japanese scale that is a pentatonic (5 note scale). This drum has the following notes G3 C4 D4 Eb4 G4 G#4 C5 D5 Eb5.
Number of Sounds and Drum Diameter: 9 notes, 12.6 Inch diameter
Drum Material: Heat treated steel, made in France
Production notes: Made in and shipped from France (unless purchased from Amazon warehouse stock)
Zenko Akebono Steel Tongue Drum Review:
Note: the Zenko steel tongue drum is made in and shipped from France unless you purchase one Amazon has in listed as stock, so check the listing carefully.
This drum is produced using the highest quality steel and made by skilled French craftsmen. The shipping time should be considered when choosing this drum.
As you will notice from the sample video above the Zenko has clear crisp notes and long sustain. It is a top quality instrument in all respects.
Each purchase includes mallets, a beautiful carry case, and a ring that can be used to set the drum on a table for play.
Links to other VibeDrums :
Cosmic Tone Steel Tongue drum made in Adelaide Australia
Scale info: Many scales available, and you choose the scale as each drum is custom made.
Production notes: Custom made, 6 week production time. Ships from Australia.
Cosmic Tone Steel Tongue Drum review:
The Cosmic Tone Steel Tongue drums are custom made in Adelaide, Australia and have a phenomenal sound and finish.
Cosmic Tone Toungue drums have been made by this small business since 2011 and can be found in the hands of talented musicians all over the world.
Cosmic Tones can be found at the website link above or on the Cosmic Tone Facebook page.
Meinl Sonic Energy Best Steel Tongue Drum
Scale info: A Akebono scale (A3, B3, C4, E4, F4, A4, B4, C5)
Number of Sounds and Drum Diameter: 8 note, 12 inch diameter.
Production notes: Meinl is has been family owned for generations and is based in Germany
Meinl Sonic Energy 12 inch Steel Tongue Drum Review:
While you CAN find tongue drums for less money, you’ll need to accept flat, possibly untuned notes and unimpressive, tinny sound.
Thats not the case with this high quality Sonic Energy drum. This BIG 12 inch drum has a BIG robust, rich tone.
It is a beautiful and meditative instrument, all notes are harmonic so no matter what notes you hit, they all sound great together.
The A Akebono tuning allows you to wander around the drum, because being based on a Japanese scale, you can start or move anywhere, and the notes all resonate well together.
The Meinl is the best steel tongue drum available on Amazon, hands down.
Links to other Meinl Sonic Energy Tongue Drums:
Meinl Sonic Energy 6 inch mini steel tongue drum
Burning & Lin Steel Tongue Drum Chakra Tank Drum
Scale info: C Major.
See all Burning & Lin Steel Tongue Drums on Amazon
Number of Sounds and Drum Diameter: 15 note, 14 inch diameter tongue drum.
Production notes: Made in China, shipped from Amazon warehouse in the United States.
Burning and Lin Steel Tongue Drum review:
The Burning and Lin offer budget priced steel tongue drums and are great as a starter tongue drums.
This is one of the largest tongue drums in our lineup at 15 inches with 14 notes which allows it to play a much larger selection of music. Unfortunately the notes are labeled as numbers and its hard to figure our what notes the numbers correspond to so I created this chart to help you figure out the notes:
NOTE: Most inexpensive beginner steel tongue drums on Amazon that are made in China are tuned to C major. So a tongue labeled 1 is a C, note 2 is D, 3 is E, 4 is F, 5 is G, 6 is A and 7 is B and they repeat.
This DOES NOT apply to custom steel tongue drums and steel tongue drums made in the US. In all cases I include the scale of the drum in my steel tongue drum reviews so you know where you are at.
Some have mentioned that the notes of the Burning & Lin drums are not as clear or resonant as higher priced drums, and considering this is a 15 note drum, that makes sense. Having 15 notes places the tongues close together and can interfere with tone.
Nevertheless many are very happy with this drum especially considering the price, its size, and the number of notes it is able to play.
Idiopan 12 Inch Domina tunable Steel Drum
Scale info: Tuned to C Major pentatonic scale (G3 C4 D4 E4 G4 A4 C5 D5) with warm clean tones tunable in 3 different octaves set to 432Hz.
