How to Place Numbers on a Steel Tongue Drum

Hello all! Lately I've gotten quite a few questions about putting numbers on your tank drums or steel tongue drums. Here you go! You can find the drum in the video on Amazon here: amzn.to/3pAQjse
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means that if you buy something from the above Amazon link, I might get a small share of the sale :) Thank you!
Pano Tuner: play.google.com/store/apps/de...
If you want an in-depth course on how to play your tongue drum, check out Master the Handpan here: masterthehandpan.teachable.co... You can use the code MUSICALMOLLY to get $30 off! The beginner's tongue drum course (RAV Essentials) has over 7 hours of lessons plus an active Facebook group to ask questions of the wonderful instructor, David, and your fellow students. This is an affiliate link, so if you decide to purchase a course it supports this channel as well!
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[@jesskilbourn8250]

Your tutorial is fabulous. Mine just arrived in the mail. Literally just took it outta the box and wanted to know a few things. And found you! Definitely have a key of D tongue drum! You just radiate kindness and sweetness. Thanks.

[@nickfosterxx]

One of these days I swear I'm going to take one of your fabulous signature giggles and turn it into a notification (maybe a weekend alarm?) on my phone. Hope you don't mind, all in the best possible taste etc.

[@angelachristle2116]

Thank you so much! My second drum came without the numbers on it and I was a bit at a loss. I appreciate this very simplistic way of getting back into this whole music game. I used to do choir singing mini years ago and could read music while and understood it all and I’m hoping it all comes back in my memory, but this is a very easy way to get started with playing from a song book

[@gratefulila9980]

Thank you for teaching people about theory in a easy way. You're giving people a foundational understanding of scale degrees. Blessings of Tone time space melody harmony and feel

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Thanks so much 😊 Blessings to you as well!

[@mariaqhvwork1747]

thanks Molly this was uber helpful! I'm new to music and this is my first instrument so now I know what notes I have!

[@mariagraffelner5216]

I just started playing a tongue drum & REALLY appreciate your tutorials. On a separate note (ha, ha) I just realized I can use the tuner to improve my speech! I’m a “low talker” (yep, Seinfeld episode all over again…lol). Point is I’m SO TIRED of repeating myself when I speak! So now that I’ve probably talked TMI for a post, I’ll keep going. I’m going to use the tuner for my Pan AND me! Thank you for your help!

[@jasonayoub]

Thanks, that was very useful. I have a drum coming in the mail and can’t wait to try it out.

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Wonderful! Happy drumming 😊

[@cheryls4526]

Thank you . Great explanation. Totally needed this so I can learn how to read notes. 🥰👍🏽✅

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

I'm so glad it was helpful 😊 Happy drumming!

[@JenTaySay]

Thank you. Your so kind and we learned a lot. 🤙🏻

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

I'm so glad to help 😊

[@angelachristle2116]

Thank you so very much for this! My latest drum came without the numbers on it and I was feeling a bit at a loss if I actually want to play from a song book

[@paulbruining9966]

Thanks for all your information! 🍀and good luck for you

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Thank you 😊

[@marciacunningham5877]

Many musicians, including myself, play by numbers instead of notes or cords. Once learned, this makes playing in different keys much easier. Michael

[@dffcgvghjlkuuippksds]

thanks for creating the vid, been hunting for info about the dots

[@krispeters7733]

Great info. This app was more accurate than what I installed prior. Ty.

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Thank you! Glad it works for you. Happy drumming 😊

[@musicalmiscellany]

That is a cool looking drum. It kind of reminds me of the Guda drums. I'd like to see more videos with it.

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Yes, it is amazing! I just got it for Christmas and will be posting the unboxing soon 😊. To me it does sound like the Guda drums, a little warmer and more percussive!

[@cpclisa]

What brand is this drum?

[@halamehrez3410]

Thank you so much

[@zachdamery8284]

I love the giggles ☺️

[@wellingtongualda3265]

Thank you very much!! ☺️☺️

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Glad to help! 😊

[@rebeccaostrander2486]

That was great. I have a C Akebono , made by pearl. Can you help with numbering ?

