(Almost) Every RAV Drum Combination Possible

Which RAV Drums sound good together? Which RAV Drum sounds best with the RAV Drum I have? These are some of the most common questions we get at Didge Project as an authorized retailer of RAV Drums in the United States. This video is a library of (almost) every RAV Drum combination that sounds good (to us) as of March 2021. If there are any combinations we missed, please post them in the comments section below.
*RAV Drums in stock in the US: didgeproject.com/RAV
This video was not designed to be watched straight through, but rather for you to be able to jump around using the index below, based on whatever scales you want to hear.
Here is the index of all of the scales, with clickable timestamps so you can jump directly to them:
0:47 B RUS & D Major
2:50 B Celtic Minor & D Major
4:46 D Major & B Kurd
6:40 D Major & B Celtic Double Ding
8:32 B Golden Arcadia & B Major
10:20 G Pygmy & G Minor Pentatonic
12:26 B Onoleo & F# In Sen
14:21 F# In Sen & B Arabian Nights
16:19 D Major & F# In Sen
18:30 B RUS & B Celtic Double Ding
20:20 B RUS & B Celtic Minor
22:14 B RUS & B Kurd
24:03 B Celtic Double Ding & B Kurd
25:59 B Celtic Minor & B Kurd
27:53 B Celtic Minor and B Celtic Double Ding
29:41 A Integral and D Celtic Minor
31:40 C Golden Gate and E Low Pygmy
33:41 A Integral and E Low Pygmy
35:25 Closing thoughts
Honorable mentions which didn’t make it in this video:
G Minor Pentatonic and D Celtic Minor
Thanks for tuning in and we will see you in the next one!
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Didge Project is a world music education blog, youtube channel, music project and a producer of events, workshops and online courses. Our mission is to bridge music from many cultures into a tangible medium that our audience can utilize for its own benefit. This is done largely through educational performances, workshops and videos. Originally started to support the growing didgeridoo community in New York City, Didge Project serves musicians of all levels in making musical instruments and education available. While advanced musicians may benefit from Didge Project's content, it is the beginner to intermediate musician that we aim to serve. Check out our tutorial videos, free courses, articles and more at www.didgeproject.com

[@didgeproject]

The RAV Vast combination at the very beginning of this video is E Low Pygmy and C Golden Gate, which can be seen in full at 31:40

[@umbertomaresca6192]

thanks much guys really appreciated...buona musica!. ciao..Stay safe

[@RAVVastSteelTongueDrum]

What useful stuff from you guys! Thanks for your passion!

[@didgeproject]

Thank you RAV Labs for providing us with great instruments!

[@victorious276]

RAV Vast? I know you guys-you have a virtual player on your website so we can still "try before we buy"! Love it, my fave is B Arabian Nights 👍❤🎊

[@doreenporeba]

That was terrific! I have the D Celtic Minor and G Minor Pentatonic Ravs and find they work well together.

[@didgeproject]

That is great to know, we didn’t even consider it! *Added to special mentions.

[@danaapplecheese5379]

Beautiful.

[@miaelgarico]

Just received my e low Pygmy from Didge Project and it is my MOST favorite of scales. It’s voice is not shy about being heard anywhere it is played. II love it combined with the brightness of C GG! Thank you for such a comprehensive video!

[@didgeproject]

So happy to hear that. It’s always great to see people getting good use out of the information here on our channel. If there’s anything more you’d like to see please let us know.

[@Bijlez]

I am absolutely in love with these instruments! They sound like some ambient music out of Minecraft.

[@DoranMitchell_Handpan]

Thanks guys. This pairing video is much needed. I wonder if these scale pairings would translate to handpans as well.

[@didgeproject]

Yes, these combos should translate to any handpans with the same tunings

[@elenae7965]

Arabian B nd F# Sen my fav...gush so cool

[@EsotericHighway]

Thanks for this video guys. Really helpful. What do ya'll think about the new blues scales?

[@didgeproject]

Blues scales are great. Check out our video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYLNfKKCrL96fKs

[@bradleyalexander8296]

I have a D Celtic Minor and the A Integral and they are gloriously harmonious!

[@didgeproject]

yes we've also found it's a great combo!