Potential tunings include C Major Pentatonic, C Minor Pentatonic, Raga Desh, Dorian Pentatonic and Mixolydian Pentatonic with the standard magnet tuning kit. With the advanced magnet pack, there are hundreds of different tuning options.
Here is a video tutorial on how to change the tuning on a Domina Idiopan
Number of Sounds and Drum Diameter: 8 note tunable tank drum with 12 inch diameter.
Drum Material: American made steel
Production notes: Idiopan steel tongue drums made in the USA, are made using American steel in Palm Bay Florida.
Review of the Idiopan 12 inch Domina steel tongue drum:
The Idiopan Domina is a pentatonic steel tongue drum that is tunable to 5 different pentatonic scales. (Find out what pentatonic scales are in the FAQs below)
The scales are tuned using magnets, which is innovative and clever. With the advanced magnet pack there are literally hundreds of tuning options available.
The sound of all Idiopan steel Tongue drums is rich, resonant and the tones are long lasting.
Given their superior sound, the fact that these hank drums are made in the USA and the fact that they are tunable to so many scales, the Idiopan is the best steel tongue drum for the serious musician.
Links to other Idiopan Steel Tongue Drums:
Visionhawk Moyo Steel Drums
Scale info: Moyo drums are tuned using 440 Hz tuning and a pentatonic scale. There are 14 scales to choose from. If you want to try out a scale, check out the PLAYER they created. Its really cool!.
Number of Sounds and Drum Diameter: Moyo drums have 8 notes.
Drum Material: US Steel
Production notes: Handmade in North Carolina using US Steel.
Review of the Visionhawk Moyo Steel Tongue Drum:
Visionhawk tongue drums are Handmade in North Carolina using US Steel.
Visionhawk has several models and also carries drums in set to different Hertz tuning aside from the standard 440 Hz tuning such as 432 Hz, and even 384Hz and 256 Hz tuned notes/tones on one model which I have never seen for a Steel Tongue drum before, so that’s quite unique.
Visionhawk makes beautiful steel handspans made in the USA with popular designs and many scales to choose from.
Rav Vast Steel Tongue Drum 2
Scale info: E Low Pygmy E2, A2, B2, C3, E3, G3, A3, B3, D4
Number of Sounds and Drum Diameter: 9 note, 20.5 Inch (aprox) diameter.
Drum Material: Steel with a brass rim
Production notes: Made in Russia from hardened steel.
Overall review:
Rav vast drums are carefully crafted and cut steel tongue drums invented by Russian engineer Andrey Remyannikov in 2013. Rav drums are made in Russia, and those sold on amazon are shipped from a local Amazon warehouse in the US.
The Rav Vast drum has over 21 different tunings available and a bad A$$ Rav Vast virtual player so you can hear for yourself and try each scale out. You can tell by the sound sample and the virtual player that the sound of the Rav vast is superb, unequaled, really.
Links to other Rav Vast Steel Tongue Drums:
Lomuty Steel Tongue Drums
See all Lomuty Steel Tongue Drums on Amazon
Number of Sounds and Drum Diameter: 11 tones, 12 inch diameter drum.
Drum Material: Steel.
Production notes: Made in China, shipped from nearest US Amazon warehouse.
Overall review:
This cheap tongue drum is made in China and can be considered a great beginner steel tongue drum.
The sound quality is understandably not as high as more expensive drums, partly due to the fact that it does have so many notes, so that places the tongues very close together which can cause cross vibration between tongues.
But… If ou are looking for tongue drum reccomendations for beginners, Lomuty is one of the better brands in the beginner price range.
I believe this drum has a beautiful look, and if you are in the market for an affordable tongue drum, it is a great contender.
Links to other Lomuty Drums:
Guda Feezbee Drum Arcane scale
Scale info: Tuned to the Arcane Scale: A C D E F G A C Tuned to 440 Hz (contact seller for other scale options and pricing).
Number of Sounds and Drum Diameter: 14.7” diameter, 8 notes.
Drum Material: Stainless steel.
Production notes: Drums are made in the Ukraine and shipped from US based Amazon warehouses.
Guda Drum review:
Each Guda drum is made from quality stainless steel in the Ukraine. If you purchase on Amazon, they are shipped from an Amazon warehouse based in the US.
