Music is one of the oldest art forms on our planet.
The tongue drum, also referred to as a steel tongue drum, a tank drum, or a hank drum, is a relatively new instrument belonging to the idiophone family of percussion instruments. An idiophone is an instrument that produces sound via the vibration of the instrument itself. Tongue drums are similar to, and were inspired by, other percussion instruments like the hang drum, slit drum, whale drum and tambiro. Today, however, they are well-known in their own right as they have become very popular for meditation music, yoga practice and sound therapy. The drums, which look a bit like UFOs, are not from another planet, but the music they can create is otherworldly! Tongue drums are an excellent instrument for anyone wishing to get creative, jam, enjoy beautiful melodies and relax. They can be enjoyed by anyone at nearly any age.
The tongues, of course, are where the tongue drum gets its name, but what do the tongues do exactly? In a way, the tongues are like the individual strings of a guitar or the keys on a piano. They are what allows the instrument to create rhythms or melodies. Each tongue is tuned to a specific note. The weight, width and length of the tongue determines the sound and pitch of the note. To play a note, you must hit a tongue with your fingers, hands or a mallet. The drum itself amplifies the sound and is released through the slits of the tongues. When you hit more than one tongue at a time, you create a chord. By mixing and matching the notes and chords on the steel tongue drum, you can create beautifully sounding melodies. The best part is, you need little to no musical instrument experience or knowledge to make your steel tongue drum sound good! This is because of the special way steel tongue drums are tuned.