The African Tongue Drum Goes Electronic Review

My interest in the African Tongue Drum (AKA Slit Drum) came to be in 1981, when drummer Bill Bruford played what he called a “toy version” of one on the King Crimson song, “A Sheltering Sky.”  That simple California-made 8-key Redwood Tongue Drum only cost him $25 at a Hollywood toy shop at the time.  Although not confirmed, it’s doubtful that his drum was tuned to any particular notes or key signature.  When played live, Bruford’s drum was amplified through several condenser microphones duct-taped to the side.  That inspirational song motivated me some 32 years later to seek out my very first drum.  I was hoping advancements in technology would have made it easy to find one with electronics self-contained within the drum and easy to connect to a loop pedal and an acoustic guitar amp for creating background rhythms. Searching high and low to find an African Tongue Drum with some type of pickup system installed proved to be futile, especially when it became obvious that only a handful of craftsman actually made these drums.  However, that was something that Dr. Lee Minton of Wood Art by Lee, and Jessie Vallad of JJB-Electronics were eager to collaborate on, and attempt to achieve.  But first, some background on the African Tongue Drum.

Dr. Minton offered a great description of the Tongue Drum, so I will present it in his words.  “The Tongue Drum is one of the world’s oldest known instruments and has been used for thousands of years by various cultures all over the world.  Tongue drums were used in story-telling, ceremonies, celebrations, war dances, and for communicating over long distances.  They work on the principal of a pendulum.  The "node" is the part of an oscillating object (pendulum, tongue on a tongue drum) that vibrates the least and the anti-node is the part that oscillates the most.  The node of a pendulum is where it is attached to swing back and forth and the anti-node is the swinging weight at the other end.  The node on a tongue drum tongue is the attached end and the anti-node is the free end.”

“Period and frequency are related.  The period of a sine wave is the distance or time from the peak of one wave to the next peak.  On a pendulum, it is the time it takes to go from the farthest point of a swing to the other side of the swing and back to the farthest point of the swing where it started from.  Frequency is the number of times an object goes through that cycle during a given time frame [ex. revolutions per minute, characters per second, etc.]”

“In other words, frequency is the number of times an object completes its cycle during a given time period, and the period is the time it takes for one cycle.  In music, notes are defined by the frequency.  A440 oscillates at a frequency of 440 cycles per second.” 

“A tongue drum is nothing more than a horizontal pendulum.  On the tongue drum, the extra weight of the spoon or paddle on some tongues slows the speed of the oscillations just as putting a heavier weight on a pendulum would slow down the swing.  Likewise, as the length of the tongue increases, it slows down the oscillations just as lengthening the arm of a pendulum slows the swing.  So the length of the tongue and the extra weight at the end slows the frequency and makes the tone a little lower.”

Tongue Drum Tuning

For a guitarist, keyboardist, or other musician planning on using the Tongue Drum as an accompaniment (either through looping with other instruments, or playing in a band), the really important factor of finding a suitable one would be how well it was tuned.  Minton used a chromatic tuner and a computer to accurately tune his handcrafted drums to within + or - 5/100 of a tone (five cents).  Standard tuning was A Pentatonic Minor (A-C-D-E-G).  But for this custom one-of-a-kind Tongue Drum, I asked him to expand that to the following 12-notes (A-B-C-D-E-F-A-C-D-E-G-A).  By selecting the correct combination of notes played during a particular progression, this tuning provided the following scales: 

• A Minor (A-B-C-D-E-F-G)
•  A Minor Pentatonic (A-C-D-E-G)
• G Major minus the F# (G-A-B-C-D-E)
•  G Major Pentatonic (G-A-B-D-E)
• C Major (C-D-E-F-G-A-B)
•  C Major Pentatonic (C-D-E-G-A)

Putting thought into the type of tuning when ordering would give any musician the freedom of adapting the drum to their own stylistic key signatures.  Much like having multiple harmonicas in various keys, it could also justify owning more than one drum.  Minton of Wood Art by Lee was more than accommodating in customizing the tunings of his drums.  Having a precision tuned drum also provided seamless integration with acoustic guitar octaves created with an Electro-Harmonix POG2, the quintessential analog polyphonic octave generator guitar effects pedal used for simulating bass, mellotron, violin and other instruments.

Wood Selection

Wood Art by Lee offered three sizes of drums ranging from 8-, 10- and 12-keys.  I naturally selected the largest 12-key model offered.  The top of this drum was African Padauk; the sides were solid Walnut with an optional solid Ash stripe.  I asked for that stripe so the drum would better match the woods and colors of my custom Coobeetsa guitar.  Minton offered other hardwood options as well.  But as explained earlier, this mission was to build a Tongue Drum with internal electronics that could be plugged in via a standard ¼” jack.  The journey to get there was educational, and likely a first of its kind for such an instrument.

