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8All songs / Pat-a-Cake
Number tabs for the steel tongue drum
Pat-a-Cake
Free number tabs for Pat-a-Cake on the steel tongue drum. 26 notes, C Major scale, Beginner level — play it instantly in the free Tongue Drum Online player.
The tab
•1
8•1
85
5•3
0•3
0•2
9•1
8•1
8•1
85
5•3
0•2
9•1
85
55
56
65
5•1
87
76
65
5•1
8•3
0•2
9•1
81–7 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:
850967
"Pat-a-Cake" is one of the oldest recorded English nursery rhymes, a playful baking song that pairs perfectly with hand-clapping games. On a steel tongue drum the bouncy, syllabic melody is naturally rhythmic, encouraging young players to feel the beat in their hands as they tap each tongue. The simple, predictable phrase structure means children can join in almost immediately, building basic coordination and musical confidence with every repetition.
How to play Pat-a-Cake 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 Pat-a-Cake.
About this melody
English traditional nursery rhyme.