There is nothing more diverse than the steel tongue drum when it comes to percussion instruments having an extensive range of tones and sounds.
These are drums that are often used for spiritual and meditative purposes, such as for yoga and other religious uses, but can also be used for basic musical purposes.
That said, you want a high-quality steel tongue drum, which can be hard to find. This article is a review of an affordable, high-quality steel tongue drum.
Lomuty Steel Tongue Drum
The Lomuty Steel Tongue Drum is a moderately sized 12” drum made of high-quality titanium steel alloy. Not only is this drum quite durable and good-looking, but it also has a wide range of tones that can be used for all sorts of ceremonies and jam sessions.
Who is This Product For?
The Lomuty Steel Tongue Drum is designed for many different people. As previously mentioned, these drums are often used in meditation, yoga, spiritual and religious ceremonies, tribal songs, and of course, just for basic music playing and jamming with your friends.
The cool thing about a drum like this Lomuty Steel Tongue Drum is that each of the tongues, which produce the sounds, are individually cut out and labeled, so you don’t have to be a pro musician to use it. It’s something that you can pick up and get the hang of pretty quickly.
What’s Included?
Besides the drum itself, you get a few other things with the Lomuty Steel Tongue Drum. Included is a pair of mallets for playing, four-finger sleeves for playing with your fingers, tone stickers, an instruction manual, and a carrying bag for portability.
Overview of Features
The Lomuty Steel Tongue Drum is a very nice option to consider. One reason is that it is 12” in diameter, a size large enough to ensure that this drum produces excellent volume. However, we would say that this is also still small enough to be considered relatively portable, which is also true due to its relatively low weight.
This drum is quite loud due to its titanium alloy steel. It is excellent in terms of producing significant volume and long-lasting tones that reverberate through the air. The titanium build makes it loud and melodic and also helps keep it in one piece.
Simply put, this drum is highly resistant to denting, bending, cracking, corrosion, and more. It’s one of the more durable drums available, and what’s impressive is how lightweight it manages to be despite this.
The Lomuty Steel Tongue Drum has 11 tongues, producing 11 different tones within the pentatonic scale. No worries, though, because you don’t need to be a professional musician to play this drum.
Each of the tongues is accurately cut out and easy to see. They come with labels, so it is easy to identify which tongue makes what tone and where to hit each one. On a side note, the tongues are cut very well, which results in accurate, loud, and melodic tones.
To keep the Lomuty Steel Tongue Drum stable, it has three silicone feet, so you can easily put it on the ground or any other flat surface for easy playing. It comes with finger sleeves, so you can play with your fingers instead of with the mallets.
Tutorial
If you want to know how you can play a steel tongue drum for meditative and relaxation purposes, check out this tutorial video.
This video should help you advance if you’re just starting to learn basic steel tongue drum playing skills.
Pros
- Durable metal
- Loud and melodic
- Easy to play
- Wide range of tones
- Feet for stability
- Can be played with a mallet or hand
Cons
- Mallets are low quality
- Paint chips relatively easily
Alternatives
In case playing 11 different tones might be too advanced for you, there are simpler steel tongue drums that only make 8 tones, one such as this Asmuse Steel Tongue Drum.
If the drum we reviewed is too large for you, there are also some much smaller versions, much more portable drums like the Regis Steel Tongue Drum that measures just 6” in diameter.
Conclusion
As you can see, if you are looking for a good steel tongue drum but don’t want to pay too much, the Lomuty Steel Tongue Drum could be ideal. It comes with everything you need to get started, and no matter what purpose you need it for, it sounds absolutely fantastic.