CHROMATIC SET of two tongue drums
Here I will describe the chromatic scale of the tongue drum.
Most Tongue Drums sold for beginners usually have between 11 and 15 notes in a drum.
This will still allow you to play some tunes, but there will be occasions when you will be missing some notes.
I will use the piano keyboard to explain things, so that my explanation is conveyed visually.
But don't worry, you don't need to know anything about the piano!
The notes that can be played on a standard c major 15-tone tongue drum are the ones with red circles.
As you get better and want to play more different songs, it is likely that the 15 notes marked with red circles will not be enough.
You may need higher notes (i.e. to the right) than the red circle, or conversely, you may want lower notes (i.e. to the left).
This is called lateral spread.
Alternatively, some songs will require both black and white keys.
This is called vertical spread.
The problem of lack of lateral spread can sometimes be solved by lowering or raising the note by an octave.
If it is a numbered tongue drum, you play the higher or lower notes of the same number.
It doesn't always work because the melody changes, but it's something that can be solved to some extent.
The problem of vertical spread is a little more difficult to solve.
For example, C♯(the note between 1 and 2 on a C major instrument) is the yellow triangle, but if it is replaced by a note 1 or note 2, the impression of the song changes significantly.
I have made two videos so you can compare how they sound different.
A scale starting with D with only the red circle notes
A scale starting with D with two the yellow triangle notes
If you compare the two videos, I think you can see the difference.
In summary, the more notes you have in your instrument, the more different kinds of songs you can play, especially if you can also play the notes with the yellow triangles in the picture above.
A chromatic set of tongue drums can play the notes with red circles and yellow triangles, therefore, the range of songs you can play will greatly expand.
I play with the YW Pulsar chromatic set (original and mini, both custom made) and the Kosmosky New Wave.
I understand that chromatic sets can be expensive and difficult to obtain.
That's why I don't recommend a chromatic set for tongue drum beginners.
However, there are many things that can only be done with a chromatic set, and some songs can only be played with a chromatic set.
I post videos of tunes that I have chosen to show the potential of chromatic sets and try to share their characteristics on various occasions and explore their full potential.
The use of a full chromatic set of tongue drums as a main instrument is still quite rare and most players tend to work with either single‑scale instruments.
I hope that the appeal of chromatic sets will be spread through my work and social media. :-)