     

Piezo-Electric Pickup System

After pitching the idea of using a piezo-electric pickup system in the drum to Minton I contacted Jessie Vallad, the owner of JJB-Electronics, via the email address on his website.  Although Vallad hadn’t worked on a Tongue Drum previously, he had worked on applications where piezo-electric pickups were used in other types of drums for similar purpose.  Vallad and Minton connected via email and started discussing the best location for the pickups, which pickup system to select, and the wire lengths.  This was not a cut-and-dry application as much consideration was given to factors that I would not have conceived of alone.  For starters, the bottom of the Tongue Drum was permanently attached and sealed.  This was done for two reasons.  The first is to protect the design from prying eyes as there are trade secret techniques that go into tuning them as accurately as Minton.  The second is that the bottom also acts as a sound board.  It reflects sound from the tongues located above, which in turn enhance the box’s ability to resonate, giving the drum its amazing bellowing and sustaining lush tones.  As Minton stated, if the bottom was even slightly loose it would “buzz” and interfere with the refined soundscape of the instrument.  Since the bottom was sealed, it was important to use a passive pickup that wouldn’t require batteries as changing them would be impossible.  This would also mean no internal preamp.  Vallad suggested the PPS-200 pickup system with four pressure transducer pads. 

 

Both Vallad and Minton agreed that the best location for these pressure transducers would be the bottom.  I offered my concerns that the bottom of the drum was thin plywood, and not a hardwood like the rest of the box.  I was of the impression that the plywood would not be as reactive as the hardwood, resulting in the dampening of the snappy percussion “pop” heard when hitting the notes.   My first thought was to place the pads directly under the tongues, perhaps just after the node.  It turned out that the sturdy 3” thick walls used to rigidly support the top of the drum ended right at the end of the node.  Mounting them on the tongues was not practical either as the extra mass would make it impossible to tune.  So, on the bottom they went.  At that point Minton created graphic sketches of the Drum assembly showing the locations for the four pads and the wiring.  He mentioned that it would be very important not to have loose wires within the drum as they could create a resonating “buzz” in reaction to the significant vibrations inside the drum.  Vallad was more than accommodating in cutting the wires to length and leaving off the outside coating in order to precisely fit within the layout provided by Minton.  He fabricated the assembly in just a couple of days after the concept was confirmed and had it drop shipped directly to Minton’s shop.  Once Minton began constructing the new drum it took about four weeks.  This was in part due to the abnormally cold winter which resulted in extremely low temperatures that would have been detrimental to the critical bonding processes.  His standard turn-around time would normally be between two and three weeks.

Steve Demoing the African Tongue Drum

Listen to Hand Tapping

Listen to Mallet Tapping

The Moments of Two Truths

When nearly completed, the first moment of truth came as Minton reached the point when the pickups would be installed.  Fortunately he knew someone in the area with a guitar amp so he was able to experiment with a few different spots on the bottom board prior to sealing up.  But it seemed as though the experiment was not a success.  At first, he did not like the tone coming through that amplifier.  When learning of the news, my heart sank and I felt lost and utterly disappointed.  However, when considering that most guitar amps are only comprised of one or more woofers driven by an inefficient amplifier, it was understandable how the higher frequencies that normally define the wood tone of this drum would be missed. 

I remained confident that the SWR Strawberry Blonde acoustic guitar amp would be the answer.  This 80-watt amp was built with a two-way speaker system combining a 10” woofer with a Le-Son TLX-1 piezo tweeter.  It was made to capture and amplify the subtle nuances and wood tones from an acoustic guitar, so it was logical to believe it would do the same for this drum.  The day the drum arrived I eagerly opened the box but didn’t even consider setting it on a table and playing it right away, as some might.  Instead, I anxiously ran into the music room, plugged the drum into the Digitech JamMan loop pedal, which in turn was plugged into the acoustic guitar amp, and only after everything was turned on and warmed up did the playing commence.  That was when the second moment of truth occurred and my spirits were lifted.  I then knew for 100% certainty that this two month journey had been well worth the adventure and experience.  Stunned at how well it sounded, I played my very first rhythm, while recording it onto the JamMan, and then played it back as a loop.  The sound coming from the amplifier was nearly identical to the natural acoustic tone of the drum without amplification.  The tweeter and woofer combination of the SWR Strawberry Blonde acoustic guitar amp was ideal.  The experiment was a complete success and I was listening to the first recorded playback of a Tongue Drum with a built in piezo-electric pickup system, and not via external condenser microphones.

Getting The Most From The Electric Pickup System

Getting the best possible tone out of the amplified African Tongue Drum required the use an amplifier that included a two-way speaker system with a woofer and tweeter, standard with the SWR Strawberry Blonde and most other acoustic guitar amps.  High efficiency tweeters, like the one used in the SWR, are ideal for reproducing the frequencies of the vibrating wood.   Horn type tweeters common to PA speakers would likely have made the drum sound harsh in the midrange while squashing much of the high frequency wood tones.    The addition of a preamp (as a pedal or module) would be an option to consider, though not required when using a dedicated amplifier.  The advantage of adding one was that the built in EQ helped to compensate for tonal losses due to the inefficiencies of the SWR and also common in many other instrument amplifiers.  However, when using the drum as an accompaniment to an acoustic guitar sharing the same amp via a split jack, there was a notable difference in gain between both instruments.   A dual channel acoustic guitar preamp would go a long way in matching both volumes. There were many acoustic guitar preamps on the market to choose from with prices ranging from under $100 to $300 and above.  Pedal versions typically provided either three or four band EQ, volume boost and other useful features.  The more expensive digital pedals provided amp modeling, anti-feedback functions, built in effects, such as chorus, phase shifting and more, and could also act as a direct box.  For my application, the Radial Engineering Tonebone PZ-Pre Acoustic Instrument Preamp pedal proved to be perfect.  This amazing preamp had two discrete channels with independent level adjustments making it ideal for switching with matched volumes between the acoustic guitar and the drum. 