These BEAUTUFUL drums are the Guda brands more compact tongue drums, with 8 notes each and a stunning carved face. They have many designs to choose from and you can contact the seller to inquire about scale and face design availability.
Links to other Guda Drum Steel Tongue Drums:
Freezbee flower of life design
Guda Drum Freezbee with Yin and Yang design
KosmoSky 9 inch tank Drum
Scale info: Akebono A minor (A, B, C, E, F, A, B, C, E, F) Pentatonic scale 432 Hz.
Number of Sounds and Drum Diameter: 12 inch diameter with 10 notes.
Drum Material: High Carbon steel.
Production notes: Handcrafted in Russia and if ordered on amazon, they ship from local amazon warehouse.
Kosmosky Steel tank Drum played at the Great Theatre of Ephesus
KosmoSky drum review:
Beautifully engraved on the top and bottom. Top quality tongue drum. Truly these are some of the most beautiful tongue drums I have seen, they are not only high quality, perfectly tuned instruments, they are works of art.
Links to other KosmoSky Steel Tongue Drums:
BeatRise Steel Tongue drum
Scale info: BeatRise 14 Inches 9 Notes Handpan Pre-tuned in D Minor: 1 Center Note (Ding): D3, and 8 Notes: A3, bB3, C4, D4, E4, F4, G4, A4
See all BeatRise Steel Tongue Drums on Amazon.
Number of Sounds and Drum Diameter: 9 notes with a 14 inch diameter.
Drum Material: Copper infiltrated steel.
Production notes: Made in China.
Overall review:
BeatRise makes affordably priced tank drums that sound great for their price range.
Like handpans, these tongue drums are super easy to play with your hands, which is not always true for cheap tongue drums. The beatrise is my tongue drum reccomendation if you want a handpan, but the entry price for one is too high, and you want to try out a similar drum first. The quality and sound will not dissapoint.
The sound is clear and in tune, and playing with mallets will be loud, if that is what you are after.
While BeatRise drums are made in China, if you order from Amazon they are shipped from a US based amazon warehouse.
Links to other BeatRise Steel Tongue Drums:
Beatrise Handpan steel tongue drum ( see other styles and brands of handpans in my comprehensive handpan article here)
Yinama steel tongue drum review
Scale info: The smaller 10 inch drum is tuned D Major tuning Heptatonic scale with notes D, E, F♯, G, A, B, C♯ where 1 is D, 2 is E, 3 is F#, 4 is G, 5 is A, 6 is B and 7 is C#.
Number of Sounds and Drum Diameter: 10 Inch, 11 notes.
Drum Material: Steel titanium alloy.
Production notes: Made in China.
Yinama steel drum review:
The Yinama steel tongue drum has clean lines and a smooth look. Yinama tank drums are popular budget priced tongue drums.
They come standard with a set of soft padded mallets and a set of firm mallets, plus a set of finger picks to play the steel tongue drum with your hands, so you can really change up the sound. They also come with a stylish sling carry case which I love.
This drum is well made, arrives in tune and is a delight to play. Its a great steel tongue drum for beginners.
Links to other Yinama Steel Tongue Drums:
Rakumi Tongue Drum
Scale info: Its C Major key with notes C, D, E, F, G, A, and B and has 440Hz tuning. The 1 on the tongue indicates a C note, the 2 is D, 3 is E, 4 is F, 5 is G, 6 is A and 7 is B.
Number of Sounds and Drum Diameter: 12 inch diameter, 13 note drum.
Drum Material: Steel.
Production notes: Made in China.
Rakumi Drum review:
With the tongue drum, its important to find the sweet spot to get a good sound. On higher and smaller tongue notes, this spot may be lower down on the tongue, and this is the case with these Rakumi steel tongue drums.
This drum offers its best sound when you use it with mallets, using your hands yeilds a softer, quieter sound.
Although these steel tongue drums have a lower price point and are made in China, the manufacturer takes the time to tune them before shipping.
You will notice if you look at the tongue cut carefully that you can see where the laser cut was made and on some tongues there will be a finer, thiner cut where the tongue was fine tuned.
Overall, these are great cheap tongue drums.
