I totally agree with your final thoughts. It wouldn´t be smart to invest a lot of money into an instrument you probably don´t like and that can happen regardless of build or sound quality. If there´s no other way of testing this instrument, a cheap tongue drum can be a place to start. If you then conclude that a tongue drum is for you, you can still upgrade to a high quality drum :)
Thanks for watching! Yea of course I started with the cheaper drum too before making the jump aha. I guess that goes for beginning any instrument such as guitar, keyboard etc. that it makes sense to get an 'entry level' one to see if it is something that really speaks to you in the first place
À few years back (around 6) I bought a handmade one in a little esoteric shop in Brittany, France. They are made of old Gas bottles by someone from the area. I paid around 120€. In size it compares with the ones in this video. Handmade doesn't have to be out of reach. If you're in that part of the World, check out "Chemin d'éveil" in La Roche Bernard. Everything about that place (the village and that little boutique) is quite fascinating. ❤
Woahhhhh why did the E major notes make me cry? Hearing the underside of the handmade one released some emotions from me that I totally wasn't expecting! Powerful! I will save up for an E major one. Thank you!
Great video, was going to buy one for the studio. Might get a hand made one, Tuning is important and the high notes had a slight distortion to them with the cheap one.
I had bought a tank drum ( factory made) from a generic music shop and am loving it, as someone with little to no instrumental experience I find the factory made one to be more than enough for a test in the waters since it's super fun to mix and match all the notes and learning simple songs can be rewarding. If you're debating on which one to chose you'd need to consider how much you're willing to invest into the tank drum in terms of time. If you're sure you're going to use it then I see no issues in getting the expensive one but if you're looking for a new hobby or to just fart about with them then the factory one is a perfect fit
Same here. I didn't learn how to play the piano as a sticky fingered kid on a Steinway... Once I know this is the instrument for me, I'll upgrade, just like with my cheap handpan, and before that, my drum kit. Edit: honestly though, if I could wind the clock back a few decades, I'd always go for the absolute best I could afford, so that one's initial fascination / obsession can enjoy full rein with all the available detail and nuance.
@@nickfosterxxwell said about exploring the detail and nuance. Constant battle for me, get the entry level one or wait and buy the higher quality one
Thank you. I just purchased one from amazon as I have been going back and forth on it for a while. I am excited to learn. The other one is absolutely stunning and viewed their webpage and vowed to myself if I can actually stick with it, then I will purchase one. I love the sound and those are gorgeous. Thank you for your review.
I loooooove KosmoSky drums! Ive got 4 of them - 3 of which are two sided, so 7 scales. Beautiful look … beautiful sound! GREAT for sound therapy which is what I do …. 👍🏼 Good review!! ☺️🛸🎶🦋
@@DylanFerno …Awwww thanks … so very much appreciated!! And just fyi, my music pages are also on FaceBook, Instagram and TikTok … all under the same name ….That Handpan Lady … 🤗🛸🎶🦋
I wish you would review every product for sale for everything! You get to the point, you are articulate and knowledgeable and you made perfect sense! I watched your video after the fact of placing my order to Kosmisky for the ine you showed here (mountain river i think its called) and also Celtic Tree: one for home and one for my massage/sound healing studio. But your video made me happy with my purchase....a little buyers remorse 😊
I debated for so long and ended up getting the double sided KosmoSky drum in the pattern Gem, which fits the name. It’s spectacular and I haven’t even gotten it yet. The sound and aesthetics was unparalleled to any other drum. I considered the Vibe drum, from AZ but it wasn’t pretty enough. I am beyond thrilled to get my drum!! PS yours is gorgeous!
Good review except one should add this. I have one of each in the same key. The reason I had to buy the cheaper amazon drum was because it has a chromatic scale. This allows you to play well known songs. Most tank drums leave out half notes (like a pentatonic scale) to make them sound more harmonious. This way one person can play the melody and the other can play an accompaniment with a cool interlude. I think Kosmosky may be working on drum with a chromatic scale.
