So you bought a tongue drum and played around on it a bit…NOW WHAT?!?
If you’re like me, I searched for more tongue drum music to learn and play but there were really no such results. Shouldn’t it be easy to arrange and notate some music? What gives?
Slightly annoyed, I took it upon myself to arrange some music and notate it for all us music-loving tongue drummers out there.
What transpired is a collection of 17 popular and traditional songs/melodies that anyone with a numbered steel tongue drum (like the ones I review here) can play. The best part is you don’t you need to be able to read music AT ALL! Just play the numbers on the sheet and the song will ring out from your drum like a charm.
I realize tongue drums come in all sizes and keys. The size and key of your drum shouldn’t matter but I did arrange the songs using an 11-note tongue drum. If yours has less tongues, then a couple of the arrangements may be out of your drum’s range. However, if you have an ear for music you may be able to adapt those few songs to fit your setup.
For a limited time, I’m selling the collection on Etsy.com — Just click here to go to Etsy and be sure to Add to Cart. Get 17 songs for $17.17! Here is a small sample of what I put together:
The best part is the music comes in a downloadable PDF that looks great on tablets and smartphones. If you want to spend the paper and ink you can also print out the sheet music.
For those who want to know more of the songs I included, check out the Etsy listing above. Oh, and here’s a sample arrangement of “Havana” by C. Cabello. You can see the tongue notation below each note on the sheet — and if you have really good eyes you might even be able to play the entire chorus!
I’d love to know what songs you’d like to see arranged – send me a note through the Contact Us page or leave a comment below. I’m currently working on some 80’s Power Ballads so look for those soon 🙂
Until next time, happy drumming!
~Ali B.