Suppose you are into spiritual music, like to meditate, jam music with your friends, or are interested in various percussion instruments. In that case, you might want to check out steel tongue drums.
These are relatively old drums used for many purposes – spiritual, religious, and musical alike. They come in many types and sizes.
In this article, we will look at one of the larger steel tongue drums available.
Rakumi Steel Tongue Drum
The Rakumi Steel Tongue Drum is an exceptional steel tongue drum that features a beautiful turquoise finish. Keep in mind that this drum has a 14” diameter, and it can create 15 tones.
The Rakumi Steel Tongue Drum is a little pricier than the smaller versions, but this is simply due to the larger size. In the grand scheme of things, this is a very affordable steel tongue drum that features a high-quality level and a fantastic range of accurate tones.
Who is This Product For?
Steel tongue drums can be used for various purposes and by many different people. This could be a good drum for you if you are interested in percussion instruments but don’t want to stick with a conventional drum set.
Maybe you and your friends are always looking for new instruments. Perhaps you need a drum to guide you on spiritual or meditation journeys, or perhaps for your yoga sessions.
The simple fact is that music, and instruments like this Rakumi Steel Tongue Drum, are ideal for everybody. Moreover, steel tongue drums are notoriously easy to play, also making them suitable for beginners.
What’s Included?
When you purchase the Rakumi Steel Tongue Drum, besides the 14” steel drum itself, you also get a user’s manual, two mallets for playing, and a mallet bracket.
Unlike other steel tongue drums, it doesn’t come with finger sleeves for finger playing; these will have to be purchased separately.
Overview of Features
In terms of features, keep in mind that the Rakumi Steel Tongue Drum is a full-size 14-inch drum, making it quite large.
There are models as small as 6 or even 4 inches, so this one is quite sizable. Thanks to this large size, this drum is quite loud. Generally speaking, the bigger they are, the louder they are.
Although the Rakumi Steel Tongue Drum is quite large, which means that its portability may be a bit limited, it’s still not all that heavy. It might weigh around 10 pounds, but this is not that heavy for this size drum.
This drum is made of high-quality stainless steel, so it won’t bend or crack easily, and it should not rust. Stainless steel is also great for producing reverberations, so it doesn’t hurt in terms of volume.
When it comes to accurate sound reproduction, the Rakumi Steel Tongue Drum features well-cut tongues, which means that each of the 15 tongues accurately reproduces the tones on the pentatonic scale.
Fifteen tones are quite a bit, so there are many things that you can play on this drum.
To keep the Rakumi Steel Tongue Drum steady as you play, it comes with three little feet. They aren’t the best feet, but they do the job just fine.
Tutorial
Check out this video for tips on how to play a steel tongue drum using your fingers.
Pros
- Durable stainless steel build
- Very loud
- Melodic sound
- 15 tongues and accurate tones
- Very versatile
- Easy to play
Cons
- Not the most stable
- Not overly portable – quite large
Alternatives
There is no denying that the Rakumi Steel Tongue Drum is quite impressive due to its size and wide range of tones it can produce. That said, it might be more than you need or too advanced for you.
If this is the case, something a bit smaller and simpler might be good for you, something like the Lomuty Steel Tongue Drum. If you would prefer something much smaller and more portable, the 6” Regis Steel Tongue Drum is another model to look into.
Conclusion
If you want a large steel tongue drum that can accurately produce an extensive range of notes and tones, the Rakumi Steel Tongue Drum could be an excellent product to look into. The price is quite reasonable, considering its size and versatility.
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