[@10westfarm81]

Hello, I have the same drum as in this video. I used the tuner and all the notes are correct except on the tuner there's a plus and minus range. CDE are right in the center but the FGAB all drop to the right (minus sign). So sound wise my notes go up and down they do not keep going up the way yours does. Hope that makes sense

[@msavig2]

Is C major tongue drum best to use if using music books or playing with others?

[@nicomatz4]

Great videos. Could you tell me the brand of that tongue drum? Do you recommend it?I want to buy one but I’m still not sure of which brand. I looking for 14 inch at least. Thanks!

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Thank you! So this is a Hluru drum, but it is sold by many different names in the USA. There's a link in the description to buy it on Amazon, I believe the brand I bought it from was HappyBuy. Hope that helps! 😊

[@marliesmackaaij6226]

Thanks for your quick reply Molly! Is it possible that I send you a video me trying to find the right tunes on my drum?

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Yes! My email is guitarsandharpsohmy at Gmail 😊

[@clareyoung4857]

Brilliant video. I received a similar drum for Christmas, but there is a D on the underside... Does that mean it's tuned to D and is the tuning method the same? Also, do you have a video on how to tune it without using magnets? Many thanks

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

That probably means it is in D, yes! It's a bit complicated, but basically it just means your drum would not sound nice playing the same number tabs at the same time with a drum tuned in C. Otherwise, you can play all the number tabs and they will still sound right! As far as tuning, it's not very possible if your drum is not magnetic 😕 But, you can still do lots of different scales since your drum has so many notes. I will be posting some tutorials for that in the future!

[@johnatyoutube]

Thanks, this is super helpful. Does it make more sense to use letters if you read music? The number thing isn't as intuitive to me.

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Yes! I really prefer letters and find myself always translating in my head. That said, it's much easier to play in different keys if you get used to using numbers, and it is really helpful in learning the basic structure of music 😊

[@johnatyoutube]

@@MusicalMollyKhan Thanks Molly. Interesting point. I've been reading music since the age of 7 (59 now), play a bunch of instruments like you, and I'll be able to translate faster with letters. Perhaps put both on to kill two birds with one stone. That would allow me to play from numbers or letters and learn their correspondence more easily. Now I just need to find the right stick on letters. Lol. I ordered a larger heptatonic C- natural major model. I'm waiting with baited breath for it to come!

[@Booboberry]

Just bought one myself and don't know anything about music. Been trying for an hour and there's so much to learn! I really want to learn legend of zeldas songs and studio ghibli songs. Any advice for a non music person? 😅

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

I have to hunt around for it but there's a great YT channel that plays the song and gives you the tabs, I think they have some of what you're looking for!

[@ada_kaem]

Is it possible to play songs from C-Major scale on D-Major tongue drum? ;) If yes, should I treat my sticker nr 7 as note 1 on a tutorial? that would be note C on the tutorial but I have C# note on a drum, so I don't know if that would work. Or this is not possible and I should just look for a songs in D-Major scale? ;)

[@anasaloma7946]

Hi Molly! Is it possible to have a drum without Fa and Ti? I bought this years ago for sound baths and I never checked it!

[@elainehandy9366]

My drum has 13 notes. When tuning with pano tune it has a G#. How do I number this?

[@Novarupta.]

I have a 9 note steel drum. I have as follows: 1(c) 2(d) 1(e) 1(f) 1(g) 1(b) and 2(a). Is this right or did I do something wrong?

[@quirkyuncle9947]

Hi, Molly. Great info and presentation! For a G Minor eight tongue drum, would it be numbered like this: G4 (1), Bb4 (3), C5 (4), D5 (5), F5 (7), G5 (.1), Bb5 (.3), C6 (.4) Assuming that the . before a number means above. Thank you!

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Hmm, if you're wanting to play songs that are numbered, you usually have to go with the relative major key to do numberings. It's relative major is Bb, so G (6.), Bb (1), C (2), D (3), F (5), G (6), Bb (.1), C (.2) With the before dot representing higher and the after dot representing lower. Does that make sense?

