Tongue Drums: Creating a New Sound Palette

• Paul Corbiere
• Posted 5/30/22
• 0 comments

There’s a new sound in the music room!

I have two Hapi metal tongue drums (the A Akebono and the G Diatonic) – I frequently use them in my music room. I LOVE these drums! They have a fantastic sound – long ringing tones that fill my music room up with their sweet voice. Everyone who hears them is stunned by their ethereal sound. 

There are many uses for these instruments in the music room. With the A Akebono, students create ostinati to play with Orff instruments, drums, and other percussion instruments (the expert tuning effortlessly allows us to combine with our other instruments).  

We typically play the tongue drums with the provided mallets, but you can also use fingers to play the drum. The unique tuning and sound make it an ideal instrument to add atmosphere and enhance any story we read. 

The Akebono scale is a less familiar scale to me – it is atypical for the elementary classroom repertoire, but it is my students’ favorite.  I think it is because of the meditative sound. 

The G Diatonic is a little more accessible when combined with other pieces we study and play. We use this one to create a pattern to accompany our soprano recorders. My Hapi drum “wish list” includes the C major and the A minor, as I know they will be ideal for mixing in with the rest of my instrumentarium.  

This year more than ever, I’ve wanted my students to experience the sense of well-being that music can bring. These metal drums are great for any wellness activities you may engage with at your school or in a studio.  

The mellow, relaxing tones set the mood. I add a singing bowl (mine is pitched in D) to the Hapi G drum to create a calming sonic experience. My students love to take time to listen to singular tones as well as the harmonies made.  

I have taken some classes to sit on the lawn in nice weather and listen to and play our Hapi drums. I’ve discovered that the more I have let my students try these instruments, the more motivated they are to take turns improvising a relaxing melody for their class. 

I started my career with wood tongue drums (sometimes called log drums), and these metal varieties have upped my game in providing more for our classroom “sound palette.” I totally recommend you take the step into this new sonic world! 

References

“Steel tonuge drum laying in grass” by Arekusansan is licensed under Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA-3.0. 

Tongue Drums: Creating a New Sound Palette was originally published on July 6, 2021 as a Teacher Toolbox article.

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