Other Rakumi Tongue drums available:
Perseus Tongue Drum
Scale info: Various scales and tunings available with the Perseus “Polaris” being the most popular scale currently, while the Perseus Gravitalis scale is trending at the moment.
Drum Material: Heavy weight High Alloy Stainless Steel with ceramic coating, electric polish and other various finishes available.
Production notes: Perseus hank drums are designed, researched and created in Germany and generally also shipped fro Germany or Amsterdam.
Persus drum review:
Perseus steel tongue drums are handmade and often seen in the clutches of professional musicians. They offer myriad of harmonic scales with instruments that have long sustain and reduced metallic sound sometimes found on less expensive drums.
Perseus have good resonance, long sustain, harmonics that are pleasing to the ear and they are obviously stunningly beautiful.
These tank drums have precise, perfectly tuned 3D laser cut tongues, with ceramic, electric polish, and other finishes available. They drums are considered a work of art, as well as a precise, quality sounding instrument.
Aklot Steel Tongue Drum Review 12 inch 13 note
Scale info: C Major (for 12 inch drum) with 13 notes. Notes are C,D,E,F,G,A,B Where 1 is C, 2 is D, 3 is E 4 is F, 5 is G, 6 is A, 7 is B. Tuned to 440 Hz Frequency, a western standard for music instruments.
See all Aklot Steel Tongue Drums on Amazon
Number of Sounds and Drum Diameter: 12 inch drum with 13 notes.
Drum Material: Titanium Steel Alloy.
Production notes: Made in China, shipped from Amazon in the US.
Aklot tongue drum review:
The Aklot steel tongue drum one of the least expensive steel tongue drums available and for the price range they are quality drums.
These drums feature a large resonance port and rubber feet on the back side so the sound is enhanced and the drum can be played on a flat surface, from a stand or sitting in your lap.
The drawback to these drums is there are not many scales to choose from, but the C Major scale of the 12 inch drum is a popular scale and very pleasing to the ear.
Links to other Aklot Steel Tongue Drums
Lronbird Beginner Tongue Drum
Scale info: C Major (for 12 inch drum) with 13 notes.
Number of Sounds and Drum Diameter: 12 inch tongue drum with 13 notes on the drum.
Drum Material: Steel Alloy.
Production notes: Made in China, shipped from Amazon in the US.
Lronbird Tongue Drum review:
The Lronbird tongue drum is budget priced with good sound and is an ideal steel tongue drum for beginners.
It is made from a special steel alloy with a process that reduces the carbon in the steel and eliminates some of the reverberation and tinny sound that is sometimes found in budget tongue drums.
It has a soothing sound with good volume. The enchanting tone of this drum make it an ideal tongue drum for sound therapy or meditation.
Links to other Lronbird Tongue Drums:
Pearl Tongue Drum
Scale info: C Major Pentatonic (5 note) scale.
Number of Sounds and Drum Diameter: 9 note, 10 inch drum.
Drum Material: Hardened steel.
Production notes: Made in China Shipped from Amazon US warehouse.
Pearl Tongue Drum Review:
For these Pearl Steel Tonge drums, all the scales are presented as pentatonic. Pentatonic scales only include 5 notes and all the included note harmonies, so you can play any combination of notes and they sound pleasing to the ear.
That means the Pearl Steel Tongue drums are a smart choice for meditation of sound therapy where you may not want to play a particular song but instead play music free form.
The Pearl drums are high quality, and have resonant tones that do not come off as not tinny.
They are made with laser cut precise tuned notes, have a high quality build, and rubber feet to play on flat surfaces.
Links to other Pearl Steel Tongue Drum scales:
Ocarina Wind steel tongue drum
Scale info: C Major with notes G3 A3 B3 C4 D4 E4 F4 G4 A4 B4 C5.
See all Ocarina Wind Steel Tongue Drums on Amazon
Number of Sounds and Drum Diameter: 12 inch diameter 11 note steel tongue drum.
Drum Material: Steel.
Production notes: Made in China, shipped from Amazon US warehouse.
Ocarina Wind Tongue Drum review:
The sound of this Ocarina Wind tank drum is OK, but it can have a slight vibration or interference from other tongues as the tongues are spaced quite close together.
