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January 14, 2023 8 min read

Music plays a pivotal role in our lives and has a healing effect on our minds, body, and soul. Research shows that certain musical instruments produce sounds of frequencies that can help you relax, calm down, and be more focused.

A steel tongue drum is one such musical instrument that has gained immense popularity as a companion for healing practices, meditation, and spiritual quests. A tongue drum is easy and fun to play, and its beat is incredibly comforting.

In today’s fast-paced world, where we feel scattered and out of sync with our own selves, it is important to find ways to relax and find internal peace. A tongue drum can be your ticket to finding this internal bliss.

Tongue drums are perfect musical instruments for meditation, creative thinking, and healing practices. The relaxing sounds help you relax, strengthen your immune system, and can improve your focus and memorization skills. 

They also help you transition from beta brain waves (precipitating anxiety and fear) to alpha, theta, and gamma waves associated with relaxation and creative thinking.

In the following sections of this article, we will explore the musical world of tongue drums and the many benefits they can provide to help you calm down and be more mindful of your surroundings. 

The advantages of a steel tongue drum

The tongue drums belong to the idiophone family of percussion musical instruments, often made using steel or metal alloys. The instrument itself vibrates to produce the sound in such instruments rather than a membrane like in traditional drums. 

The tongue drum is a modern incarnation of a wooden slit drum used in many cultures. 

Idiophone instruments like hang drums, slit drums, and whale drums have been used in several civilizations during meditative and spiritual practices. 

The modern tongue drums are inspired by these instruments and create a similar relaxing and meditative sound.

Tongue drums have several advantages and benefits that make them a perfect instrument for people of all ages, including children. Here are a few ways tongue drums can help you relax, calm down and improve your quality of life. 

1. Perfect for beginners

Perfect for beginners

A tongue drum is a great instrument for beginners, especially children, as it is easy to play and learn. The drums are designed so that all the notes are tuned to each other in a pentatonic scale. 

With this scale, each note within the octave pairs so well with each other that you can play them in any order to create a pleasing sound.

Unlike other idiophone instruments, like the marimba or the xylophone, any sequence of notes played on a steel or wooden tongue drum sounds pleasing to the ear. 

In other words, it is impossible to play a bad note or a bad chord with your first tongue drum, thanks to their unique musical architecture.

Furthermore, you can also have steel drums that are made to have different scales. The most popular scales include all major and minor, diatonic, and chromatic scales.

For instance, the8-tone six-inch Panda drum from CalmPanda is tuned to the D-major scale and produces a harmonious medley of notes that is calming and pleasing to the ear. It can be a great first tongue drum for someone exploring relaxing and calming music. 

There are no bad notes, so playing music on a tongue drum is easy. You can play various songs or jam to create your masterpiece. A tongue drum can be a great way to expose your child to the world of music.

You can also start playing a tongue drum without prior knowledge of music. Even if you have never played a musical instrument, you can create beautiful melodies for the first time with these amazing instruments.

2. It never gets old

Most tongue drums come in an 8-tone or 11-tone design, but these can create thousands of unique combinations keeping the music fresh. You can create music that can induce various emotions and feelings.

You can also create variations using your fingers instead of the rubber-tipped mallets with the instrument. Using two fingers at one time or playing a combination that is impossible with the mallets can create unique patterns that keep your music fresh.

You can create so many melodies using these drums that there is something new to discover every time you play the instrument. As a result, the instrument never gets old, and you can use it to push your creativity further.

Furthermore, if you prefer the mallets, you can play with the intensity of the note and the sustenance to create unique effects that give you a different feel. The combination of notes and melodies you can play with this instrument is endless.

Unlike the xylophone, a steel or wooden tongue drum can keep you interested for a long time, even if you are not taking lessons. 

The drums are ideal for children who easily get bored with musical instruments because they are so difficult to play. Children often play these drums for hours without getting bored, which is a huge plus for any parent! 

3. Relax with the vibrations

Relax with the vibrations

Steel drums produce exceptionally relaxing sounds that have a calming effect on your brain. People playing steel drums report feeling more focused and less distracted after a session playing the drums.

These instruments are supposed to help you transition from the beta brain waves to alpha, theta, and gamma waves. Beta waves are associated with anxiety and fight and flight responses. When your brain is in beta wave mode, you feel distracted, edgy, and anxious. 

On the other hand, the alpha, theta, and gamma waves are associated with relaxation and a meditative state.

You feel relaxed and focused when your brain transitions from a beta state to an alpha, theta, or gamma state.Studies have shown that sounds possessing certain frequencies can help you make these transitions.

The vibrations produced by steel or wooden tongue drum music can help you transition to the relaxing bioelectric oscillations of the brain, helping you to calm down and feel focused. For this reason, a tongue drum has been used in meditative and spiritual practices.

A 30-minute session with your tongue drum can instantly help you feel relaxed. People find the sound of a tongue drum also helps them to go into a meditative state that further helps in deep relaxation of their mind.

A Tongue drum might be the right option for you if you find yourself distracted and unable to focus and concentrate. 

