9-Note N'Goni Scales - Manastone Steel Tongue Drums

N'Goni 9-Note Steel Tongue Drum Scales

*Available in the keys of D, E-flat, E & F

• Cheerful major pentatonic scale modeled after African N'Goni harp
• Perfect instrument for beginners & professionals alike
• Melodic percussion combines the best of rhythm & melody
• Endless fun for any age and is easy to learn & be creative
• Brings a calming energy to the space   
• Elegant, minimal design looks beautiful in the home or office
• Guaranteed to be perfectly tuned using our proprietary Tone Tempered Tuning ™
• Small, lightweight, and portable
• Made of high quality steel, virtually indestructible, easy to disinfect
• 100% Custom, handcrafted in the USA by Manastone Drums 
• Pair branded, rubber-tipped, wooden mallets included
• BONUS - Two hours recorded video lessons included 

N'Goni Scale Genre: Chill, Jazz, West African, Meditation

Feeling:  Playful, Light Hearted, Optimistic

Playability:  Easy & Intuitive

Feeling: This scale is modeled after the pentatonic scales used on the N'Goni rhythm harp instrument that originated with West African hunting traditions in Mali, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso (ngoni.org).

Scale Overview: The specific notes are what makes our N'goni scale uniquely recognizable & gives the sounds of the drum an overall feeling. If the spacing or interval of the notes remains the same but the lowest note is made to sound higher or lower, then the key changes up or down, but the scale and overall feeling remains recognizably the same.

Playability: As with all Manastone steel tongue drums, all the notes are in a specially selected scale. That means it's in perfect harmony with itself, so it's easy to make it sound good. Our intuitive layout of notes makes it easy to play.  This is a very playable drum because the notes and combination of notes (chords) are very familiar to our ears. This drum is great for personal use and also good for collaboration with other musicians. 

Design & Sound Characteristics: We offer a handcrafted instrument of beauty rich in sound & sight. The Manastone is designed with a taller chamber & the hole on top resulting in a richer acoustic tone, louder sound & wider range of notes than manufactured steel tongue drums. This full sound resonates with rich harmonic layers & volume that carries indoors.  You get the attributes of a larger handpan but in a smaller, more portable & less-expensive instrument. Value meets master craftsmanship.

Options to Float, Resonate, Hole Location, & Add Pickup: 

Floating: We are able to make you a drum that floats if you select the hole to be on top of the drum and choose a chameleon finish. 

Tuning: The world wide standard tuning is 440hz for popular music and it is the sound your ears are used to.  If you intent to play with other melodic instruments, you may want to consider 440 so that you are easily in tune with other the other instruments.

You are also able to select tuning at 432hz if you prefer non-standard tuning.  432 is essentially a lower tuning, so each note would be slightly lower.  432hz tunings are often used in the sound healing world and are said to resonate perfectly with the earth, human body, and energy system.  Choosing 432 means other instruments would need to tune to your drum.  If you are interested in exploring 432hz for yourself, here's your chance!  

 Hole Location: The default location for the hole is on top because this offers more volume and clearer sound. However, the benefits of putting the hole on bottom are that the drum is just a little bit quieter and you now have a metal strike zone in the middle of the drum that you can hit with the mallet or your hand for a "Cymbal" like ringing smack.  

Adding a Pickup: We can add a Piezo pickup to your drum for an additional $35.  The pickups sounds great and allow you to plug into an amplifier for a performance or to play with different effects like reverb and delay that can create an even bigger and thicker sound.  ***Adding a pickup means the drum can't float, but it's a great trade off.  

F N'Goni Scale Manastone Steel Tongue Drum 

Key: F major pentatonic

Scale:  F Ab Bb C Eb F Ab Bb C

See video above of a black finish hole-on-bottom version of the 9-note F N'Goni Scale Manastone Steel Tongue Drum.

Eb N'Goni Scale Manastone Steel Tongue Drum

Key: Eb

Scale:  Eb F Ab Bb C Eb F Ab Bb

No video available of the Eb N'Goni; please see the virtual drum to hear all the notes in the scale. 

Materials & Build

All Manastone Steel Tongue Drums made of tone tempered steel and sealed with a powder coat finish that is very tough, UV resistant, weather resistant and doesn’t pollute the environment or outgas like other paints.

Weight - 9.5 pounds

Size - 12 inch diameter X  8 inches tall, able to sit comfortably in your lap.  

BONUS - TWO HOURS OF LESSONS INCLUDED

Each purchase of a Manastone steel tongue drum now comes with two hours of prerecorded video lessons to help you learn all the basics from drum care to basic technique.  Join co-owner Nicholas to become informed, inspired, and tap into your creative potential. This 10-video series covers the following subjects:

1. Introduction Video 
2. Lesson 1 - Drum Care
3. Lesson 2 - How to Hold the Drum for Most Resonance
4. Lesson 3 - Holding Mallets & Walking Up the Scale
5. Lesson 4 - Playing with your Hands 101
6. Lesson 5 - Finding Chords and Patterns
7. Lesson 6 - Establishing Core Rhythms
8. Lesson 7 - Main Differences Between Playing with Mallets vs. Hands
9. Lesson 8 - Special Techniques
10. Lesson 9 - Conclusion & Bonus Tips for Playing Music for Meditation & Yoga

*For more information visit our FAQ.  

*Rubber mallets included in every order. 

Your drum will ship in 3 - 10 days of placing your order depending on how many other orders we have at the time.  We hand make each drum to order in the order that they come in, and look forward to making yours :)

Thank you,

Noah & Nicholas

Also Recommended 

Double-Sided Manastone Steel Tongue Drums

Floating Tongue Drums

HANDCRAFTED WITH LOVE IN A SMALL MOUNTAIN WORKSHOP IN CRESTONE, COLORADO