5
5All songs / Polly Put the Kettle On
Number tabs for the steel tongue drum
Polly Put the Kettle On
Free number tabs for Polly Put the Kettle On on the steel tongue drum. 26 notes, C Major scale, Beginner level — play it instantly in the free Tongue Drum Online player.
The tab
•3
0•2
9•1
85
5•3
0•2
95
5•3
0•2
9•1
85
5•1
8•1
86
6•1
87
76
65
57
76
65
56
65
53
35
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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"Polly Put the Kettle On" is a cheerful English nursery rhyme about teatime that has been sung in British homes since the late 18th century. On a steel tongue drum its gentle, lilting melody feels cozy and warm, each phrase settling comfortably under small hands. The predictable phrase pairs and smooth melodic motion make this an excellent early song for beginner players who want something familiar and immediately rewarding on the handpan.
How to play Polly Put the Kettle On 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 Polly Put the Kettle On.
About this melody
English traditional nursery rhyme.