4. Improving memory and concentration

Music can play a crucial role in improving your concentration and memory. Some benefits of relaxing and calming music, such as that produced by the steel tongue drum, include:

  • Improved mood
  • Increased motivation
  • Boosting concentration
  • Brain stimulation, and improved memory

Steel or wooden tongue drum can improve your memory and concentration in the following few ways-

Tongue drum improves your mood

It has been shown that certain musical instruments can help you get in a positive frame of mind and improve your mood. Combining these effects can lead to a relaxed mind capable of concentrating on a task.

A tongue drum can increase focus

According toa peer-reviewed study; musical notes can help your brain absorb and process new information better. Researchers found that playing an instrument like the steel tongue drum can engage your brain so that you start paying attention to events in more detail, improving your concentration.

A tongue drum can increase your memorization skills

Playing certain musical notes and harmonies canimprove memorization abilities and boost other cognitive functions in children and adults. 

A steel tongue drum's calming and relaxing tones can help you learn and process information better. 

A tongue drum can motivate you

A tongue drum can motivate you

Another advantage of a tongue drum's calming and relaxing music is that it can motivate you after a tiring day at the office or school. The relaxing sounds of a steel tongue drum are a perfect pick-me-up that you need to feel energized and rejuvenated.

A musical instrument like a steel tongue drum that is fun, relaxing, and easy to play can be a perfect companion that helps you boost your concentration and improve memory.

5. Strengthen your immune system

The sounds we hear have a deeper impact on our bodies than we might think. Not only do the sound waves help us elevate our mood but they also affect us on a deeper physical level.

The calming sounds produced by a tongue drum are often used in sound healing therapy as they can positively change our physiology, including our immune system. 

Music has been shown to alter our neuroendocrine system, which is closely related to our immunity.

The calming effect can strengthen immunity

The calming effect can strengthen immunity

Listening to the calming sounds of a tongue drum can help you shift your focus from the chaos around you and take your mind to deep relaxation.

Scientists have found that your brain enjoys new stimuli. For example, the sounds of a steel tongue drum can be a perfect boost for your nervous system that can be rejuvenating. 

It has been shown that certain musical notes caninduce dopamine release in your brain, making you happy and cheerful.

When you are in a positive frame of mind, the positivity spills to other physiological systems, including the immune system.

One of the biggest boosts your immune system gets from the sounds of a steel tongue drum is stress reduction. Stress is the most common cause of a weakened immune system. When your stress is reduced, your adaptive immune system can function better and protect you from diseases.

Several studies have shown the positiveeffect of meditative music on the immune system and an improvement in several immunity disorders. Tongue drums can be a great way to relax your mind and body, boosting your immunity.

6. It is a gateway to musical bliss

Steel tongue drums are easy to play and can create unlimited melodies, making them a perfect first musical instrument for children and adults who are not particularly musically oriented. You don't need any musical knowledge to play steel tongue drum music.

The several combinations of chords and melodies played on the instrument can help children become more interested in music. A tongue drum can be a gateway musical instrument with which your child can get exposure to the wonderful world of music.

As it is almost impossible to play a bad note or a chord on a steel tongue drum, whatever you play will sound pleasing. It will encourage children to continue playing it and explore new rhythms and melodies.

When you start playing one ofCalmingPanda’s drums, you will instantly feel transported into a different, inviting, and calming world.

7. Role in sound healing therapy

Role in sound healing therapy

Many cultures have used sound healing therapy to help people relax and explore their spirituality. From ancient Aztecs and Mayans to the Egyptians, musical instruments like tongue drums in their rituals have been very important. 

Even theUnited States military has been using sound healing to deal with stress and PTSD in soldiers.

Musical instruments like a tongue drum are routinely used in sound healing therapy due to their ability to modulate the bioelectric oscillations of the brain. 

Some of the disorders that are actively treated with music therapy using instruments like a tongue drum include:

  • Depression and anxiety
  • Pain and neuropathy
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Autism spectrum disorder
  • Behavioral issues
  • Dementia
  • Cancer

Music therapy with a tongue drum is supposed to induce a sense of physical and emotional well-being.

The tongue drums are essential for the sound-therapy session due to their naturally relaxing sounds and perfect tone. 

The entropy effect

Everything in this universe is in a random state of motion, including every cell of our bodies. It is believed that every cell in your body has a resonant frequency. When this frequency changes, the entropy of your body increases, causing your body to malfunction. 

Music therapy believes that the sound quality produced by a tongue drum can help your cells attain the default state of vibration, helping your immune system to function better. 

You may also like: Which Steel Tongue Drum to Buy: 12 Best Steel Tongue Drums

Takeaway: Steel tongue drums can produce healing sounds

Steel tongue drums are fun, easy to play, and versatile, with many benefits. Not only can you create beautiful melodies using these instruments, but they can also help you relax and improve your concentration and memory. 

The relaxing sounds of tongue drums are often used in sound therapy to manage conditions like anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

As the tongue drums are easy to play, they can be a great first instrument for your child to help them explore the world of music.

At Calm Panda, you can buy some of the best steel tongue drums made from non-toxic and premium materials. Start playing your first song in minutes with these fun and relaxing instruments. Order one today!