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1All songs / Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me
Number tabs for the steel tongue drum
Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me
Free number tabs for Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me on the steel tongue drum. 28 notes, C Major scale, Easy level — play it instantly in the free Tongue Drum Online player.
The tab
2
23
34
43
32
21
15
56
67
71
17
76
65
51
13
35
53
31
13
35
53
31
12
23
34
45
51
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:
1234567
"Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me" is an American minstrel and camp song from around 1869 whose irresistibly catchy tune has survived into the 21st century as a children's and folk standard. On a steel tongue drum the bright, ascending verses and spinning chorus create a sense of playful motion perfectly suited to the instrument's lively upper range. The two contrasting phrases — verse and chorus — give beginners a taste of melodic variety while keeping the overall structure simple and fun.
How to play Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me 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 Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me.
About this melody
American minstrel / camp song, c. 1869.