Pyle Professional Steel Tongue Drum User Guide

Product Overview

The Pyle Professional Steel Tongue Drum offers a powerful connection between the player and their inner world, suitable for all ages and musical experiences. It can be used to achieve a deep meditative state, for healing purposes, or for carefree musical experimentation.

Drum Safety

Steel Tongue Drums are heavy and include mallets and small parts that can be hazardous to children if handled improperly or ingested. Not recommended for children under 5 years old.

• Steel Tongue Drums are heavy and can cause severe damage to people or property if dropped. Ensure a firm grip when handling the instrument.
• Do not leave young children unattended with the mallets. Never allow children to put mallets in their mouths, as mallet heads could detach and pose an airway obstruction risk.
• Do not leave young children unattended with the instrument. PyleUSA is not responsible for incidents of damage or injury caused by misuse or neglect. Use common sense and stay safe.

How to Play

Steel tongue drums are easy to play, requiring minimal effort or special skills. Gentle pressure or force produces rich sounds. Practice is key to mastering these instruments. Focus on hand and finger techniques for the most resonant sounds. Placing your palm at the center and using fingers on the tongues creates beautiful tones. Mallets are also effective, especially for beginners, producing clear sounds with minimal effort.

Steel Tongue Drum Instructions

STEP ONE: To flatten the drum face after receiving it.

Minor curvature in tone tongues due to shipping is normal and does not affect pronunciation. To flatten a curved tongue, gently press down on the top with your thumb. For a concave tongue, push slightly from the bottom opening with a long stick. This fine-tuning method will not alter pronunciation or tone color.

STEP TWO: Avoid severe impact

Severe impact or deformation can affect the tone color by altering the resonator cavity. Avoid placing heavy objects on the drum and protect it from severe impacts.

STEP THREE: Indoor storage

Drums are made of alloy materials. Store them in a cool, dry indoor place at room temperature, away from direct sunlight and rain.

Steel Tongue Drum Tuning Problems

What if the instrument is out of tune?

Slight variations in sound range (positive or negative 10 points) are normal for this non-fixed instrument. Fine-tuning can be done by pressing a tongue for overtone or filing the root of the tongue to lower the pitch. To raise a low tone, gently push up from the bottom of the tongue. Shipment products are typically tuned slightly high, allowing room for fine-tuning.

What is the correct method for testing intonation?

Accurate intonation testing requires a flat surface. Press down on other tongues while testing the target tongue. Point the target tongue towards the tuner. Failure to do so may result in 1-2HZ test errors. Strike the tongue multiple times while aiming the tuner to observe the beating range, which indicates the intonation.

How To Play: Musical Scores

These instruments are designed for melodic exploration and free musical expression. Find your own playing style with these tips:

• Strike the center of the tongues, near the tip, with thumbs, fingertips, or mallets for the best sound.
• Use one hand to mute notes while striking with the other hand or a mallet.
• Create patterns by counting beats, such as 1-2-3-4.
• Experiment with speeding up, slowing down, striking 2-3 notes simultaneously for chords, and incorporating pauses for melody.

Music Score Examples:

• Happy Birthday
• Three Bears
• Whitewasher
• A Little Donkey
• Let's Sway Twin Oars
• Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
• Kangding Love Song
• How Rare the Moon
• Dont Hide Now
• Rhyme Enlightment
• Rice Shop
• To Say Goodbye
• The Story of a Small Town
• Wakening to Truth
• You and Me

Drum Care

Playing

Avoid playing aggressively with mallets to prevent "Metal Fatigue," which can cause tongues to go out of tune. Gentle playing with mallets or using hands/fingers/thumbs is recommended. For playing at comparable volumes to other instruments, consider using a microphone for your Steel Tongue Drum.

Durability

While durable, the drum is susceptible to scratches and dings if rubbed against abrasive surfaces or dropped.

Temperature

Avoid exposing the drum to extreme temperatures, such as hot cars, snow, or saunas.

Washing/Cleaning

The drum is powder-coated and resistant to moisture. For scratches, a light touch-up of clear nail-polish is suggested. The powder-coat finish cannot be re-coated if scratched.

Troubleshooting

1. I hear a rattle/buzz!

Ensure the wooden plug is firmly and snugly fitted to prevent buzzing. Check for any debris inside the drum or stuck to the tongues. If the issue persists, please contact PyleUSA.

2. There is rust forming at the base of the tongues!

Rust may appear at the base of tongues due to the tuning process. Lightly sand the affected area with fine sandpaper and re-coat with a suitable metal paint. Acetone-free nail-polish can remove paint without damaging the finish.