Yeah, drums that are of a certain scale resonate better as a default then again with a chromatic one you can play anything at all since it has all the notes in its range. So it's a tradeof
Actually it seems like no tongue drums have a chromatic scale because they can only play in one key per side. So they may have a natural scale if all 7 notes of the key are included. A chromatic instrument would mean that all 12 possible pitches are available to play as in a piano or guitar. Kosmosky's new wave drums do offer a full natural scale however
I have just gotten a factory one from Amazon. I love it. I am not a musician, although I did take piano and band as a child, so I have some knowledge. But I love it despite the high notes being off. Yours actually sounds better than a lot of the cheap ones. Anyway, I learned a lot watching your video and reading through comments. I am already looking at purchasing a Panda drum, because I can get a big discount at the moment, but I am definitely putting Kosmosky on the Wishlist. If I am consistent enough and continue to enjoy it I will definitely be looking at one of these beauties in the future. And the fact that you can hang it on the wall? I love functional art! Bonus. Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
Hi thank you so much for this comparison! I thought I'd bring up an interesting thing that I noticed. The cheaper tongue drum has the same paint finishing as smaller, mini, and pocket Meinl brand tongue drums!!! I suspect that they are all made in the same factory in China and that yours has dissent tongue leafs design but possibly the same quality as Meinl. I myself have 2 small, 2 minis, and the pocket Meinl for diversity of scales. They are excellent products for what they are. I also own a Rav Vast in Celtic D Minor and have owned, sold it, a Guda Freezbee in Arcane scale. Rav Vast is king hands down. I'm going to get a Kosmosky of the same design you have! Thanks for the video. Lastly I think there is something to the quality of tongue drums at larger dimensions 9" and above that is a deal breaker. If you can play it with your fingers then it is a sign of good quality steel /construction. I prefer and primarily play with my hands and this it is a necessity. Thus I will be purchasing a Kosmosky as my second tongue drum as it appears better than a Guda Freezbee.
Yea the mass produced ones are definitely all from pretty much the same factory and just branded differently. I definitely agree that they need to be bigger than about 9" to get the deep ethereal tones. I find the smaller ones kinda more like cool looking xylophones
Thank you, good info, straight to the point. I'll probably go cheap for now since I have little to no experience and want to try it out. The other one is gorgeous though. One day perhaps...
Thank you for the reciew. I just bought a cheaper one off Amazon with 15 notes that I ak excited for. If I can stick with it then maybe I will invest in a more expensive one!
Fascinating! The Hand made one has bell overtones While the factory one is more dull and almost electronic. It would seem totally subjective (short of the tuning issue). For my purposes I would go factory. I had a factory one arrive from Amazon today but it was a different colour from that I ordered. Another one will arrive tomorrow. Don’t know why I included that boring detail. Anyways. Ha
I agree that it is mostly subjective. They sound different and can be used in different contexts, but if they were the same price, I think the 2-sided one is better. The factory one is definitely worth it though and still a great instrument 👌
Next time, please put the non-struck drum under a blanket (not undamped side-by-side the struck drum) to eliminate any sympathetic resonance while we’re trying to evaluate the tone of the struck drum alone. Likewise for the unstruck side of the double-sided drum. Thanks for the video.
They are both suitable for handplaying. The layout of the notes is a bit more intuitive on the factory drum (the adjacent notes are 2 whole tones apart) but you can get used to the Kosmosky drum layout easily
Thanks. How do you replace the strings of it and can we use nylon strings instead of metalic? Do they make electric versions of it? Great video! The hand made produces more harmonics than the factory made.
Thank you for this video. I've just started trying to figure out what to get for the first time and learn about these wonderful instruments. Out of curiosity, what scale(s) is your Kosmosky drum in?
Hi , I've had a Kosmosky for a few months , I really LOVE ! It's just a beautiful sounding instrument. There is on tongue on the bottom which does not have the full resonance as the others others .. its still beautiful sounding however I was wondering if you might have run in to this and if there is anything to be done about it . - Thanks - oh - btw , replacement rubber vacuum cleaner bands (that make the sweeper turn ) are excellent for placing the Kosmosky drum on for playing on table
Hey most tongue drums I've played have had 1 or 2 tongue that don't resonant as much. It's normal. You can using small magnets under the tongues to see if that helps
@@DylanFerno Thanks , I thought that as well I will try magnets . There is something I did I'd like to share with you .I ran some heavy nylon twine through the small holes on the drums outer edge . In this way the drum hung freely ,sort of like a marching band drum it was all jury rigged hanging from a boom mic stand . Hanging it this way I was able to play both sides. Quite the sound experience ,and all tongues resonated beautifully . I haven't done it yet , but I plan to build something better to to hold it this way . As you might imagine , it was a little risky trying this , but it does work - billy
Question; Im just started learning to play but I can't see the numbers on it, can I use any stickers for the numbers? I like the sound of the cheaper one. Thanks
Is it the way you're playing it that makes some of the notes sound like 2 notes playing simultaneously or do the notes just have one sound? Not sure if you know what I'm saying but some of the notes you hit had a clanking sound along with the actual note. Is that with all these steel drums? I'm speaking as a professional musician for over 50 years. I try to play musically and not just spiritually and thinking of buying a steel hand drum in my retirement. Thanks for sharing...
