What Are Tongue Drums?
 

Tongue drums are a musical instrument made of wood, usually in the shape of a box, with tongues or keys on the playing surface. Tuned-to-scale tongue drums are tongue drums with the tongues tuned to specific notes within a musical scale.

Tongue drums are members of the Idiophone family of instruments. An idiophone is an instrument which vibrates throughout its body when hit to produce sound.  The only instrument older than the idiophone is the human voice itself. Since the tongue on the tongue drum is attached at one end to the drum body, the tongue drum can also be classified as a lamellaphone. Notable members of this family include the Sansa, Mbira, and Kalimba.

Tongue drums are known by many different names including Xylodrums, Log Drums, and Slit Drums. If you were to trace back the origin of the tongue drum, you would find a version in early African and Asian cultures. Early tongue drums had a wide variety of functions within these cultures, from story telling to beating out war cries over long distances.

Steves' hardwood tongue drums are direct descendants of these ancient instruments, with a modern twist, harmonics and tuning. Steve carefully selects the highest grade hardwoods available, and skillfully crafts the finest tongue drums made.

Steve's unique designs and attention to detail have garnered worldwide renowned. Every tongue drum is tuned to concert pitch. They are made in Chico, California and follow in a long tradition of American Made Crafts. 

With such distinctive sounds and styles of play, it's little wonder these fascinating instruments are finding their way into recordings from artists around the world.

From the Craftsman to Your Door.

Click on the following links to learn more about the fascinating tongue drum.