Tongue Drum

A tongue drum — also called a steel tongue drum or tank drum — is a melodic percussion instrument whose tuned steel tongues are cut into the top of a resonating shell and played with the fingers or soft mallets. Tapadum’s handmade tongue drums are tuned to 432Hz or 440Hz for a clear, sustained tone, built by experienced artisans for stable intonation and sensitive dynamics across meditation, yoga, sound healing, and live performance.

Choosing a tongue drum starts with note count. Our 8-note models suit beginners and focused meditative practice with a simple, easy-to-play scale; 10-note models extend the melodic range for more complex improvisation. Each instrument is tuned to 432Hz or 440Hz in a D minor scale family — an accessible, meditative sound close to what you’ll find on our D Kurd handpans, and a natural next step if you already play melodic percussion. You can customize colors and finishes and select an 8- or 10-note model; the finish and engraved pattern are a matter of visual preference and do not affect the tuning or tone.

New to the tongue drum? Our steel tongue drum buyer’s guide covers scales, sizes, and how a tongue drum differs from a handpan, and our handpan vs. tongue drum comparison helps you choose between them.

The tongue drum sits within our wider Sound Healing Instruments collection alongside handpans, frame drums, and koshi chimes for meditation, therapy, and yoga practice. Worldwide shipping & 15-day return apply to every order.