Im not 100% sure I understand the question. There is only one note per tongue. When you hit the tongue there is an initial striking sound before the note rings out. The resonance inside of the drum may cause some other notes to ring slightly as well.
I thought I'd add some two cents in what you're asking and maybe some more guidance in your decisions. 1 the loudness and resonances which emit from the tongue drums really need a good quality mic and setup for proper recording. Check out World Drum channel on RUclips and you can understand what that guy is discussing when he plays a Kosmosky drum. 2. I have a Rav Vast, had a Guda Freezebee FYI the ones on Amazon are ripoffs from the top Guda from Dmitry, I also have a multitude of Meinl pocket, mini, and small tongue drums. A. The Rav Vast is hands down the boss! Forget a handpan as they can easily be out of tune. The Rav, if you can afford it, will provide you the sound and the crowd pleasing that you will and should want. I'm not a musician with knowing notes and what not. But I can intuitively play these better than what most you tubers put out there. B. The guda was good but different than the Rav as it has a more plucky sound from the initial strike and much less resonance, flat? This is good in its own way I should note that the Quality you want and are looking for is found in one someone thing can you play it with your fingers. If yes it's a great start. If you must use mallets then I would not purchase. Lastly, the guda for best quality get the real ones from the Dmitry website. C. The Meinl, given its an instrument company, I blind bought the " 2 small, 2mini & 1 pocket" tongue drum found with in their "sonic energy" line/series. I think this was excellent to break into After the Rav Vast looking f hour my NEXT amazing tongue drum. Reason being the Rav is second to none. Do I get a larger Meinl Tank Drum or Meinl Octave Sonic Energy? Well the meinl small, and the mini are definitely helpful in that I can experience a multitude of scales in person for future choice. Also it reveals quality of the meinl brand. I will comment this to this videos main section, but included here is this as well the small, mini and pocket meinl are great quality cheap and excellent product! They are by no means close to larger tongue drums.when you look at the finish of the cheaper tongue drum in this video it is the SAME exact paint finish as the meinl products. I suspect they are made by our in the same factory in China and these are unbranded and slightly different cut. Thus the cheaper one can be on the similar level of quality. Maybe that helps you make a decision. As for me I will be purchasing a similar design of the Kosmosky and am currently researching by video, again the recording of the scales is hit or miss to really know what you're listening to. However,.... Finally........after all of this....... It boils down to this can you play it with your fingers? The answer, for me, is that for some reason the resonating capabilities of the tongue drum reveal best quality IF it is able to be played by BOTH mallets but I prefer and primarily play with your fingers/thumb knuckle. Thus the decision for a second larger drum becomes simple. The Meinls are great but I found are almost impossible to play with your finger. That kicks out the Meinl Sound Energy "Tank Drum" and "Octave" choices. The only, again to me, 2 choices that exist are another Expensive! And large/heavy takes up space Rav Vast or......... A beautiful design with 2 individual scales Kosmosky. Both are playable with fingers as far as I can tell in videos. There is a lot in personal preference, scale color size price. Keep it simple you have enough money for a Rav Vast get the one you want and most enjoy for the scale and sound. If you want more affordable and possibly 2 scales! Then get the Kosmosky. You can always purchase, like I did a few of the smaller Meinl tongue drums to in person experience the scales and then make your decisive choice. Celtic D minor Rav Vast is amazing. I'm going to get a kosmosky that allows for a brighter elation feeling and something maybe with akebono? MAYBE our something like pygmy. There is an idiopan in 12 size and you can tune it with little magnets however you like. For me I like to be able to pick it up and exoect and know what I will hear. All the best! Hope to know what you end up choosing
I was about to buy a handmade drum, but then I bought an Amazon one... I feel a bit guilty, but it has more notes and case included for half the price... And I'm not good at music, I only bought it to accompany my psychodrama sessions and to play around with my family and friends, not to make serious music... I feel that one of the 13 tongues doesn't sound great, but I've read that it can be fixed by sticking some small magnets on the inside, is it true?
Magnets can help tune the tongues better, but if it is just a bit 'dead' sounding it can't really help with that unfortunately. Good luck with your practice!
I can hear distorsion on both instruments. This is not exact science. Check out Sonic Energy instruments. They have a great sound very close to a handpan for a very decent price.
Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't have the best recording set up at the time so that may also be why. Sonic Energy has some nice instruments for sure.
I bought kind of a mid grade one off of Amazon, and I love hitting away at it and free styling it, but I feel like it just does not have that tone I want. It's good, I definitely like it, but I'm seriously thinking of getting a nice hand made one. I'm no musician, I bought this as sort of a psuedo fidget toy and a stress reliever, but even despite that I feel like I crave more out of this 100-ish dollar one I got.
