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4All songs / Looby Loo
Number tabs for the steel tongue drum
Looby Loo
Free number tabs for Looby Loo on the steel tongue drum. 25 notes, C Major Pentatonic scale, Beginner level — play it instantly in the free Tongue Drum Online player.
The tab
5
45
45
45
46
55
43
32
22
22
22
22
21
13
35
45
46
55
43
31
12
23
31
11
11–7 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 Pentatonic scale, then tap the petals or press these keyboard keys in order, following the tab above:
45321
Looby Loo is a traditional English circle dance song where children shake various body parts to a cheerful, repetitive melody — laughter practically guaranteed. On a steel tongue drum the marching quarter-note pulse gives beginners a very clear beat to follow, and the distinct two-section structure (verse and chorus) introduces young players to the concept of musical form in the most natural way. A perfect playdate song that doubles as a first lesson in rhythm on the handpan.
How to play Looby Loo on a tongue drum
The numbers above are the standard tongue-drum number notation. Each digit is a note of the C Major Pentatonic 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 Looby Loo.
About this melody
Traditional English circle dance song.