Beginner-Friendly Songbook for Diatonic Tongue Drums with Love Songs by Number

Designed for Adult Players
The repertoire for simple eight-note percussion instruments is often very limited. It usually consists of traditional children's songs, while everything else either requires chromatic notes, which not all percussion instruments have, or involves a much wider note range. In this book, we have adapted more complex song, mainly folk and romantic ballads, for a simple diatonic instrument with just eight notes in one octave. The melodies had to be simplified, but the rhythm was preserved, making these popular folk tunes playable on an eight-note tongue drum.

Although the title suggests this book is for an 8-note drum, all the songs can also be played on 11-, 13-, or 15-key tongue drums. The songbook includes beloved tunes from England, Ireland, Scotland, the United States, and Australia, offering a rich and diverse selection for players of all levels. Enjoy this collection of 57 carefully chosen traditional folk songs and ballads, spanning a range of moods and themes.

C-major Tongue Drums
Tongue drums are versatile and intuitive instruments, capable of producing beautiful melodies
with various note arrangements. This book is specifically designed for the most popular and
widely used models, which are typically tuned to C major.
If you have an 8-note tongue drum and aren’t sure of its tuning, it is most likely in C major. To
confirm, check the chart in the book’s introduction to match your drum’s notes.

The standard notes for an 8-note C-major tongue drum are:
C (1), D (2), E (3), F (4), G (5), A (6), B (7), C (1)

Learn to Play with Ease
Playing by Numbers
This book uses a diatonic scale numbering system, where each note is represented by a number
from 1 to 7. Dots above the numbers indicate whether a note belongs to a higher octave. The
number of notes on your drum determines the range of songs you can play.

Techniques for Beautiful Sound
Most steel tongue drums come with mallets, which are a great way to start:
- Use mallets first - they produce clear, resonant tones with minimal effort.
- Experiment with hand playing once you're comfortable. Remove rings or jewelry for the
best sound.
- Strike lightly and quickly to let notes resonate fully.
- Hit near the tongue edges (not the center) to enhance overtones.
- Use your palm to create dynamic strikes or mute notes.
- Explore freely! There’s no wrong way to play.

Each song page includes two QR codes for additional resources:
Audio Recording. Use the violet QR codes with rounded corners to hear the song played on a
tongue drum. These recordings precisely follow the notes written in the book.

YouTube Video. Use the black square QR codes and watch a professional performance of the
piece. These recordings aren’t exact replicas of the book’s arrangements but serve as helpful
tools to better understand melodies and rhythms.

Beginner-Friendly Songbook for Diatonic Tongue Drums with Love Songs by Number 

Song List
Alabama Gal  
Bayou Sara
Beautiful Brown Eyes
Big Rock Candy Mountains
Blood on the Saddle  
Bound for South Australia  
Butcher Boy  
Butcher Boy - Alternative Version
Come Back Liza  
Daddy Fox
Down by the Salley Gardens
Drink to me with thine eyes  
Drunken Sailor
East Virginia Blues
Fire in the Mountains
For He Is A Jolly Good Fellow
Get Along, Little Dogies
Henry My Son
Hi'ilawe  
Hopping Dance
Isn't It Grand, Boys  
Isn't It Grand, Boys - Alternative Version
Italian Waltz  
James Connoly
Land of the Silver Birch
Lavender's Blue  
Little Bessie
Man Of Constant Sorrow  
Marianne
Molly Malone  
My Home's In Montana  
My Paddle
My Wild Irish Rose  
New River Train
Oh Dear What Can The Matter Be
Oh How The Lovely The Evening Is
Old Jim Slack's Grey Horse
Peace Like a River
Peace Round  
Salty Dog Blues
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon  
Shenandoah
Skibbereen
Sweet Betsy From Pike  
The Boys of Fairhill  
The Kerry Recruit
The Meeting of the Waters  
The Northern Lights of Aberdeen
Three Score and Ten
Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ra
Town of Ballybay
Trees Grow Tall
Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree
Wanderin  
Weile Walia
Weile Walia Alt
Whiskey in a Jar