I wouldn't really be too concerned about brands on the cheaper drums from Amazon and Aliexpress. They all come from the same or similar Chinese factories so the products are essentially the same across brands, just with different stickers slapped on them. Go for one with a size, design, and price that you like 👍
@@DylanFerno That’s the kind of thing that’ll last you at least 30 years. So amortizing it comes to about 3 cents a day. AND should be worth a lot more at the end of the 30 years, leaving you with a half a lifetime of exquisite sounds and a profit ! I’ll take it !
Sorry, but for Tome and Resonance the Cheap Drum IS the better From. A Musical Instrument is for PLAYING, for it's SOUND!, so if you want something to LOOK at, get a Painting. .
@@DylanFerno It's good to have an open mind Does the Fancy One have a picture hook attachments for wall hanging ? Does it have those 3 little rubber feet that allows it to sit stable on floor, desk, chair or stand ??? Those Under Tongues still mess up the Top Tones, harmonically overlap resonating, and shorten it resonating time. If you want to damp a Tone, you only have to put your Hand on it. If the Tone ain't there, you can't extend it. Altogether a WONDERFUL Instrument that is Brand New to me (at 72 and for 5 Years Studio set up Groups, Big Bands and ENTIRE Symphonic Orchestras complete with PRRCUSSION SECTIONS !!!), I don't know how I missed The Tongue Drum. It's most ASTONISHING Features:- It breaks ALL the Drum Percussion Rules offering the Full Scale + 2 from, (not counting the feet), ONE SINGLE COMPONENT and needing no other parts to work effectively. Is this a NEW Invention ? My Female Percussionist would have KILLED yo get one. Take Care. DDDOOO000ooonnG !!!!!!!
@a.bloke2.0alwayslearning.23 Hey so it doesn't have any attachments for wall hanging. I made my own hook to hang it up. It has 3 tiny rubber feet that fell off. I use a singing bowl cushion underneath it for maximum resonance. It's very cool that you have such a history with music. I think the instrument was created around 2007 or so, so it is a relatively new instrument but yea it's really cool and can easily be hooked up to speakers directly with a magnetic contact microphone
Although Kosmosky drums sounded nice, it takes a long time for the sound of a note to stop. Too much reverberation which can be a nuisance if you want to play a music.
yea good point. I think this is mostly a pro of the drum for ambient music. But when playing with other instruments you can mute its reverbation by holding your hand or mallet on the notes after striking them
I totally agree about the factory my husband has stated use it to learn on .Once I get music properly under control then I will get my ture quality drum 🥁 🪘
I totally agree with your final thoughts. It wouldn´t be smart to invest a lot of money into an instrument you probably don´t like and that can happen regardless of build or sound quality. If there´s no other way of testing this instrument, a cheap tongue drum can be a place to start. If you then conclude that a tongue drum is for you, you can still upgrade to a high quality drum :)
Thanks for watching! Yea of course I started with the cheaper drum too before making the jump aha. I guess that goes for beginning any instrument such as guitar, keyboard etc. that it makes sense to get an 'entry level' one to see if it is something that really speaks to you in the first place
thanks, go cheap, try it, can always spend more $$$
I did not expect that drastic of a difference it’s crazy
À few years back (around 6) I bought a handmade one in a little esoteric shop in Brittany, France. They are made of old Gas bottles by someone from the area. I paid around 120€. In size it compares with the ones in this video. Handmade doesn't have to be out of reach. If you're in that part of the World, check out "Chemin d'éveil" in La Roche Bernard. Everything about that place (the village and that little boutique) is quite fascinating. ❤
Cool! Sounds like a really nice store and place 👍
Woahhhhh why did the E major notes make me cry? Hearing the underside of the handmade one released some emotions from me that I totally wasn't expecting! Powerful! I will save up for an E major one. Thank you!
Amazing glad to hear!
Kosmosky clearly has the better tone!
I'd consider it an investment in one's spiritual health & wellbeing! Thank you for the demonstration!
Thanks! I like that idea of an 'investment.' I wish you all the best
I've had the cheap one for 4 years. It's great for non-musicians to explore!
100% agree! Definitely worth starting with one of those
Great video, was going to buy one for the studio. Might get a hand made one, Tuning is important and the high notes had a slight distortion to them with the cheap one.
I had bought a tank drum ( factory made) from a generic music shop and am loving it, as someone with little to no instrumental experience I find the factory made one to be more than enough for a test in the waters since it's super fun to mix and match all the notes and learning simple songs can be rewarding. If you're debating on which one to chose you'd need to consider how much you're willing to invest into the tank drum in terms of time. If you're sure you're going to use it then I see no issues in getting the expensive one but if you're looking for a new hobby or to just fart about with them then the factory one is a perfect fit
I 100% agree with this comment
Same here. I didn't learn how to play the piano as a sticky fingered kid on a Steinway... Once I know this is the instrument for me, I'll upgrade, just like with my cheap handpan, and before that, my drum kit.