[@quirkyuncle9947]

@@MusicalMollyKhan Perfect! It’s a small drum and I’m new, so the numbers will help me keep the notes in order. I figured it would be good to number them properly to learn the standard notation. Thank you for the quick response!

[@user-zn2zn9vs3c]

I need help figuring out notes and numbers I have the little purple drum please help

[@steelwheel108]

Hi, I have Meinl Sonic Energy 7" 8 notes Tongue Drum in F Minor scale. Notes are: Ab5, Ab4, Bb5, Bb4, C5, Eb5, F5 & F4 😊 How to number tongues in Your opinion? Thanks & have a great day 🍀

[@mordepop]

I would like to know that as well :) any answers so far?

[@steelwheel108]

@@mordepop Yes, there are two ways of numbering tongues on this drum 😎 By the notes is: F4 nr 1, Ab4 nr 2, Bb4 nr 3, C5 nr 4, Eb5 nr 5, F5 nr 6, Ab5 nr 7 & Bb5 nr 8

[@mordepop]

@@steelwheel108 thank you! And the second way?

[@EricLDC]

Not sure if you are still reading comments my 8 inch steel tongue drum the numbers are mixed up like two 5s and three 3s. Got a pic of the proper number setting? One is the video is too big but will the placement be kind of the same? Sorry for bad spelling or grammar I can't see well no more.

[@sophieward3381]

Hi Molly, thanks so much for your videos (especially perfect for a newbie!). I just got a 14 note C tone tongue drum from Amazon. I followed your kind instructions & used the app to get the notes, which suggest the drum is numbered correctly (stickers came already placed - I tried with the a few times and same result came), however when I start from 1(C) and go through to 7(B) it's not sounding right. Instead of high to low being C, D, E, F, G, A, B... I'm getting: E, D, C, B, A, G, F. Does that make any sense for the drum I have?? A quick Google of the note order suggests its an E tone? Super confused! Thank you 😊

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Wow, that is really confusing! One suggestion: when you are using the tuner, use your arm or some cloth to mute the rest of the drum except the note you are trying to figure out. Sometimes the overtones can interfere and confuse the tuner! 😊

[@sophieward3381]

@@MusicalMollyKhan Hey again! So I tried with the cloth... same outcome! So I have an E tone tongue drum?! Any advice for how this changes the sound/ difference between C and E tone? Am just curious given it's not quite what was expected 😊 Thanks again for your help!

[@marshaingebretson9179]

I just got one, it says it is in “A”…🤷‍♀️ it has 8 tongues. How do I number it? I did download the app.

[@cassandrahutchison7971]

I have an 11 note tongue drum in B minor scale. I’m so lost with the number stickers! 😭 So B is number 1 but I have 2 Bs on my drum, how do I know which B is the regular B? I also have 3 F#s on mine

[@kitkat5468]

How do I number a B sharp 8 tongue drum ?

[@pamlottinville4554]

Do the drums come with the numbers already on the drum?

[@whylife8980]

I have a 15 note in D major and no matter where I look I can't find out where to place these numbers and I'm losing my sanity more and more. If you know can you please help me with a link or video or anything I can use to find out how to properly label this?

[@leoclymer7209]

I have enjoyed this video. The app you recommend is very good, however my tongue drum is from India, has 8 tongues and I can only see C & D register! What am I doing wrong? Thank you

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Huh, I'm not sure! Your best bet is to try and muffle the other notes, like put your hand over the notes you are not playing. That might help register correctly.

[@leoclymer7209]

@@MusicalMollyKhan Thanks, I tried that after watching you do the same. A learning experience for certain. I will get it to work, thanks.

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

@@leoclymer7209 good luck! Feel free to ask away with any more questions 😊

[@anneanne473]

I have a question. I have a small 6 tongue drum ( I watched one of your videos and bought it from amazon..the little purple one). My question...my tongues/notes are 1=C, 2=D, 3-E, 5=G, 6=A, i=C. (I downloaded the tuner app you suggested)...Do I just play songs without B or F??? OR am I suppose to have B and F and my drum is wrong?

