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1All songs / The Old Rugged Cross
Number tabs for the steel tongue drum
The Old Rugged Cross
Free number tabs for The Old Rugged Cross on the steel tongue drum. 33 notes, C Major scale, Easy level — play it instantly in the free Tongue Drum Online player.
The tab
3
35
55
55
53
35
56
65
53
31
11
13
35
56
6•1
87
76
65
53
32
21
15
55
56
65
5•1
87
76
65
53
32
21
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 scale, then tap the petals or press these keyboard keys in order, following the tab above:
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The Old Rugged Cross is one of the most-sung gospel hymns ever written, composed by George Bennard in 1913 with a melody that balances tender devotion and resilient hope. On a steel tongue drum the graceful, waltz-like flow feels warm and personal, the instrument's mellow ring giving each phrase a quiet sincerity. Its repetitive structure and predictable shape are ideal for players growing into hymn performance.
How to play The Old Rugged Cross 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 Old Rugged Cross.
About this melody
George Bennard 1913.