6-Note Tongue Drum

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The 6-note tongue drum gives you a short scale where almost every note combination sounds right, even if you can't read music. That makes it ideal for rhythmic improvisation. A 6 in (15 cm) model fits in one hand. This collection lets you choose between steel and wood models, each with its own tone.

Pocket steel tongue drum

Pocket Steel Tongue Drum

Pentatonic 3 in 440 Hz

€39
6-Note steel tongue drum

6-Note Steel Tongue Drum

Pentatonic 4 in 440 Hz

€39
Small steel tongue drum

Small Steel Tongue Drum

Pentatonic 6 in 440 Hz

€59
Tongue drum 14 cm

6 in Tongue Drum

Pentatonic 440 Hz Stainless Steel Copper Alloy

€69
Tongue drum wood

Tongue Drum Wood

€359
Slit drum

Slit Drum

Wood

€289

1–6 of 6 items

Which songs can you play all the way through with just six notes?

A man playing a six-note tongue drum with drumsticks

You can play some tunes all the way through on this instrument. “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” for example, uses only notes 1, 2, 3, and 5. You can also play simplified versions of “Happy Birthday” and “Frère Jacques,” whose short phrases fit the instrument, even if the result isn’t exactly like the original song. To give you an idea, “Mary Had a Little Lamb” starts with 3-2-1-2, followed by 3-3-3.

You can also play arrangements of familiar tunes such as “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” “Jingle Bells,” “Hakuna Matata,” Coldplay’s “The Scientist,” the Chinese folk song “Mo Li Hua,” and the hymn “Jesus Loves Me.” These are adaptations for the limited scale, though, rather than exact versions of the full melodies. Videos for some of these songs, including “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” and “Jesus Loves Me,” present them as easy tunes and show the sheet music on screen. A video tutorial also shows how to play “Happy Birthday” on a six-note tongue drum.

You can improvise with the “anchor” exercise: strike note 1, then two other tongues at random, return to note 1, and repeat as often as you like. A rising pattern through notes 1, 3, 5, and 6 to the high 1 will sound in tune from start to finish. You can play without sheet music and let your instincts guide the mallet.

What notes are on a six-note tongue drum, and what scale is it tuned to?

A six-note tongue drum most often has C, D, E, G, A, and a high C. That’s a pentatonic scale plus the lowest note of the next octave. On a model tuned to C major and measuring 6 in (15 cm), the range runs from C5 to C6 in US notation, equivalent to do 4 through do 5 in French notation. F and B are absent because they are the two notes that create dissonance. In numbered notation for a drum tuned to C, 1 is C, 2 is D, 3 is E, 5 is G, and 6 is A.

The most common layout places one large tongue in the center of five smaller ones, with C often on the central tongue. Most of these instruments are tuned to C, including the steel models in our selection, but models tuned to A major are also available.

Close-up of a musician with a six-note tongue drum

With this smaller format, you can start playing right away, though you’ll miss some of the melodic patterns an eight-note tongue drum lets you learn. Small tongue drums about 6 in (15 cm) in diameter generally have 6 to 8 tongues, almost always tuned to a pentatonic scale, so they sound good no matter what order you play the notes in. More than eight tongues on a drum this size would be too close together and vibrate together.

The six-note model encourages improvisation and relaxation, while the eight-note tongue drum is better suited to structured melodies and sheet music. The 9-note tongue drum, often tuned to D minor, also lends itself to intuitive playing.

Yes, you can play a simple accompaniment to a song. A model tuned to C lets you form two chords with its notes: C major and A minor. Play the first with notes 1, 3, and 5 and the second with notes 6, 1, and 3. In numbered notation, numbers in parentheses are played together: (13) tells you to strike 1 and 3 at the same time, while 1-3 means to play them in sequence. In practice, you’ll play a root note—the main note—with your left hand. Your right hand plays the melody, and you can strike notes together to enrich the harmony. If the tune calls for more complex chords, leave them out or play the notes your instrument has from those chords one after another, as in a 1-3 sequence. Then try the result with a metronome.

Almost any combination of its six tongues sounds good, so you can play a pleasant melody even if you’re a complete beginner with no musical knowledge. Beginners often choose a simple tuning with few notes. On the most common layout, just find the 1 first, then follow the circle of the other tongues.

Yes, but only if you adapt it. Most sheet music available online is written for 11- or 13-note tongue drums. We recommend avoiding that sheet music when you’re just starting out because adapting it takes time. Before printing a piece, find every 4 and 7 and highlight them. Then you can skip each note your instrument lacks or replace it with the closest available note, adjusting the octave if needed. For example, 1-2-4-3 becomes 1-2-3-3. If the required octave is missing, simply transpose the melody into the available range. Keep in mind that the low 1 and high 1 are different notes on your six tongues. Read numbered sheet music from left to right, one line at a time.

We also recommend writing a phrase yourself using your instrument’s notes, trying it out, and revising it. That way, you can avoid notes your instrument doesn’t have.

C is the only note repeated among these six tongues. The high C begins the next octave, letting a melody return to its starting note one octave higher. This higher note makes melodies played on your six-note drum more singable.