Number tabs for the steel tongue drum
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Free number tabs for Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes on the steel tongue drum. 38 notes, C Major scale, Beginner level — play it instantly in the free Tongue Drum Online player.
The tab
▶ 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:
"Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" is a beloved English nursery action song that connects body movement to music in the most direct way possible. On a steel tongue drum the lively melody challenges small hands to hop nimbly across the tongues, making the song a useful physical exercise as well as a musical one. The fast, repetitive nature of the tune helps build finger independence and coordination in young beginners without them even realizing it.
How to play Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes 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 Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.
About this melody
English traditional nursery rhyme.