Wood Art by Lee – African Tongue Drum

The craftsmanship that went into fabricating Wood Art by Lee’s Tongue Drum was simply remarkable.  The Danish Oil finish really accented the richness and beauty of the Walnut, Ash and Padauk wood grains.  The drum was rigid, heavy, and made from top quality, very thick pieces of these expensive hardwoods.  It was that build quality and the precision tuning that allowed the sound to bellow from its chamber in rich, warm and long sustaining perfectly balanced notes.  It came with two mallets with rubber ends, and as Minton explained in the instruction sheet, one should not play it like a rock star.  It simply did not require heavy hitting for the natural sound to fill an entire house when unamplified.  I used the mallets for quite some time; however, I developed a real liking to using just my fingers and slapping the keys.  Much like finger picking a guitar vs. using a pick, it gave better control with hitting the right keys in the desired scale.  It also made the drum sound a bit softer, earthier and more natural.  When hand playing I found that using my palm, much like when muting guitar strings, helped to strategically dampen notes. 

The Ideal Instrument for Beginners and Pros

African Tongue Drums are ideal instruments for beginners with little musical background, and professional musicians for studio, band or solo playing.  Some may find it difficult at first to accurately hit each note, but it’s something that comes with practice.  With the precision tuning skillfully orchestrated by Dr. Minton, it matters less what notes are played and more what great rhythms and progressions can be conceived.  I hope to very soon create my own inspirational songs that suggest their influence from “A Sheltering Sky.”  In that song, Bruford’s Tongue Drum rhythm is accompanied by Robert Fripp’s stellar guitar work.  Fripp’s skillful playing encompasses layers of evolving simplex to complex patterns, scales, and melodies representative of Composer Philip Glass.  Glass’ influence can also be heard in much of the hypnotic jams by bands like Umphrey’s McGee and countless other inspirational musicians.  There are a few places to buy African Tongue Drums on-line.  When looking, be mindful of tuning, as some craftsmen do not offer it, likely because they haven’t developed the skill set and patience required to do it properly.  Many of the Tongue Drum craftsman charge significantly more money, and while it may somehow be justified, I have yet to find one single flaw with the less costly ones skillfully crafted by Dr. Minton, and sold on his Etsy page with a starting price of only $195.

Conclusion

Condenser microphones are the traditional and now old-school tool by which African Tongue Drums are amplified.  It’s quite possible that this is the very first Tongue Drum to implement a self-contained pressure transducer piezo-electric pickup system.  Minton of Wood Art by Lee offers this now proven method as an option.  But, be forewarned.  He only hand crafts 20 to 25 drums per year and typically sells them as fast as he makes them.  Custom orders take a mere 3 to 4 weeks, but when customizing the tuning, adding the pickup system, or selecting different types of wood, it is more than worth the little extra wait.  The addition of the pickup system is surprisingly inexpensive as Jessie Vallad of JJB-Electronics does not believe in huge markups.  The improved performances of all products offered by JJB-Electronics are about the type of material Vallad uses for the contact pads and adhesive, as well as his meticulous selection of only high quality pressure transducers.  Minton is in direct contact with JJB-Electronics, so ordering an 8-, 10- or 12-key African Tongue Drum with the system installed is easy and can be done directly through Wood Art by Lee’s Etsy hosted website. 

Having a built in pickup system makes the African Tongue Drum more portable by reducing additional equipment such as multiple condenser microphones with matching cables and a multichannel PA system.  Setting up this drum for amplification is a snap requiring nothing more than connecting a standard ¼ cable between it and an amplifier that powers at minimum a two way speaker system.  An optional external preamp requires only one additional cable.  Since the pressure transducers are internal to the drum they acutely react to the vibrations of the wood.   This significantly reduces unwarranted amplification of extraneous background noise, a problem that is all too common with traditional condenser microphones.  It also decreases the likelihood of any unexpected and unwanted ear-piercing feedback. 

The African Tongue Drum is an ideal instrument for any creative entry level or pro musician wishing to experiment with mesmerizing rhythmic grooves.  For those who love jamming in drum circles, this African Tongue Drum will assuredly be the most popular instrument in the group.  The combination of a Wood Art by Lee Tongue Drum and JJB-Electronics pickup system will inspire any beginner or professional musician looking to create unique percussion, rhythm tracks and original music.

Custom Tongue Drum
Wood Art by Lee on Etsy
www.woodartbylee.etsy.com

Pickup System
JJB-Electronics
http://jjb-electronics.com/index.html

 

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