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

The tongue drum (also known as a tong drum, tank drum, gluck-o-phone, or hapi drum) and the handpan (also referred to as a hank drum, UFO drum, or zen drum) are percussion instruments designed to help you focus on your emotions, sensations, and body. You don’t need formal music training or knowledge of music theory to play them. Their main purpose is to encourage relaxation, meditation, and exploration of your inner world.

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.

Playing the Tongue Drum

Most steel tongue drums come with mallets, and if you’ve never played a percussion instrument before, using mallets is the recommended way to start. Mallets make it easy to produce beautiful notes effortlessly, bouncing off the surface to create a clear, resonant sound.

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

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

I Love You

Isn’t It Grand, Boys?

Italian Waltz

James Connoly

Land of the Silver Birch

Largo from the “New World Symphone” by 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