E Mixotonic Manastone Steel Tongue Drum
E Mixotonic Manastone Steel Tongue Drum
Genre: Meditative, Pop, Jazz, Classical
Feeling: Blissful, Playful, Loving, Powerful
Playability: Easy & Intuitive
Key: E
Scale: E, A, C, D, E, Gb, Ab, A, B
Number of Notes: 9
*Pair of branded, rubber-tipped, wooden mallets included in every order.
BONUS - Each purchase of a Manastone steel tongue drum now comes with two hours of Video Lessons to help you learn basic technique for playing the steel tongue drum.
Benefit
This is a truly beautiful scale that brings bliss and calm. It is easy to play and good for collaboration with other musicians. As with all Manastone steel tongue drums, all the notes are in scale. That means it's in perfect harmony with itself, so it's easy to make it sound good. While the 9 notes on the drum remain the same, it's unique because the combinations truly feel varied. So you don't really tire of hearing it.
Music theory note: Same as the F Big Bear but with a major third, a half-step down.
Feeling
We created this drum for a truly harmonic experience that does not get old. The feeling from this drum brings calm, cheer, bliss, and upliftment.
Playability
The scale of this drum is one of the most playable scales because it is all in a major scale, meaning any combination of notes, or chords, is going to sound just right if not perfect.
Fun Facts
A mixotonic scale was used in the Grateful Dead Song "Fire on the Mountain". See the video below!
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: Normally, for other scales, 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 bottom for Akebono because this scale doesn't resonate correctly when the sound hole is placed on top. Sound hole on bottom is the original Manastone design and sounds just as good. For the same reasons, Akebono does not work on double sided 18-note drums. It only works with the sound hole on bottom in a 9-note model.
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.
MATERIALS & BUILD
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 off-gas 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
Bonus - Each purchase of a Manastone steel tongue drum now comes with two hours of prerecorded video lessons to help you learn all the basics! You'll learn drum care and basic technique. Join co-owner Nicholas to become informed, inspired, and tap into your creative potential. This 10-video series covers the following subjects:
- Introduction Video
- Lesson 1 - Drum Care
- Lesson 2 - How to Hold the Drum for Most Resonance
- Lesson 3 - Holding Mallets & Walking Up the Scale
- Lesson 4 - Playing with your Hands 101
- Lesson 5 - Finding Chords and Patterns
- Lesson 6 - Establishing Core Rhythms
- Lesson 7 - Main Differences Between Playing with Mallets vs. Hands
- Lesson 8 - Special Techniques
- Lesson 9 - Conclusion & Bonus Tips for Playing Music for Meditation & Yoga
*For more information visit our FAQ.
Your drum will ship within 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
HANDCRAFTED WITH LOVE IN A SMALL MOUNTAIN WORKSHOP IN CRESTONE, COLORADO