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Number tabs for the steel tongue drum
Five Little Ducks
Free number tabs for Five Little Ducks on the steel tongue drum. 24 notes, C Major scale, Beginner level — play it instantly in the free Tongue Drum Online player.
The tab
5
56
65
5•1
8•1
87
75
56
65
53
35
55
56
6•1
87
76
65
56
65
53
35
56
65
51–7 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:
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"Five Little Ducks" is a counting-down American nursery rhyme that follows a mother duck's ducklings as they go over the hill and slowly fail to come back — until the very last verse. On a steel tongue drum the repetitive, gentle melody is easy to learn quickly while the song's counting framework gives young players a musical goal to work toward. The comfortable range and unhurried tempo make it a warm, rewarding piece for early learners on the handpan.
How to play Five Little Ducks 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 beginner arrangement and a simplified, single-instrument version of Five Little Ducks.
About this melody
American traditional nursery rhyme.