Edit: honestly though, if I could wind the clock back a few decades, I'd always go for the absolute best I could afford, so that one's initial fascination / obsession can enjoy full rein with all the available detail and nuance.
@@nickfosterxxwell said about exploring the detail and nuance. Constant battle for me, get the entry level one or wait and buy the higher quality one
Thank you. I just purchased one from amazon as I have been going back and forth on it for a while. I am excited to learn. The other one is absolutely stunning and viewed their webpage and vowed to myself if I can actually stick with it, then I will purchase one. I love the sound and those are gorgeous. Thank you for your review.
Awesome! I definitely started with thr Amazon first too! thanks for watching
I loooooove KosmoSky drums! Ive got 4 of them - 3 of which are two sided, so 7 scales. Beautiful look … beautiful sound! GREAT for sound therapy which is what I do …. 👍🏼 Good review!! ☺️🛸🎶🦋
Thanks! subbed your channel. Nice stuff
@@DylanFerno …Awwww thanks … so very much appreciated!! And just fyi, my music pages are also on FaceBook, Instagram and TikTok … all under the same name ….That Handpan Lady … 🤗🛸🎶🦋
I wish you would review every product for sale for everything! You get to the point, you are articulate and knowledgeable and you made perfect sense!
I watched your video after the fact of placing my order to Kosmisky for the ine you showed here (mountain river i think its called) and also Celtic Tree: one for home and one for my massage/sound healing studio. But your video made me happy with my purchase....a little buyers remorse 😊
I really appreciate that feedback! Good luck with your studio!
I debated for so long and ended up getting the double sided KosmoSky drum in the pattern Gem, which fits the name. It’s spectacular and I haven’t even gotten it yet. The sound and aesthetics was unparalleled to any other drum. I considered the Vibe drum, from AZ but it wasn’t pretty enough.
I am beyond thrilled to get my drum!!
PS yours is gorgeous!
Good choice! and thank you
Kosmosky has a brillant sound, more in high tones. They are just incredible! Thanks for the vid'
Nice, thanks for the review, you have a really calming voice
Thanks! glad you enjoyed
there is no comparison, the sound quality on the more expensive one sounds SOOOO much nicer
Good review except one should add this. I have one of each in the same key. The reason I had to buy the cheaper amazon drum was because it has a chromatic scale. This allows you to play well known songs. Most tank drums leave out half notes (like a pentatonic scale) to make them sound more harmonious. This way one person can play the melody and the other can play an accompaniment with a cool interlude. I think Kosmosky may be working on drum with a chromatic scale.
Yea that's all true as well. Thanks for pointing it out. I believe Kosmosky does make some chromatic drums also but definitely not all of them
@@jamesmichael20910 I agree. Thanks for adding this.
Yeah, drums that are of a certain scale resonate better as a default then again with a chromatic one you can play anything at all since it has all the notes in its range. So it's a tradeof
Actually it seems like no tongue drums have a chromatic scale because they can only play in one key per side. So they may have a natural scale if all 7 notes of the key are included. A chromatic instrument would mean that all 12 possible pitches are available to play as in a piano or guitar. Kosmosky's new wave drums do offer a full natural scale however
I have just gotten a factory one from Amazon. I love it. I am not a musician, although I did take piano and band as a child, so I have some knowledge. But I love it despite the high notes being off. Yours actually sounds better than a lot of the cheap ones. Anyway, I learned a lot watching your video and reading through comments. I am already looking at purchasing a Panda drum, because I can get a big discount at the moment, but I am definitely putting Kosmosky on the Wishlist. If I am consistent enough and continue to enjoy it I will definitely be looking at one of these beauties in the future. And the fact that you can hang it on the wall? I love functional art! Bonus. Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
@@AndreaCrisp Glad it was useful! good luck learning how to play!!
Hi thank you so much for this comparison!
I thought I'd bring up an interesting thing that I noticed.
The cheaper tongue drum has the same paint finishing as smaller, mini, and pocket Meinl brand tongue drums!!! I suspect that they are all made in the same factory in China and that yours has dissent tongue leafs design but possibly the same quality as Meinl.
I myself have 2 small, 2 minis, and the pocket Meinl for diversity of scales. They are excellent products for what they are.
I also own a Rav Vast in Celtic D Minor and have owned, sold it, a Guda Freezbee in Arcane scale.
Rav Vast is king hands down.
