How to play tongue drum and kalimba by numbers

You don't need to read sheet music. Every song in our books is written in numbers, and each number stands for a tongue on your drum or a key on your kalimba.

  1. Every tongue or key has a numberEach number stands for one tongue or key of your instrument.
  2. The book shows the same numbersIn the book, the number is printed under every note.
  3. Play the numbers in orderPlay them one after the other, and the song appears.

Read a song line

Play the numbers from left to right. The words show you the rhythm.

  1. 1 Twin-
  2. 1 kle,
  3. 5 twin-
  4. 5 kle,
  5. 6 lit-
  6. 6 tle
  7. 5 star,
  1. 4 how
  2. 4 I
  3. 3 won-
  4. 3 der
  5. 2 what
  6. 2 you
  7. 1 are.

What the dots mean

  • A dot below: play the lower tongue with this number.
  • No dot: play the tongue or key in the middle range.
  • A dot above: play the higher tongue or key with this number.

On a kalimba it works the same way: the number is printed under each note. Two dots above mean a key that is higher still.

Shop songbooksFind the right songbook

Try playing by numbers

Press play and follow the numbers on the drum.

Tap a tongue on the drum to hear it.

  1. 1 Baa,
  2. 1 baa,
  3. 5 black
  4. 5 sheep,
  5. 6 Have
  6. 6 you
  7. 6 an-
  8. 6 y
  9. 5 wool?
  10. 4 Yes
  11. 4 sir,
  12. 3 yes
  13. 3 sir,
  14. 2 three
  15. 2 bags
  16. 1 full.