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

The drum you have is pentatonic, meaning it's made to be a 5 note scale. This is advantageous because you can play music to relax or meditate without encountering any dissonance or "wrong" notes! But as you noticed, it makes it difficult to play songs. I did make a video with some songs for pentatonic drums: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZXJgImKnZitfa8

[@rasitawinner8203]

I have a drum in A minor 432hz but im unclear what notes it has will pano tuner work? I looked in the play store it doesnt state if will work on 432hz

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

It will work! In the settings you can change the Hz to whatever you'd like 😊

[@ronbaumgardner9649]

Where do you get number stickers?

[@karabithell9771]

Hi- I got a book of songs with my small tongue drum. Can you please tell me what the 0 note might be?

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

I believe the 0 note means "don't play anything" like a rest 😊

[@Mr93GT]

Please help. There are some numbers on my tongue drum. No C. There is a D stamped in the bottom of the drum. According to Pano tuner the 15 notes are Gb, Gb, Gb, D, D, B, B, G, G, A, A, Db, Db, E, E. Of course higher and lower on the duplicates. So does D start with 1? How does the rest of the numbering go? Thanks in advance.

[@sylviastevenson3199]

How would you number a Rav Vast B Kurd drum. Scale is: (B2 lowest note) F#3, G3, A3, B3, C#4, D4, E4, F#4, and A4. I am also getting Novadrum in B Celtic Minor 432 hz, which I have figured out (8 notes...D: A, C, D, E, F, G, A, C). The B Kurd has another note on it though(9 notes), due to 1 extra note. You can advise on the D Celtic Minor scale also to make sure I am on track, though, please. Thanks so much in advance. Any and all help for a newbie is appreciated. 😊

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Great question! So I believe based on that scale the the Kurd is based on a B minor scale (a mode of D major) as well. That would make B, the lowest note, number 6. Then F#=3, G=4, A=5, B=6, C#=7, D=1, E=2 etc. :D

[@sylviastevenson3199]

@@MusicalMollyKhan Thanks for taking the time to do that. I've gone tongue drum crazy though, and am getting 2 others. If you can help on their numbering in any spare time me, it'd be appreciated. The scales are: 9 note D minor Celtic for Novadrum in notes of D, A, C, D, E, F, G, A, C, and then Guda Drum African Pentatonic in A Key of A, C, D, E, G, A, C, D. The Guda Freezbee is interesting bc it has no center note like the others. Is it easy to see the lowest ding note on the Freezbee, or do you need to use the app to figure it out? Thanks!!!

[@markbuhl5647]

Hello Molly. Not sure how I missed this one. I have a question. I too have a Hluru 14 note which came with the numbers on it. The notes agree with the numbers as far as C=1 etc. with no sharps or flats. The question I have is that my notes range from low F (4) to high E (3). Does that make sense? Don't know much about music theory. I was expecting a C major scale to be fro C to high B in this case w/o the high C 15th note. Hope that question makes sense.

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Great question! Yes, that totally makes sense. A lot of instruments that span more than one octave (1-7) will put a few higher notes and a few lower notes, since that actually gives you more harmonic options then just adding 7 lower notes or 7 higher notes 😊

[@markbuhl5647]

@@MusicalMollyKhan thanks much. Appreciate how well you manage your comments section.

[@harmonicaboynton1289]

Why are the notes spaced so far apart? why don't the scale notes be lined up in order side by side, like a keyboard for each octave.

[@sapphirestone3371]

My little steel tongue drum is in the scale of G. Does the G note start with a # 1 sticker?

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Yes! If it's in the key of G major, G will be #1 😊

[@SkullFucker1111]

You can take of the stickers on your drum, the numbers will stay on the drum.I had that as well.

[@Sage-dt6cv]

According to the app, my drum doesn’t have a C. One comes close..is that because it’s out of tune?

[@branwenwillow298]

Hi I live in Vancouver BC Canada I’ve tried everywhere to find a teacher with no luck, I downloaded a tuning app for drums it hasn’t helped at all, why don’t they come with numbers?.. Can you help?..

