Written by Ambre Montespan - Updated on Jan 28, 2026
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Do you own a tongue drum? Have you heard that this musical instrument can help you balance or unblock your chakras? Not sure how to do it, but you’d like to give it a try?
I’ve been passionate about the tongue drum for over 5 years, and I’ve used it many times to focus on a specific chakra and bring more harmony to my body and mind. In this article, I’ll share the exact steps so you can do the same with your tongue drum.
The seven major chakras of the human body are linked to seven musical notes, so you’ll want to play the right note on your tongue drum to support the corresponding chakra.
By reading this article, you will learn:
- What chakras are
- The method to use to unblock these energy points
- Which tongue drum is best to use for this purpose
With this knowledge, you’ll be ready to use your tongue drum in the specific context of opening chakras and improving your daily well-being.
Let’s start with a brief definition of chakras.
What are chakras and what are they for?
Technically, the word chakra comes from Sanskrit, one of the official languages of the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and means "circle" or "wheel." Originating in yoga and Hindu tradition, chakras refer to energy centers, or points of connection, said to be located within the human body. There are seven main chakras, which are named Muladhara, Svadhishthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddha, Ajna, and Sahasrara. They’re commonly referred to as the root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown chakras, respectively. In terms of their location, they start at the base of the spine and rise in a straight line to the top of the head. It should be noted that several thousand secondary chakras are also said to be present in our bodies, supplying energy to the seven major chakras.
According to tradition, each chakra corresponds to a physical region of the body as well as specific emotions. For example, the crown chakra is linked to the head, the cerebral cortex, gratitude, harmony, and acceptance. Many people aim to bring all seven chakras into balance. When they do, they may feel like the best version of themselves. On the other hand, an energy imbalance between the chakras could cause problems. The conditional tense is used here because, for the moment, although some yoga masters claim to be able to feel their chakras and the energy flowing through them, no scientific proof of their existence has been provided.
How to use your tongue drum to raise your vibrations
The tongue drum is a musical instrument prized for its deeply relaxing tones. Some musicians call it a chakra drum because they use it specifically for energy work, and it’s also popular for meditation. The seven notes of the C major scale are closely linked to the seven main chakras. Each note in this key is associated with one of the seven chakras mentioned above, as shown in the diagram below:
For example, musicians who want to work specifically on the solar plexus chakra should use the note E.
So, before you play your tank drum, it’s helpful to know which chakras you want to balance. You can figure this out if you feel the need or if you notice certain symptoms. For example, a blocked root chakra is commonly associated with fear of change, feeling anxious or fearful, struggling to keep commitments, or black-and-white thinking.
Once you’ve identified the chakra(s) you want to work on, you can start using your tongue drum. First, locate where the notes are on your instrument. Most tongue drums come with stickers or engravings on tongues of different sizes to guide you. If none of these are present, we recommend consulting this article, which will show you how to apply note-labeling stickers.
The stickers most often show numbers that actually represent musical notes, using abbreviated numeric notation (NMCA). You may also see letters, which correspond to standard letter-name notation. You’ll find the equivalences in the table below:
| solfege | do | re | mi | fa | sol | la | ti |
| letters | C | D | E | F | G | A | B |
| NMCA | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Once you’ve located the note you want, simply get comfortable in a pleasant space with your instrument, focus on the chakra in question (you can try visualizing it with your eyes closed), and play the note with a mallet or drumstick. You can either play the note once and then wait for silence to return to the room, or tap it repeatedly and stop when you feel the work is done. While you’re playing, try to imagine energy moving through the part of your body where that chakra is located. Finally, you can switch notes if you feel another chakra needs attention and repeat the same process.
If your tongue drum has many notes, you may find the same note repeated across different octaves. You can choose any tongue (slot) as long as it’s the note that corresponds to the chakra you want to work on. When a note goes up an octave, its frequency doubles and it can still support the chakra you’re focusing on. I tend to prefer lower notes, but that’s purely a personal choice.
Which tongue drum should you choose to open and unblock your energy points?
As we’ve just discussed, the major chakras are linked to the seven notes of the C major scale. However, these are not the only notes in music theory. In fact, there are five other notes known as altered notes with sharps or flats, such as C#. C# is slightly higher than C and slightly lower than D, so it sits between the two and doesn’t correspond to any specific major chakra. That’s why it’s important to be careful when buying your instrument, since some tongue drums aren’t tuned to C major. A model in D major will have the following notes: C#, D, E, F#, G, A, and B. That makes it harder to work on the root and heart chakras, which correspond to the notes C and F, because this instrument doesn’t include them. Therefore, it’s recommended to choose a tongue drum tuned to C major so you can comfortably target all the major chakras.
You should also pay close attention to instruments tuned to a pentatonic scale. Unlike classic models tuned to a diatonic scale (7 notes), pentatonic tongue drums only have 5 different notes. So, if you choose a pentatonic model, you’ll be missing two notes and won’t be able to target two of the seven chakras in the human body, which would be a shame. Once again, a steel tongue drum tuned to C major is the best choice.
Balance your chakras with this musical instrument
The tongue drum is perfect for harmonizing the chakras. It’s a soothing, zen instrument that works beautifully for this practice, as long as you know how to use it effectively. With the tips you’ve just discovered, you can easily unblock or open your energy points to improve your well-being.
However, it’s important not to choose just any tongue drum for working on these chakras. Not all instruments have the right notes, and some notes may be missing altogether. That’s why Instruments du Monde recommends this model, designed specifically for chakra energy work, to give you the satisfaction you’re looking for.
Get this tongue drum now by clicking on the image below:
Balancing the chakras is just one of many benefits this percussion instrument can bring. In fact, the tongue drum offers many benefits. To go further, be sure to read our comprehensive tutorial on the tongue drum.