[@gesund_mit_chris_IG]

How do you get them to sound well together? It just doesn't work no matter what I try😮😮

[@didgeproject]

The F Astronaut RAV Vast is compatible with the F Pygmy RAV Pan but F Astronaut does not currently have any compatible RAV Vast scales.

[@goat-of-neptune]

i have the b kurd and b onoleo and they work extremely well together (just leave out the d# of the onoleo). I wonder if the is no fit for the G humayun. what about combining it with the b golden Arcadia to get every of the 12 notes. did you try that for a two rav setup for a solo player?

[@didgeproject]

For experienced musicians who know what they’re doing, almost any 2 scales would work together. You’re basically assembling a keyboard of all 12 notes between those two scales. The player will just need to know which Notes are where.

[@Anony_mous1993]

you can also hear cultural patterns in the scales of each drum. especially as they are played together.

[@BiancaFiona]

I am an absolute beginner, and I love those, with full and deep sounds ... so I would prefer E-low-pygmy or A-Integral ... would you recommend it to me too, ... and do they harmonize well with others!? Or - of course as a beginner - I would also be interested in the Penthatonic ... is this compatible with some others than the one you choose? ... B-Onoleo also would fit for my ears ;-)) ...

[@didgeproject]

The pentatonic is by far the best scale for beginners because it has 5 tones (instead of the 6 tones found on the pygmy and integral scales), which means you can almost play any sequence of notes (on the pentatonic scale) with almost no risk of dissonance or error. I would not recommend Onoleo for a beginner, but if you want to go with integral or pygmy, I would suggest pygmy as its a little easier to get a feel for.

[@pandrumonium_handpan.artist]

Interesting that the c golden gate goes well with the E low pygmy

[@didgeproject]

it's a seriously epic combination

[@tjwin1481]

What do you feel is the best all round Rav I don’t know what to pick! I love the g pigmy sound but don’t know how that would go if playing with mates guitars and just making/learning songs? Or jamming?

[@didgeproject]

Honestly there’s not just one best or one all around rav drum; each drum has its own unique character. There are some that are better for beginners, like the RAV G minor pentatonic, which only has five tones (some repeated in different octaves), and others that are definitely more advanced, like RAV B Kurd, which has seven tones including the flat sixth. In the end it’s really up to you to go with what sound you like and the level of drum that you want to explore. If you were looking to play with guitarists, a integral, e low pygmy, and d major are all great options, but any drum will work with a competent guitar player.

[@sehshn]

Can you guys do a quick Demo of All the scales?

[@didgeproject]

That’s a great idea. We have every scale covered on our channel, but not all in one video yet.

[@KalaniVision]

I'm looking for a drum to Harmonize with a B Golden Arcadia? Would a B Kurd Double Ding be a match with B Golden Arcadia? Thanks

[@didgeproject]

I think only the RAV B Major would work with the RAV B Golden Arcadia. See sample here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4jLiJiweq9ngpY B Kurd would not work with B Golden Arcadia due to the dissonance between minor third (D natural) and major third (D#) in this case.

[@KalaniVision]

@@didgeproject thanks 🤙

[@elenae7965]

F# in Sen nd B onoleo are beautiful mysteries sound

[@teegees]

This was super useful thank you. Am I correct in observing that the B Celtic DD’s center note is an octave higher than its single ding counterpart? Or am I experiencing some kind of overtone effect?

[@didgeproject]

No, the center note is now the low A, but in this video, which was the older model, it is a low B. Essentially the b celtic double ding can be considered an A major drum that doubles as B celtic minor.

[@teegees]

@@didgeproject Weird, that low b doesn’t sound like a low b (b2 I’m assuming) to me. Sounds more like b3, which is already there on the side. Probably a harmonic effect my ear is picking up.

[@miltonxren]

How about B Celtic Double Ding & E Low Pygmy?

[@didgeproject]

I think the C natural clashes with the c#, other than that they should work

[@The_Dutch_Samurai]

What are good hangdrum branches ( not RAV VAST, because it sound to metallic)

[@didgeproject]

Aura Handpans and Tacta Handpans are highly recommended

[@EddieInzauto]

Some of the overlays show the wrong notes. I wasn’t watching very closely, but I noticed all the sharps listed on the E Pygmy/C Golden and E Pygmy/A Integral. In any event, thanks for all the effort in this video! I would have just said, “The two B Celtics, B RUS, B Kurd, and D Major all go together in any combination,” and moved on to others. Haha.

