Absolute Beginner. Tongue Drum and Handpan Song Tutorial: Kids Songs

I collected very simple and well-known songs and melodies with easy rhythms. You can begin to play in just two steps. First, you will play using circles that contain either a number, without having to consider note duration, key, or time signatures. These numbers correspond to those on the keys of your tongue drum. So, you just need to follow the numbers.

You can get an idea of how the song might be played by listening to the YouTube clip of the same song, which you can access with the QR code below each song. Then, if you find that you can play the song with more confidence, you can try using the second page of the same song, with the actual notes. There, the same melody is written in a traditional manner with all the necessary musical symbols. However, I simplified the melodies in this step as well, transposing most songs for one octave, and leaving the numbers under the notes. I hope that playing these simple melodies will bring you a new relaxation and meditation experience filled with a lot of joy.

Playing traditional music notes is difficult for people who have no musical knowledge. You need to know the rhythmic value of each note, its place on the staff, note duration, and its combination with other notes. To be aware of all this simultaneously demands music experience and advanced skills. Nevertheless, even if you have never studied music, you can begin to play complicated melodies, and also experiment with your tongue drum in a meditative way.

The steel tongue drum (aka tong drum, tank drum, gluck-o-phone, hapi drum, mandala, or lotus drum) and the handpan (aka hank drum, UFO drum, zen drum) are percussion musical instruments designed to help you focus on your feelings, sensations, and body. You don’t need classical music training or knowledge of music theory to play them.

Table of Contents

Introduction

• The Handpan
• The Steel Tongue Drum
• Main Differences between the Steel Tongue Drum and the Handpan
• Playing the Steel Tongue Drum
• Hand Playing Technique
• Play by Number

Songs

• Baa Baa Black Sheep
• Baby Bumble Bee
• Cock-a-Doodle Doo
• Five Little Ducks
• Fiddle-Dee-Dee
• Frog in the Meadow
• I Like to Eat Apples and Bananas
• It’s Raining
• Little Jack Horner
• Old Blue
• One, Two, Three, Four
• Ring Around the Rosie
• See-Saw Margery Daw
• The Bee and the Pup
• To Market, To Market

Appendix

• How to Read Music