Tongue Drums are a beautiful steel instrument with almost an ethereal sound. You may have seen any number of the thousands of videos of tongue drums on the internet.
A variation of the popular Handpans, instead of notes hammered into the pan, tongue drum notes are cut into the steel. This allows for a beautiful resonance, as the steel vibrates and the sound travels throughout the entire hollow instrument.
Tongue drums, or hank drums as they were originally called, are an excellent option for both beginners and professionals. They are usually slightly cheaper than handpans, however they are much quieter so they require rubber mallets to play them.
Steel tongue drums have an interesting history with a few predecessors, including Jim Doble who created the Whale Drum in 1990, Felle Vega who created the Tambiro, and Dennis Havlena created the Hank Drum in 2007. Dennis’ combination of the Hang and Tambiro is what sparked thousands of creators to make their own versions of the steel tongue drum.
A tongue drum will fill your home and surroundings with beautiful sounds that will soothe anyone who hears it.