I'm going to get a Kosmosky of the same design you have! Thanks for the video.
Lastly I think there is something to the quality of tongue drums at larger dimensions 9" and above that is a deal breaker.
If you can play it with your fingers then it is a sign of good quality steel /construction. I prefer and primarily play with my hands and this it is a necessity. Thus I will be purchasing a Kosmosky as my second tongue drum as it appears better than a Guda Freezbee.
Yea the mass produced ones are definitely all from pretty much the same factory and just branded differently. I definitely agree that they need to be bigger than about 9" to get the deep ethereal tones. I find the smaller ones kinda more like cool looking xylophones
Even through youtube i can really hear the difference. This is giving me thoughts of a net stand for those
Yea big difference. I've been using a singing bowl cushion as a playing stand that works well.
Thank you, good info, straight to the point. I'll probably go cheap for now since I have little to no experience and want to try it out. The other one is gorgeous though.
One day perhaps...
Glad it was helpful! you can't go wrong with a cheaper one. As long as they are at least 10 inches in diameter they will sound great in my opinion
Great review. I want the Kosmosky. ❤️
Thank you for the reciew. I just bought a cheaper one off Amazon with 15 notes that I ak excited for. If I can stick with it then maybe I will invest in a more expensive one!
That's the way to do it! I started with the Amazon one too
Fascinating!
The Hand made one has bell overtones
While the factory one is more dull and almost electronic. It would seem totally subjective (short of the tuning issue).
For my purposes I would go factory.
I had a factory one arrive from Amazon today but it was a different colour from that I ordered. Another one will arrive tomorrow. Don’t know why I included that boring detail. Anyways. Ha
I agree that it is mostly subjective. They sound different and can be used in different contexts, but if they were the same price, I think the 2-sided one is better. The factory one is definitely worth it though and still a great instrument 👌
Both sound good but the hand made drum is beautiful!!!!
When you make comparisons please use identical keys and number of tones. Don't compare an apartment with a house.
I agree but of course I don't have every kind of drum in every scale 😊
Next time, please put the non-struck drum under a blanket (not undamped side-by-side the struck drum) to eliminate any sympathetic resonance while we’re trying to evaluate the tone of the struck drum alone. Likewise for the unstruck side of the double-sided drum. Thanks for the video.
Good idea and thank you!
Thanks for the comparison. Is the Kosmosky drum easier to play with your hands when compared to the factory drum?
They are both suitable for handplaying. The layout of the notes is a bit more intuitive on the factory drum (the adjacent notes are 2 whole tones apart) but you can get used to the Kosmosky drum layout easily
Thanks. How do you replace the strings of it and can we use nylon strings instead of metalic? Do they make electric versions of it? Great video! The hand made produces more harmonics than the factory made.
Thank you for this video. I've just started trying to figure out what to get for the first time and learn about these wonderful instruments.
Out of curiosity, what scale(s) is your Kosmosky drum in?
You're welcome! The drum is B minor on one side and E mixolydian on the other side
Hi , I've had a Kosmosky for a few months , I really LOVE ! It's just a beautiful sounding instrument. There is on tongue on the bottom which does not have the full resonance as the others others .. its still beautiful sounding however I was wondering if you might have run in to this and if there is anything to be done about it . - Thanks - oh - btw , replacement rubber vacuum cleaner bands (that make the sweeper turn ) are excellent for placing the Kosmosky drum on for playing on table
Hey most tongue drums I've played have had 1 or 2 tongue that don't resonant as much. It's normal. You can using small magnets under the tongues to see if that helps
@@DylanFerno Thanks , I thought that as well I will try magnets . There is something I did I'd like to share with you .I ran some heavy nylon twine through the small holes on the drums outer edge . In this way the drum hung freely ,sort of like a marching band drum it was all jury rigged hanging from a boom mic stand . Hanging it this way I was able to play both sides. Quite the sound experience ,and all tongues resonated beautifully . I haven't done it yet , but I plan to build something better to to hold it this way . As you might imagine , it was a little risky trying this , but it does work - billy
@billy freeze That's a really cool idea thank you would love to hear a sound demo of that
@@DylanFerno sure - working on a proper stand for it .
I have the factory one, it’s nice
Thanks for the video! What's the name of the cheap one?
Thank you very much . May I know the app you use to check the tone .
Question;
Im just started learning to play but I can't see the numbers on it, can I use any stickers for the numbers?
I like the sound of the cheaper one.
Thanks
hey yea, as long as the stickers aren't covering the notes too much, any stickers should be fine. Good luck learning to play!
Which scale would you recommend for a beginner but someone who has some music experience.
Whichever one sounds the best to you!
Should have played some tunes!
