Patent ID: 8093477

Claim:
A tongue drum comprises a circular drum head, a cylindrical drum shell, a tensioning ring, a plurality of drum lugs, a first plurality of fasteners, a circular tone plate and a second plurality of fasteners, said cylindrical drum shell provided with a plurality of mounting posts extending from one edge surface of said cylindrical drum shell, said circular tone plate comprising a flat steel plate provided with a plurality of tongues having a specified angle between side edges thereof, said plurality of tongues being of different lengths and extending inwardly from an outer periphery edge of said flat steel plate, said plurality of tongues separated by radial slits, said slits extending inwardly from said outer peripheral edge to an end of each said tongue thus creating open space between oppositely facing end faces of said tongues, said outer peripheral edge provided with a plurality of mounting holes there through, said mounting holes arranged adjacent an outer end of each said slit, said plurality of mounting holes equal in number to said plurality of mounting posts and said second plurality of fasteners, said circular tone plate affixed to said mounting posts of said drum shell with said second plurality of fasteners, said circular drum head having an outer peripheral rim equal in diameter to an outer peripheral surface of said drum shell, said tensioning ring having an outer periphery greater in diameter than said circular drum head and an inner periphery equal in diameter to said outer peripheral rim of said circular drum head, said tensioning ring provided with a plurality of holes through an outer rim thereof, said first plurality of fasteners disposed through said holes in said tensioning ring and fastened into said plurality of drum lugs disposed on a periphery and extending outwardly from an outer surface of said drum shell.