It could very well be that because I am weird, or odd (I don't always know the difference), I have purchased for myself a blue steel tongue drum for the heck of it. Now, I also bought a smaller one, and I think it's black, but there were several colors in the offering. I can't remember which one I selected. It's OK either way; I am not loyal to one color over the next. The blue one was prettier to me when I saw it, so I know I ordered that one. The blue drum is larger, about 11 inches, and the smaller one is only 4 or 6 inches; it fits in my hand.
Why a tongue drum? Well, that's a good question. While I was growing up, I was always interested in the sounds that were being made by drums, be that the sound of large bass drums being hit during a concert, or even the handheld conga drums that you'd see a kid carrying around in the early years of my life, the 1960s and the 1970s. Kids were always doing something to make noise somehow, and some of those kids had congas. I loved it. I never owned any, but I loved listening to them
The Celts (my people) are well known for beating on deer skin drums, as are the patriots who came over and carried on their military traditions. Drums are an intricate part of every corner of my life in one way or another. The steel drum, though, isn't a deerskin or anything synthetic and plastic; nope, it is what it says it is, a steel drum. These little instruments are both inexpensive and marvelous. They make the deep hollow sounds you hear in meditation videos. They don't clang or clink; they sing.
When struck, the notes bloom, lifting into the air surrounding your head with tones so clear and soft. Each "tongue", the U-shaped cuts in the metal, has its own voice. It's own note. They give you little stickers to put on them so you can learn them; you can remove the stickers when you've mastered their positions, and if they come with engraved numbers, you'll never have to worry about that. It's a cheap and fun, very beautiful way to relax, think, create, and just hang out with yourself or someone you love.
It's a soft-sounding instrument; the vibrations are like individual lullabies resonating through your body. If you strike the instrument harder, the tones crash, like waves or thunder, overlapping with each other, and the sounds harmonize as they lift and fall together. The metal, in this case, steel, gives it a crystalline sound - sustaining through several seconds of measured tone before deminishing and disappearing; unlike a wooden drum that will thud. The sound echoes.
Believe it or not, the steel-tongued drum is a relatively new instrument, having been developed over the past twenty or so years. It was inspired by the ancient instruments of Africa, Asia, and the Americas, but nothing like it has been found any earlier than 2000; before that, it was literally something else. The steel-tongued drum isn't going out of style anytime soon; every percussion instrument has its purpose, its place, and its punctuation on its audience(s). I love the tones. I don't aspire to be a guru, but I hope to learn quickly and enjoy it more than watching TV or YouTube videos.
Something tells me I would benefit more from learning and creating music than from staring at the computer screen watching crime shows. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my current thought. I'll see how it turns out and let you know. At least, with the little one, I can take it with me and have something to do if I get stuck somewhere and have nothing to do -- I always have music either in my head or in my heart; but now I'll have it at my fingertips too!
Photo Credit: Pinterest.com
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