Overall its a great value for a starter instrument. Its a Heptatonic (7 note) C Major tuned drum with 11 notes so its good for playing familiar tunes and songs using steel tongue drum sheet music or tabs.
Its a useful and affordable hank drum to learn on.
Links to other Ocarina Wind Steel Tongue Drums:
15 note 14 inch Ocarina Wind Steel Tongue Drum
Regis Steel Tongue Drum
Scale info:
Number of Sounds and Drum Diameter: 13 note, 6. 8inch diameter.
Production notes: Made in China Shipped from Amazon US warehouse.
Regis beginner tongue drum review:
Overall the Regis steel tongue drums are inexpensive and geared towards being tongue drums for children, students and beginner players.
The smaller 6 inch drum is pentatonic and would be good for meditation or just jamming.
The sound is decent, the notes have a bell or gong like tone, but some of the higher notes are a little muddy. However, for the price they are good beginner tongue drums.
Links to other Regis Steel Tongue Drums:
Hank Drum FAQs
Should I get a steel tongue drum or a handpan, steel tongue drum vs handpan?
What is the difference between a steel tongue drum vs a Handpan?
To start with let’s just say there are similarities between these two drums, as well as differences. To start, both drums are generally made from steel and are part of the idiophone family. They both make absolutely beautiful, high vibration music.
I have researched both types of drums and there are FOUR things that stand out to me when you compare a steel tongue drum vs handpan. Those FOUR things are size/shape, price , overall sound and how they are played.
First, handspans are generally larger, sometimes much larger, and shaped like a UFO with a defined rim. Handpans are not only wider but taller as well. For example, the largest steel tongue drum may be 13 or 14 inches in diameter. An average size handpan like this Acolyte handpan, is 21 inches, much larger and not as portable as a tongue drum.
Second, handpan notes are hand hammered, whereas a tongue drum has laser cut tongues. Due to the size, and time it takes to manufacture a handmade, hand hammered, handpan, the handpan is usually many times more expensive than a steel tongue drum. It is what it is folks.
Third, the handpan and the steel tongue drum have a different vibe, a different sound. Steel tongue drums remind me somewhat of a bell, the resonance of each note struck does not linger as long as a handpan. The handpan has a more ethereal sound that lingers longer and allows notes to blend together.
Fourth, Handpans, as the name implies, are played by hand, whereas steel tongue drums deliver the best sound, IMHO, when mallets are used.Should you get a steel tongue drum or a handpan?
This is like asking me which of my pets is my favorite. lol.
Personally, I love both instruments and they both have a place in my home, meditation and sound healing practice. I love the portability of the steel tongue drum, and sometimes have a hankering for the bell like chime of my steel tongue dry. Other times I just want to sit down and jam with my handpan. Its all about how I feel in the moment. I think they are both great instruments.
Looking for more info on handspans? I love sound healing and I have done quite a bit of research on handspans so check out the two articles listed below.
Find out list of the best handpan makers and a a comprehensive list of all handspans made in the USA here.Can you play a Steel Tongue Drum with your hands?
Steel tongue drums can be played by hand, but in most cases, especially with budget drums, they sound more vibrant and resonate better when hit with mallets. The tongues on a hank drum have a specific ¨sweet spot¨ where the tone sounds the best, and a mallet is the right tool to accurately tap it.Which tongue drum has the best sound?
The Steel Tongue drums with the best sound, IMHO are :
The Rav Vast steel tongue drums from Russia
The VibeDrum steel tongue drum made in the USA
The Guda FreezBee steel tongue drums made in the Ukraine
The KosmySky Steel Tongue drum Handcrafted in RussiaWhat is the best steel tongue drum for beginners?
Some great starter steel tongue drums that are budget priced affordable hank drums with relatively high quality compared to price are:
Lronbird Tongue drum
Lomuty Steel Tongue Drums
Rakumi Steel Tongue Drum
Burning & Lin Steel Tongue Drum Chakra Tank DrumHow is the scale of the steel tongue drum determined?
You need to either find out from the manufacturer what the scale is or you can use a tuner or tuning app on your phone to determine each note and discover the scale.