Is it the way you're playing it that makes some of the notes sound like 2 notes playing simultaneously or do the notes just have one sound? Not sure if you know what I'm saying but some of the notes you hit had a clanking sound along with the actual note. Is that with all these steel drums? I'm speaking as a professional musician for over 50 years. I try to play musically and not just spiritually and thinking of buying a steel hand drum in my retirement. Thanks for sharing...
Im not 100% sure I understand the question. There is only one note per tongue. When you hit the tongue there is an initial striking sound before the note rings out. The resonance inside of the drum may cause some other notes to ring slightly as well.
I thought I'd add some two cents in what you're asking and maybe some more guidance in your decisions.
1 the loudness and resonances which emit from the tongue drums really need a good quality mic and setup for proper recording. Check out World Drum channel on RUclips and you can understand what that guy is discussing when he plays a Kosmosky drum.
2. I have a Rav Vast, had a Guda Freezebee FYI the ones on Amazon are ripoffs from the top Guda from Dmitry, I also have a multitude of Meinl pocket, mini, and small tongue drums.
A. The Rav Vast is hands down the boss! Forget a handpan as they can easily be out of tune. The Rav, if you can afford it, will provide you the sound and the crowd pleasing that you will and should want. I'm not a musician with knowing notes and what not. But I can intuitively play these better than what most you tubers put out there.
B. The guda was good but different than the Rav as it has a more plucky sound from the initial strike and much less resonance, flat? This is good in its own way I should note that the Quality you want and are looking for is found in one someone thing can you play it with your fingers. If yes it's a great start. If you must use mallets then I would not purchase. Lastly, the guda for best quality get the real ones from the Dmitry website.
C. The Meinl, given its an instrument company, I blind bought the " 2 small, 2mini & 1 pocket" tongue drum found with in their "sonic energy" line/series.
I think this was excellent to break into After the Rav Vast looking f hour my NEXT amazing tongue drum. Reason being the Rav is second to none. Do I get a larger Meinl Tank Drum or Meinl Octave Sonic Energy?
Well the meinl small, and the mini are definitely helpful in that I can experience a multitude of scales in person for future choice. Also it reveals quality of the meinl brand.
I will comment this to this videos main section, but included here is this as well the small, mini and pocket meinl are great quality cheap and excellent product! They are by no means close to larger tongue drums.when you look at the finish of the cheaper tongue drum in this video it is the SAME exact paint finish as the meinl products. I suspect they are made by our in the same factory in China and these are unbranded and slightly different cut. Thus the cheaper one can be on the similar level of quality. Maybe that helps you make a decision.
As for me I will be purchasing a similar design of the Kosmosky and am currently researching by video, again the recording of the scales is hit or miss to really know what you're listening to.
However,.... Finally........after all of this....... It boils down to this can you play it with your fingers?
The answer, for me, is that for some reason the resonating capabilities of the tongue drum reveal best quality IF it is able to be played by BOTH mallets but I prefer and primarily play with your fingers/thumb knuckle.
Thus the decision for a second larger drum becomes simple.
The Meinls are great but I found are almost impossible to play with your finger. That kicks out the Meinl Sound Energy "Tank Drum" and "Octave" choices.
The only, again to me, 2 choices that exist are another Expensive! And large/heavy takes up space Rav Vast or......... A beautiful design with 2 individual scales Kosmosky. Both are playable with fingers as far as I can tell in videos.
There is a lot in personal preference, scale color size price.
Keep it simple you have enough money for a Rav Vast get the one you want and most enjoy for the scale and sound.
If you want more affordable and possibly 2 scales! Then get the Kosmosky.
You can always purchase, like I did a few of the smaller Meinl tongue drums to in person experience the scales and then make your decisive choice.
Celtic D minor Rav Vast is amazing. I'm going to get a kosmosky that allows for a brighter elation feeling and something maybe with akebono? MAYBE our something like pygmy.
There is an idiopan in 12 size and you can tune it with little magnets however you like. For me I like to be able to pick it up and exoect and know what I will hear.
All the best! Hope to know what you end up choosing
I was about to buy a handmade drum, but then I bought an Amazon one... I feel a bit guilty, but it has more notes and case included for half the price... And I'm not good at music, I only bought it to accompany my psychodrama sessions and to play around with my family and friends, not to make serious music... I feel that one of the 13 tongues doesn't sound great, but I've read that it can be fixed by sticking some small magnets on the inside, is it true?
Magnets can help tune the tongues better, but if it is just a bit 'dead' sounding it can't really help with that unfortunately. Good luck with your practice!
Perfect video
Thanks! Glad it was useful
What do you think of the Balmy drum?
