Tounge Drum Question

[Gecko]

Does anyone here know how to tune the fingers of a tounge drum to certain notes? I made a mini Marimba awhile back and have a clue on the way they vibrate and how to tune them, but I cant seem to find anything on tounge drum tuning. Any info or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

As Always,
Gecko

[bitingmidge]

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/archive/index.php/t-22733.html

or
http://www.kalimbas.com/drums.htm
or
http://www.motherearthnews.com/library/1979_July_August/Homegrown_Music___and_Musical_Instruments__The_Homegrown__Bonker_Box_
or here for some ideas
http://beinginharmony.com/tuned_tongue_drum_pentatonic_6.html

Cheers,

P

[Bwillie]

Again, surprise, surprise......I don't much about them , but have just finished assembling one from a recent woodworkers magazine. The sound is great. Keep me posted on your findings as I would like to know as well.

Kindest Regards,

ICN

[Gecko]

Well I have my findings and they are forget trying to tune it at the moment. I cannot get a consistent tone from any finger. It changes too much depending on where the finger is struck, how hard the mallet is, and how tight it is set in the box. Just too many variables for me without explicit instrutions. I would research it more, but I find that for the time it would take to tune it and the amount of wood needed to make one, I prefer the sound of a marimba. Maybe someday I will attempt it again but for now, I will just leave the tones the way they are.

[tcowdroy]

You can tune the tongues the same way as xylo/marimba keys ie. undercut the bar inbetween the nodal ( dead, non vibrating) points and/or at the ends of the bar. On a tongue/log drum, the first nodal point is where the tongue joins the main body of the box or where the cut/slit ends and the second is approx. a third of the way in from the end of the tongue. Check out a SCHLAGWERK log drum if anyone stocks them near you and you'll see they do it this way. I imagine they use a drum sander or similar.