How to play a steel tongue drum

We recommend playing a HAPI Drum with the pads of your fingers. Playing by hand connects you with the drum in the way that traditional drums are enjoyed. We also supply each drum with mallets designed to bring out the pure sound of each note. Our mallets eliminate head slap creating a very clear tone. The arrangement of the notes make going up and down the scale very easy. Also one hand can reach two or three notes simultaneously for chord playing. We have custom designed isolating rubber feet on the bottom of every drum. Set the drum on any surface and still get a great tone!

How is the tone is created?

HAPI drums have a unique tone that is created by a tuned vibrating tongue of steel. The concept is similar to a wooden tongue drum. When a tongue is quickly and lightly struck with the finger or mallet it vibrates creating sound waves.By changing the shape and length of the tongue optimal vibration and perfect tone is achieved. By arranging the notes in our way each note when struck excites surrounding notes that are musically compatible with it. This adds to the harmonic spectrum of the tone. Rather than just one tone we can now create a spectrum of supporting sound for each note. The tone is similar to singing bowls or musical bells which create multiple harmonic overtones. The body of the drum acts as a resonating chamber adding depth to the note.

About Us

Founded in 2008, HAPI Steel Tongue Drum has gained a reputation for outstanding service and commitment to customer satisfaction.

Who are we? HAPI Drum is owned and operated by partners Grahm Doe & Tricia Kelly. We also own and operate The Didgeridoo Store since 1997, with over 25 years of combined experience in the musical instrument marketplace. Our mission is to enhance peoples' lives through music and culture.

What sets us apart? We innovate, design, and play all of our products on offer to you. We supply the best playing instruments to our customers. Our designs are created, tested, and manufactured to our highest standards.

Our drums can be used in any setting. But, we have broken out some specific uses for them here:

The Slim is amazing for yoga and stress release. The Mini is great for camping or taking to the beach. The Tini is ideal for music development and memory skills. The Aura is a perfect fit for music therapists, sound therapy and rehabilitation. The Origin is ideal for mindful meditation and sound bath settings. The Omni is great for focus, awareness and intention. Our Handpans are amazing for sound studios, recording artists, buskers and musicians.  Check out our steel tongue drum Gift Guide here.

Why choose a HAPI Drum?

We created the HAPI Drum in 2008. The original and best sounding steel tongue drums on the market today. We have many features that enhance our drums.

Musical Steel. We use high quality musical steel when producing all of our drums.
Sound Quality. Each drum we sell, every single note on every drum, is hand tuned by us for pitch accuracy.
Rubber Feet. Installed sound isolating rubber feet allow the drum to be played in your lap or on any surface for enjoyment.
Bottom Sound Port. The bottom sound port allows the sound to escape and releases the tone from the body so that the notes do not overlap each other.
Dampening System. Additional dampening of the notes and drum body is required to keep these drums from becoming discordant. We have developed a breakthrough proprietary technique built into each HAPI Drum which provides excellent resonance while supplying the correct amount of dampening.
Mallets. We supply each drum with mallets designed to bring out pure tone.
Instruction Booklet. Each HAPI Drum inlcudes a complete instruction booklet on how to play the drum.
Pentatonic Scales. The word "pentatonic" comes from the Greek word pente meaning five and tonic meaning tone. It is a musical scale that consists of five notes within one octave. Because of their arrangement, pentatonic scales are often used to introduce beginners to music. You don't need a musical background to enjoy a HAPI Drum. There are no wrong notes. Play any note in any order and the drum sounds great.
Reliability. Fast reliable shipping via UPS and USPS from Oakhurst, California.
Satisfaction Guaranteed.

Why is the HAPI Drum is unique?

Our layout adds harmonic tones to each note when played. This creates a more complex and musical tone to each note. By placing low notes next to the appropriate higher notes we achieve multiple harmonics. Their vibrations create desirable overtones which compliment the timbre of the tone. We use a compact drum body that easily fits in your lap. We have tested the sound quality of different types of steel and use a mixture of alloying elements to achieve the best sound possible.

How the HAPI different from a Hang

Our original inspiration for the HAPI drum came from the Hang. The Hang -pronounced hong- was developed in 2000 in Berne, Switzerland by Felix Rohner and Sabina Scharer of PANArt. The Hang is a hand played steel instrument that is typically used resting on the musicians lap. The Hang is made from two deep drawn nitrided solid steel sheets that are shaped and attached together. The Hang uses some of the same physical principles as a steelpan but with a nitrided surface. The steel is relatively thin at 1mm. The domes vibrate at different tones and harmonics depending on the size and shape that is hammered into the steel. The Hang usually has a total of 9 notes. An eight note pentatonic or hexatonic scale around the sides and a lower "ding" note in the middle. We also make handpans, more info is available here.