[@didgeproject]

I see the error you are talking about. Please forgive us for missing that. Anyways thanks for the feedback and glad you enjoyed!

[@EddieInzauto]

@@didgeproject Yeah it was great! I was just pointing it out in case it would be helpful somehow.

[@5u54nn3]

I'd love to get a rav vast. But i jusr can't decide between g pygny and g minor pentatonic. Does anyone have an advice?

[@didgeproject]

G minor pentatonic is one of the best scales for beginners because the minor pentatonic scale can basically be played in any sequence in any direction and it always sounds good. G pygmy does take a little more skill because you have certain sequences of notes which may result in some dissonance, however with the g pygmy you can create potentially more harmonies because there are six notes instead of the five found on the G minor pentatonic. I hope this clarifies things, let me know if this is helpful.

[@5u54nn3]

@@didgeproject thank you for your help! Yes i think it helps to come to a decision.

[@Anony_mous1993]

i hate to think of hurting an instrument of any kind. i play trump but this is a very interesting instrument to me. its so melodic and deep. more of cavernish fantastic tones. but can you tone an instrument down by putting a magnet on the bottom? not sure how this piece works and this is the second video ive watched after seeing your handdrum comparison. im sure there is a way to get multiple scales out of a single instrument even if certain notes sounds more ambiguous. like if you had a handmade magnet pedal if it worked pulling from the foot, or even a double to get 3 possible scales if even possible.

[@jessecayoung2121]

Which one is good for beginners? I'm in love with the B kurd, D major and the B celtic minor.

[@didgeproject]

Of those scales mentioned, B Celtic is the best for beginners because it has 6 tones instead of the 7 tones found on B kurd and D Major. Playing with 6 tones leaves much less room for error and makes it so there are very few dissonant combinations of notes. On a 7 note scale there are more harmonic possibilities but also more potential for dissonance; especially if the player doesn’t have any knowledge of music theory.

[@jessecayoung2121]

@@didgeproject Thanks...B Celtic it is! 😁 Is there free shipping on your website?

[@didgeproject]

@@jessecayoung2121 We can offer you a shipping discount depending on where you live. Call us or email, 347-871-3866 or [e-mail]

[@jessecayoung2121]

@@didgeproject Thank you 😁

[@truewaytomyself]

I'm interested in combinations with C blues )) Also b Celtic double ding and e low pygmy 🙃

[@didgeproject]

Theres nothing that fully works with C Blues. As for B Celtic Double Ding and E Low Pygmy, they have a clash in the C (on E Low Pygmy) and C# (on the BCDD), but otherwise they work fine together.

[@elenae7965]

B kurd nd D maj are great together

[@didgeproject]

They are almost identical in note, and they are harmonically perfect together, with all notes in each other's scale (rather, they are modes of the same scale)

[@a.akande]

Only the G minor pentatonic goes well with the G Pygmy? I own a g Pygmy and looking to get another to compliment it. Always thought the A integral would be a perfect match

[@didgeproject]

That is also great to know, we didn’t consider that one!

[@didgeproject]

The E of A integral might clash with Eb of G pygmy

[@synkopederanged6771]

If you are looking for a scale that has a completely different mood to it and only occasionally play them together, maybe try C Golden Gate. The only match partially which means you can play all the notes on one of them, but have to skip 2-3 notes on the other drum.

[@naturalsign692]

I have an A Integral and like to buy C golden Gate, cause i read they work good together

[@didgeproject]

They will work together to an extend but there is one glaring mismatch: the A Integral has the note F natural while the CGG has the note F# - big clash there. Otherwise everything else works together.

[@ChantelStays]

Somehow hasn't helped me choose...but I'm leaning to b celtic

[@junipersages]

I like this video but I realized that I'd get more value out of my RAVs by not buying ones that are compatible (as there are a lot of overlapping notes) but rather buy vasts that provide notes that are different from the ones I currently have. More bang for my buck...and yes an odd approach lol.

[@didgeproject]

That makes sense, especially for people who know music theory really well. But for the people who don’t want to have to think about what notes they are playing, this video will give you almost every possible combination

[@GlaffandBanna]

I was thinking the same thing, and I'm so I'm currently trying a G Pygmy with a B Minor Celtic Double Ding. The droning G of the G Pygmy works well with many melodies on the B minor (and some other harmonies I can create). However because the other notes of the scale that can resonate, creating other harmonies, notes you'd think would be compatible don't necesarily. Still it's really fun to see what I can do with these two supposedly incompatible Ravs.

