# Tongue drums for the grand kids



## sprucegum (Dec 8, 2013)

I started out with a wood plan my wife purchased, I made one by the plan but didn't really like it as it had too many plain butt joints to suit me. I used the basic plan to cut the tongues' but changed the dimensions a tiny bit so they would fit a LFRB (one of them will get shipped). I also mitered the corners for a cleaner look. I have plans for the drum sticks but my wife found some online she liked.

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## Woodman (Dec 8, 2013)

Dave, this is something new to me, I had to do a Google search to learn what a tongue drum is? You've done a fine job but when the grandkids show up with these drums what are you going to do? Earplugs only help a little.

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## Kevin (Dec 8, 2013)

Nice work Dave. How do they sound? You do not want to give them regular drum sticks! Drums sticks on tongue drums sound atrocious and will drive you insane. Tongue drums sound best (by far) if played with soft marimba mallets. I gave my kids some cheap yarn practice marimba mallets I had. Marimba mallets can get pricey but all you need is a couple pairs of cheap yarn mallets. But after a while you would pay for the expensive ones if you have to listen to them pounding on those tongues with the butt end of oak or hickory drum sticks and they will always end up using the butt ends so get those mallets. Trust me on this!

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## rob3232 (Dec 8, 2013)

Very nice Dave!! On my list of things to do. I saw something simular at a craft store and it tripped the button. Do you know if any species work better or not? I have heard of tone woods but that is way over my head. The set I saw also had wooden mallets with rubber bands wrapped on the drumming stick part??? As I think about it ..It was probably six years ago. Mann, I'm getting old.. Probably 15 years... Do they still make rubber bands?? Anyway,"Very Nice"

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## sprucegum (Dec 8, 2013)

Directions call for 1" hard rubber balls glued to a dowel. As the younger of the girls is not quite 2 I worry about the ball coming unglued. My wife found some online that are made for tongue drums so she ordered them, they are around $5/pair. As far as wood I used what I had, maple & cherry one of the drums sounds awesome the other is a little flat. I may remove the top and tinker with it some both tops are maple from the same board so I think it is the way it makes contact with the box.


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## Kevin (Dec 8, 2013)

sprucegum said:


> ... so I think it is the way it makes contact with the box.



You only need glue - no joinery other than butt and flat, but it has to be a good glue joint all the way around or the resonance from the tongues (the top) are not carried into the box completely. It may seem that just the tongues vibrating into the void of the box would be good enough but it isn't. There's a harmonic between the tongue and box itself (which is the amplifier) that can only happen with a good joint that allows them to vibrate together - all in unison. And it is a good glue joint that allows this. No trick joinery.

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## sprucegum (Dec 9, 2013)

The drumsticks came today they make the drums sound great. I sawed through the glue joint that was holding the top on the dull sounding one tinkered with the fit a little and reglued it. Sounds much better but still not quite as good as the other. Not enough difference to worry about, the kids are cousins that live a couple hundred miles apart don't think they will do a comparison.

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