I can hear distorsion on both instruments. This is not exact science. Check out Sonic Energy instruments. They have a great sound very close to a handpan for a very decent price.
Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't have the best recording set up at the time so that may also be why. Sonic Energy has some nice instruments for sure.
I bought kind of a mid grade one off of Amazon, and I love hitting away at it and free styling it, but I feel like it just does not have that tone I want.
It's good, I definitely like it, but I'm seriously thinking of getting a nice hand made one. I'm no musician, I bought this as sort of a psuedo fidget toy and a stress reliever, but even despite that I feel like I crave more out of this 100-ish dollar one I got.
what brand is the cheaper drum?Thanks
I wouldn't really be too concerned about brands on the cheaper drums from Amazon and Aliexpress. They all come from the same or similar Chinese factories so the products are essentially the same across brands, just with different stickers slapped on them. Go for one with a size, design, and price that you like 👍
What are the price differences?
about $80 USD for the amazon one and about $350 USD for the hand made one
@@DylanFerno That’s the kind of thing that’ll last you at least 30 years. So amortizing it comes to about 3 cents a day. AND should be worth a lot more at the end of the 30 years, leaving you with a half a lifetime of exquisite sounds and a profit ! I’ll take it !
My £50 Amazon drum was perfectly in tune using my guitar strobe tuner.
Nice! Some are probably better than others. But it seems like most notes being slightly out of tune is the norm
@@DylanFerno I realise I may have been lucky.
The hand made one sounds sooooo much better
100%
Honestly I think the factory made sounds better, It sounds more full and more deep.
yea it is a matter of opinion at the end of the day but I think the high notes are undoubtedly worse on the cheaper one if anything
If youre going to get a cheaper Amazon one, fine they are good but get atleast a 10 inch
I agree
WHOA....
You could have used the same drumstick for both ?! Because those definitely have a part in how the drums sound…?
@@FDonkey I used the drum stick that came with each drum. They sound the best with their respective mallets
@@DylanFerno ok, I did not look at it that way. You‘re right. 👍🏻
But nonetheless it would have been interesting to hear them with the same stick. 😊
@FDonkey I agree, that could have been a good idea. But yea they do sound worse when not using the stick that they come with I can say that
Sorry, but for Tome and Resonance the Cheap Drum IS the better From.
A Musical Instrument is for PLAYING, for it's SOUND!, so if you want something to LOOK at, get a Painting.
.
Sure. I have different preferences but I respect both of those opinions.
@@DylanFerno It's good to have an open mind
Does the Fancy One have a picture hook attachments for wall hanging ?
Does it have those 3 little rubber feet that allows it to sit stable on floor, desk, chair or stand ???
Those Under Tongues still mess up the Top Tones, harmonically overlap resonating, and shorten it resonating time.
If you want to damp a Tone, you only have to put your Hand on it.
If the Tone ain't there, you can't extend it.
Altogether a WONDERFUL Instrument that is Brand New to me (at 72 and for 5 Years Studio set up Groups, Big Bands and ENTIRE Symphonic Orchestras complete with PRRCUSSION SECTIONS !!!), I don't know how I missed The Tongue Drum.
It's most ASTONISHING Features:-
It breaks ALL the Drum Percussion Rules offering the Full Scale + 2 from, (not counting the feet), ONE SINGLE COMPONENT and needing no other parts to work effectively.
Is this a NEW Invention ?
My Female Percussionist would have KILLED yo get one.
Take Care.
DDDOOO000ooonnG !!!!!!!
@a.bloke2.0alwayslearning.23 Hey so it doesn't have any attachments for wall hanging. I made my own hook to hang it up. It has 3 tiny rubber feet that fell off. I use a singing bowl cushion underneath it for maximum resonance. It's very cool that you have such a history with music. I think the instrument was created around 2007 or so, so it is a relatively new instrument but yea it's really cool and can easily be hooked up to speakers directly with a magnetic contact microphone
06:19 - you have some loading issues
Low notes on the factory made go flat quick
Although Kosmosky drums sounded nice, it takes a long time for the sound of a note to stop. Too much reverberation which can be a nuisance if you want to play a music.
yea good point. I think this is mostly a pro of the drum for ambient music. But when playing with other instruments you can mute its reverbation by holding your hand or mallet on the notes after striking them
yes, the hand made TD is much better,,,,,,,,,,but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I do not have the $$ right now, so I bought a cheapie
makes sense!
@@DylanFerno buy with the money you have, thanks again for the tut
The hand made sounds a little bit whack.
aha really? I mean they do sound different so it comes down to preference at the end of the day
Just do it
I totally agree about the factory my husband has stated use it to learn on .Once I get music properly under control then I will get my ture quality drum 🥁 🪘