[@aomaintenance]

I agree. I have e low. Been wanting, and just received g pigmy. There is some serious dissonance. Dissonance can take your music to another level.

[@BarryGrueter]

What are the possibilities of the “A Rus” ?

[@didgeproject]

A RUS is a model that has been discontinued however we do really like that model. The A RUS works with A Integral, C Golden Gate, E low pygmy and D Celtic Minor.

[@BarryGrueter]

@@didgeproject thanks for sharing this with me and others 🙏

[@dariopieterson]

Withh its the best:)

[@scan1040]

Why no combination of G pygmy + E low Pygmy ? The Rav website mention that is is a good combination, is it true ?

[@didgeproject]

Well G pygmy has Eb and E Low Pygmy has E and D, so 3 chromatic half-steps in a combination is generally a no-go for combinations. Also there is the A Bb and B cluster that arises. We could try it out and see if it works, but my intuition tells me it will not be a true fully compatible pairing. -AJ

[@scan1040]

@@didgeproject thanks for the answer ! You should definitely take a look because rav website may be really wrong on this. Here what they say "What scales go together with the E Low Pygmy? In RAV’s family the E Low Pygmy is a bigger brother of the G Pygmy which has a higher tone. If you want to accompany the E Low Pygmy with another RAV, choose the G Pygmy or the C Golden Gate Scale as the perfect matches."

[@didgeproject]

@@scan1040 Yeah, it may be an error on their site. We can test it on our end, but with 3 consecutive half steps, the G Pygmy and E Low Pygmy doesn't seem to be a viable option.

[@myotheraccount17]

@@scan1040 I almost bought a G pygmy after my E Low pygmy. But pretty much everyone expressed that although one is the bigger brother, they don't exactly sound well together. Despite that quote you have above.

[@kbrtwells]

Sadly, I took Rav's advice and bought an older G Pygmy to compliment my newer E Low. The only notes that work with all of the notes on the "G" are the C3, G3, A3 & D4. The B3, E3 & E2 could be used sparingly, but you'd really have to watch out. The A2 and B2 are pretty much unusable. To exacerbate things, the older drum (G) has a totally different vibe than the new drum, so this makes them sound like two different instruments. Perhaps the new "G"'s go well with the new "E"'s, but I don't recommend mixing generations.

[@synkopederanged6771]

A Marmara - forever solo? :-D

[@didgeproject]

We couldn’t find any fully harmonious combos, but there are a bunch of partially harmonious ones

[@synkopederanged6771]

@@didgeproject i thought so, because otherwise this probably would have been several hours...the boyfriend and I sometimes play the G Pygmy and the C Golden Gate together, which also sounds nice if you skip some notes on either. When I was thinking about getting a second Rav (matching with my first) I would end up playing two different videos (each featuring one of the scales) simultaneously to get an idea on how they would sound together - so this video makes it much better. Thanks a lot for that. Although I am still a little bit sad for poor A Marmara ^^

[@elenae7965]

low Pygmy nd C Golden gate are awesome too

[@didgeproject]

I also love that combo, and its one you rarely hear -AJ

[@LostCause36]

Should I just get a D Major??? 😫

[@didgeproject]

Depends what you want to do!

[@KI-zj5tt]

No pairing for an A Amara? I see they no longer make that scale so maybe you don't have an A Amara.

[@didgeproject]

Do you mean A Marmara? It should work with the B Major RAV. I think they do still make A Marmara because we just ordered a few for our store.

[@gesund_mit_chris_IG]

Hey :) I just ordered the A Integral to combine with D Minor pentatonics. However, they are NOT at all harmonious, no matter how we try it. Any ideas why that could be the case?😢 Greetings!

[@didgeproject]

Which brands of drums did you buy? Rav doesn’t make a d minor pentatonic. Are they both tuned in 440hz? A Minor and. D Minor should be somewhat compatible, but the only chord tone they share is A.

[@gesund_mit_chris_IG]

​@@didgeprojectThey sent me a 432 Hz and I had a 440 Hz. That was the problem😅 Now sold one and will get one of the same tuning. Thanks!