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6All songs / The Ants Go Marching
Number tabs for the steel tongue drum
The Ants Go Marching
Free number tabs for The Ants Go Marching on the steel tongue drum. 27 notes, C Major scale, Easy level — play it instantly in the free Tongue Drum Online player.
The tab
6
66
66
67
71
11
11
11
11
11
12
23
33
33
33
33
33
32
21
12
23
36
66
66
65
56
61–7 scale note• above = higher octave• below = lower octaveabc = key in the app
▶ Play it in Tongue Drum Online
Open the free player on the C Major scale, then tap the petals or press these keyboard keys in order, following the tab above:
671235
"The Ants Go Marching" is a traditional American counting song that borrows its memorable melody from the Civil War hymn "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," giving it an infectious, minor-key march feel. On a steel tongue drum the minor tonality gives the tune a slightly mysterious, adventurous edge that makes it stand out from cheerier nursery pieces. The slightly lower register and syncopated rhythms offer intermediate beginners a fresh melodic challenge while keeping the song genuinely fun.
How to play The Ants Go Marching on a tongue drum
The numbers above are the standard tongue-drum number notation. Each digit is a note of the C Major scale, counting up from the lowest tongue. A dot above a number raises it one octave; a dot below lowers it. The small teal letters show the matching key in the Tongue Drum Online player.
Start slowly, one phrase at a time. Let each note ring out fully before striking the next — the long decay is the whole character of the instrument. This is a easy arrangement and a simplified, single-instrument version of The Ants Go Marching.
About this melody
Traditional American children's song.