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

I'm sorry to hear you're having a hard time! Download the Pano tuner app and let me know what notes your drum has, then I can tell you where to place the numbers 😊

[@ukaszjozwicki9033]

I wish You 365 days of luck Molly in 2021

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

You as well 😊

[@katemitchell665]

Do you know where I can get the stickers for a 15 note D Major Tongue Drum? Long story short I “acquired” this tongue drum but 1/2 the numbers are missing, and therefore, needs to be renumbered before this newbie can use it. Thanks for any guidance on this matter.

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Great question! I wasn't able to find exactly the same stickers, but these would work! amzn.to/3r1i6Dj

[@katemitchell665]

@@MusicalMollyKhan thanks Molly, but what to do about the dots above and below? Rather not do them by hand. :-(

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

@@katemitchell665 hmm, you could perhaps cut circles from the leftover stickers? Honestly I don't find the dots very useful - the upper notes seem clearly smaller and the lower ones bigger. That might help?

[@katemitchell665]

@@MusicalMollyKhan actually, yes that does help! Thank you, Molly. Your comment just helped me to brainstorm other ideas, ie. using different colour numbers, different sizes,, etc, if I can’t find the dots. While handwritten dots wouldn’t work for me, it is an acquired drum and it’s not like I will be using it for KZbin videos...lol....thank you, for the brainstorming session. :-)

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

@@katemitchell665 no problem, glad to help! I hope you enjoy it very much 😊

[@theacarter2291]

The stickers on my drum keep coming off. Has anyone tried to paint numbers on with stencils?

[@tomjacobs7430]

How can i contact u private. I need help with mij drum (d mineur)

[@JHCRBurton]

Just got my tongue drum and was using the tuner your recommended and it seems like I have 3 C notes, is that possible?

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Yes! It's likely that you have Cs in different octaves: if there's a C with a dot below, a C with no dot, and a C with a dot above, they represent a low C, middle C, and a high C respectively 😊

[@JHCRBurton]

It’s actually supposed to be my low G (5) but when I play it it rings as a low C. I’m assuming it’s out of tune and will retune it using the tiny magnets you mentioned in another video.

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

@@JHCRBurton you can definitely try that! One suggestion first: sometimes the tuners pick up the wrong overtones on the tongue drums. Try putting your clothed arm across as many tongues as you can except the one you're tuning. Then you'll get a better reading 😊

[@jaxonsazle]

I have a small, pentatonic drum in D major, I assume 1 starts at D, but then I'm lost from there.

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

No problem! 1=D, 2=E, 3=F#, 4=G, 5=A, 6=B, 7=C# 😊

[@aklotmusicalinstrument9139]

what is the tuning app dear?

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

It's called Pano Tuner, it's a great app 😊

[@branwenwillow298]

I tried to use the tuner you suggested it doesn’t help

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

I'm sorry you're having trouble! Are you able to use the tuner to find out what notes you have? If so, you can post them here and I can tell you where to put your numbers 😊

[@Portland4114]

I have a G minor. What do I do differently

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

So minor scales get a little interesting. The easiest thing to do is turn to the relative major, which in this case would be Bb major. So Bb=1, C=2, D=3, Eb=4, F=5, G=6, A=7 😊

[@Nickos336]

My steel tongue drum arrived with numbers, but there's one problem. It doesn't have the number 4? It's 1,1,2,3,5,5,6,6

[@marybooth6224]

I just got one of these too! Did you find out how to number it?

[@branwenwillow298]

What number is c is it 1

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

If your drum is in C major, C is number 1 😊

[@lauraandreabuitragochica6383]

And if the drum is D minor

[@ankeenbeertje1981]

Mine is d minor

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Oh, gotcha! Actually, in D minor you'll want to avoid the notes E and Bb, that will give you the minor pentatonic scale 😊

[@SimpleTankDrum]

Numbers is mostly using only in Asia region. Even when i was a kid, we all familiar with Numbers than Alphabet. So when number 1234567 its similar to CDEFGAB.. (on C key). So, if your key is B or G, the numbers still same start from 1 to 7... ❤️😘 HAPPY PRACTICING.. its good review...

[@MusicalMollyKhan]

Yes! This is the system I learned in my vocal classes, it's much easier than solfege for singers. And for tongue drums, haha 😊

[@marylouhintz944]

It would be good if you don't laugh as much while you teach