Using a tuning app, play each note and the tuner app will tell you the letter note. Then type the notes you come up with into a google search and a scale should be returned in your search results.
As I mentioned earlier, inexpensive tongue drums made in China are often set to a C Minor scale.
So…
C Major (for 12 inch drum) with 13 notes. Notes are C,D,E,F,G,A,B Where 1 is C, 2 is D, 3 is E 4 is F, 5 is G, 6 is A, 7 is B.
And that drum would be tuned like this.
If your drum is tuned to a different scale, say D Major, the D, in the D major scale would correspond to the 1 on your tongue drum.
Since the D Major 7 note scale is D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D is 1, E is 2, F# is 3, G is 4, A is 5, B is 6 and C# is 7.Heptatonic vs Pentatonic scale of the steel tongue drum?
There are two common types of scales used for Steel Tongue drums, Pentatonic and Heptatonic.
Within these two classifications there are several common scales.
PENTATONIC SCALES FOR THE STEEL TONGUE DRUM
Pentatonic scales have 5 tones in each octave. So even if the steel drum has say 11 tongues, the scale will repeat the same 5 notes is a higher octave.
Eg. An E minor pentatonic scale is E G A B and D. If it had 11 notes, they would be E G A B D, next higher octave E G A B and D and E of the following higher octave.
(Note E minor also has a Heptatonic scale which is E F# G A B C D)
Pentatonic scales with their 5 repeating notes, have a special quality in that all the notes harmonize. That means no matter which note you strike, it will sound good with any other note.
The pentatonic scales are perfect for meditation, sound therapy and just jamming, because you do not have to know any songs to play, all the notes sound good no matter which order they are played, so you just go with the flow.
HEPTATONIC SCALES FOR THE STEEL TONGUE DRUM
Heptatonic scales have 7 notes per octave and if a steel tongue drum has more than 7 tongues, those notes repeat.
Eg: the E E minor heptatonic scale is E F# G A B C D.
7 note heptatonic scales are used for playing familiar wester tunes. Heptatonic scales are used on steel tongue drum sheet music and tabs to play specific songs.
Steel tongue drums with heptatonic scales are great for learning to play songs and read music, but they can also be used for meditation and sound therapy, they do not necessarily have to be used to play s specific song.
What do the numbers on a steel tongue drum mean?
The numbers on your tongue drum correspond to the key it is tuned to. Many inexpensive steel tongue drums from China are tuned to C Major.
So a tongue labeled 1 is a C Note, 2 is D, 3 E, 4 F, 5 G, 6 A and 7 B and they repeat. If a number has a dot below it, it belongs to the lower octave, if there is no dot, the note belongs to the middle octave, and if there is a dot above the note, the note belongs to the higher octave.
I made this steel tongue drum diagram of numbers and notes for a 14 note tongue drum tuned to C Major to illustrate.
D Major Tuning numbers to notes
Many inexpensive drums made in China are tuned to C Major, a popular and pleasing scale that can be used for playing familiar tunes.
However, not all are tuned to C Major.
In the example below, this Asmuse tank drum is the steel tongue drum diagram is tuned to D Major.
FUN song Tutorials to learn to play the tank drum?
Looking for steel tongue drum notes or tabs? Here are some FUN popular song tutorials for the steel tongue drum. Most of these songs have steel tongue drum sheet music of tabs in the video or video description so they make great, easy to learn steel tongue drum tutorials.
Note: More complicated songs may need a steel tongue drum with 15 notes.
Steel tongue drum Avatar the last Airbender
This tutorial shows the drum being played and has the tabs or notes in the description so you can follow along or read the tabs, making it two ways to learn the Avatar song The Last Airbender on your steel tongue drum.
Minecraft Wet Hands Tabs with notes and numbers
This sheet music is for Kalimbas, but it may work for steel tongue drums marked with either notes or numbers. It is not a video, but just the notes and numbers for the Wet hands Minecraft song to play on a steel tongue drum.
Minecraft Aria Math Number tabs for the steel Tongue Drum
These are the number tabs for Minecraft Aria Math. While there is no video the tabs are clearly marked with numbers so its possible to play on your tank drum that is marked with numbers.
Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time tutorial for both Kalimba and Tank Drum
Super Mario Brothers Theme on a Tongue Drum
This video does not name the numbers but you can clearly see what numbers the musician is playing so you can easily follow along.
Game of Thrones Theme Song on a Tank Drum
This video includes the number notes, and you can clearly see the notes the musician is playing in the video and follow along to learn to play the Game of Thrones Theme song on the steel Tongue Drum. Note: Best played on a 15 note steel tongue drum.
Where can I find steel tongue drum Disney Songs?
Note: More complicated songs may need a tongue drum with 15 notes.
A Whole New World Alladin Steel Tongue Drum Tutorial
This Disney Aladdin steel tongue drum tutorial included on screen sheet music that also shows the numbers to play.
Disney Frozen Let it Go Tongue Drum Tutorial
This free steel tongue drum tutorial for Frozen Let it Go is easy to play along with and includes the number tabs on screen.
Beauty and the Beast Tongue Drum Tutorial
This Disney Beauty and the Beast steel tongue drum tutorial included on screen sheet music that also shows the numbers to play.
Disney Monsters Inc Theme song
You will need a 13 note steel tongue drum to play this Disney monsters inc theme song on a tongue drum. Its not a video, just the number tabs, and its a more challenging song to learn, but the effort is worth it.
Disney Frozen Do You Want to Build a Snowman
This is Kalimba sheet music for Disney Frozen, but it can be adapted to learn Disney Frozen Do you want to build a snowman on the steel tongue drum.
BTW, I also have an article on the Best Kalimbas for beginners if you are interested.
Tongue drum little mermaid Under the Sea
This tutorial is played a little slow on purpose for learning so you can see each note, but it does not include the notes to play in the video. Nevertheless, its easy to learn to play. his under the sea song on your tank drum.
Factory made vs hand made steel tongue drum, pros and cons.
There are a literal sea of options when you start shopping for a steel lounge drum. Here is the lowdown on the difference of what I consider two distinct steel tongue drum categories.
Category 1 includes machine and mass made and manufactured steel tongue drums.
Category 2 consists of handmade artesian lounge drums made individually.
Both groups have their good points and drawbacks. There are things to consider before purchasing your tongue drum that I will mention so you can think about it before you buy your tongue drum. With that said, let’s dive in.
CATERGORY 1 MASS MADE MACHINE MADE STEEL TONGUE DRUMS (PROS, CONS AND CONSIDERATIONS)
- Usually lighter weight. More portable, but also easier to damage and the weight affects sound quality to some extent.
- Mass made drums are much more affordable, as low as 1/4 to 1/3 the cost of a handmade steel tongue drum.
- Its easier to find tongue drums with 13 notes that are mass made. Its harder to find a handmade tongue drum with 13 notes. NOTE, having a lot of notes on a drum places the tongues closer together and may cause cross vibration or harmonic distortion to nearby tongues.
- Mass made drums usually have feel on the bottom side and are easier to set on a table to play.
- Higher notes can be a bit muted on mass produced drums, depending on the cut and brand.
- Mass produced drums sometimes need tuning. Use an app like Pitched tuner, Instuner or similar tuning app.
- Smaller mass produced drums have lower sound quality. Opt for a drum that is 10 inches or more.
CATEGORY 2 HAND MADE CUSTOM UNIQUE STEEL TONGUE DRUMS (PROS AND CONS)
- Usually heavier, has better sound quality and is more durable, but costs more due to material and is not as portable as mass made steel drums.
- Many handmade drums have 2 sides, and hence two different scales, so its like getting two steel drums in one, making it more useful.
- Handmade drums usually have no feet and are played in your lap, not on a table.
- Handmade tongue drums have a richer more vibrant sound.
- Custom drums come perfectly tuned.
- Handmade drums are works of art, and come with unique skins and custom textures and imprints and other decorative features not found on mass produced drums.
That wraps up this article on steel tongue drum makers and the best tank drum reviews.
If you are interested in other instruments for meditation and sound therapy, may I suggest our in depth article of all tuning fork sets currently available? I love tuning forks and use them in my Reiki practice, so I am biased towards them for healing.
If you would like to contact me regarding this article, I invite you to do so at info@highvibrationstation.com
All the best to you, in love,
Miss Katie Lyn
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