77 Songs for 13-note C-major Tongue Drum. Songbook for Beginners. Play by Note or by Number

In this songbook, we’ve compiled a collection of traditional English-language songs and ballads from various countries, including England, Ireland, Scotland, the USA, and Australia. The book features 77 songs, all of which can be played on any C-major tongue drum with 13 or more keys. Most of the songs can also be played on an 11-key tongue drum.

All melodies are written in traditional musical notation, but this book is beginner-friendly as well. For those unfamiliar with reading sheet music, we’ve added corresponding numbers above each note.
The numbering system in this book uses the common diatonic scale, with numbers ranging from 1 to 7 to represent the notes of each octave.

Each page includes QR codes that link to recordings of the songs. While these recordings may not exactly match the traditional versions notated in this book, they serve as useful guides for understanding the melodies and rhythms.

Playing by Numbers

For tongue drums with numbered musical notation, the numbers 1 to 7 represent the notes of the diatonic major scale.

Dots above or below the numbers indicate notes from a higher or lower octave, respectively.
The songs in this books are adapted for the tongue drums with C-major scale.
The number of notes available to you will depend on the range of your tongue drum.

Contents

Alabama Gal
Annie Laurie
Aura Lee
Barbara Polka
Bayou Sara
Beautiful Brown Eyes
Bella Ciao
Big Rock Candy Mountains
Blood on the Saddle
Bound for South Australia
Brennan on the Moor
Bridal Chorus
Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie
Butcher Boy
Cliffs of Doneen
Come Back Liza
Cotton Eyed Joe
Daddy Fox
Down by the Salley Gardens
Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes
Drunken Sailor
Fire In the Mountains
For He Is a Folly Good Fellow
Get Along Little Doggies
Henry My Son
Hi’ilawe
Hopping Dance
I Gave My Love a Cherry
Isn’t It Grand, Boys?
Italian Waltz
James Connoly
Land of the Silver Birch
Largo from the “New World Symphone” Dvorak
Lavender’s Blue
Long, Long Ago
Man of Constant Sorrow
Molly Malone
My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
My Home’s in Montana
My Paddle
My Singing Bird
My Wild Irish Rose
O Christmas Tree
Oh Dear What Can the Matter Be
Oh How Lovely the Evening Is
Old Folks at Home
Old Jim Slack Grey Horse
Peace Round
Pigeon on the Gate
Scarborough Fair
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain
Skibbereen
Spancil Hill
Sweet Betsy From Pike
The Banks of Claudy
The Bonny Boy
The Boys of Fairhill
The Curragh of Kildare
The Galway Races
The Irish Rover
The Kerry Recruit
The Meeting of the Waters
The Northern Lights of Aberdeen
The Rocks of Bawn
The Snowy-Breasted Pearl
The Spanish Lady
Three Score and Ten
Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ra
Town of Ballybay
Trees Grow Tall
Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree
Vive L’Amour
Wanderin’
Weile Walia
Wildwood Flower
Wreck of Old ‘97