HOPWELL 13 Inch 15 Note Steel Tongue Drum Percussion Instrument

Paul S. Fraser

October 19, 2026

Tender Tones and Great Value!

We love our new HOPWELL steel tongue drums. The fifteen notes clearly explore the D Major tuning through two octaves, making it possible to play many tunes. The accessories include bamboo mallets, finger picks (not included in one major competitor's package) and a useful song book. The carrying case is sturdy and should protect the drum from dirt, moisture and mishandling. And we love the colors we chose: green and navy blue! Finally, the price is such a great value. The competition overprices their drums and then declares "discounts" that are still higher than Hopwell's.

Aluvly

July 31, 2026

My 1st Tongue Drum

Very nice overall, but it could use a little fine-tuning 2 tongues needs adjustmenti dont onow how. I didn't like that the stickers were simply tossed into the package in a messy way they could have been packaged more neatly. Other than those minor issues, I'm very happy with the product.

1:03

I need help

I just received my drum and the center point “3” is pushed down. Is this normal?

Update(late) a replacement was sent out and received. It was in great condition and sounds wonderful.

Hopewell Steel Tongue Drum 14 inch 15 Note

The Hopewell Steel Tongue Drum in the color blue is very nice! It almost looks black in my living room, minus the camera flash! Easy to play for beginners and the sound is pleasant. The included carrying case for the tongue drum is of incredible quality. Great Christmas or birthday gift and a good price!

0:38

Such a peaceful and beautiful sound!!

I just got my steel drum! I already love it so much! My parents love it too! We will all be creating beautiful music on this drum! Thank you!

JUST BUY IT, it's gorgeous and it sounds amazing!

Oh my goodness, this thing is "absolutely beautiful". First of all I purchased the 14 inch, 15 note in D major steel tongue drum. The pictures don't do it justice but I tried to get as many shots so you could see everything. It was packaged good and secure inside of the black case that it came with. Also be aware if you purchase this for a gift, make sure you have them send it in another box because the heavy cardboard box it comes packaged securely in also has the name of the company and what the item is on the outside of the box. If it was a gift for anybody it would ruin the surprise lol. First of all the case is made wonderful. Excellent padding and zipper is secure. There is a little zipper pocket on the outside of the package to tuck your mallets inside of also. This case will keep the drum very safe and protected. It really is made excellent. It comes with a pair of rubber mallets that are just your basic mallet. They work fine now they do the job that they were meant to do. They measure 8 inches from the end of the mallet to the top part of the rubber Ball. The rubber ball is about 3/4 in diameter. I did buy me a nicer set where the rubber mallet is 1 inch in diameter, and they have longer handles. I'm going to use the mallets that came with the tongue drum and wrap them in felt to give a bit of a different sound to the drum. Anyway, it comes with two sets of gold number stickers to replace any of the stickers that may fall off. The stickers are okay on the drum, it would be so much nicer if they could just figure out a way to engrave the numbers onto the metal but naturally that would make the price go up more, these will work for now. It comes with 6 little finger mallets and a nice little music/instruction booklet to get you started. The drum itself is GORGEOUS! It feels nice and heavy duty. I weighed mine and according to my scale it weighed 8.5 lbs. When I weighed it it wasn't inside of its case either. I measured my drum across where it bows out slightly and my measurement was 14.5 inches. The rattan weave around the drum is really nice and not just cheap string looking stuff. It is about 2 1/4 in wide and it is secured around the drum. It's not something you can loosen or make tighter. It really adds A touch of elegance to the drum. The drum itself that I purchased is a deep dark metallic forest green. It's not just flat paint either, there is a metallic sheen to it and you can see it when the light hits at a certain way. It's hard to capture it in the photos but I tried. The stickers on top of the drum are okay but since I'm an arts and craft type of gal, I will either make cool looking ones with my cricut machine or else I will just paint them on with some acrylic paint. The sound of the drum is absolutely stunning.

I downloaded the app "pano tuner" from play store (that is not a misspell that's how the app is spelled it's not piano LOL), and I tested all the tongues with that app and my drum is tuned perfectly! There is not a dead sounding tongue anywhere on the drum I received. Each tongue rings beautifully and in tune. About a week ago I randomly stumbled upon these tongue drums but the one I stumbled upon was called a panda drum. Beautiful with lots of colors to choose from but they have a very high price to them. The size I was looking at was a 15 inch and they had them on sale for $259. They said they were $150 off and on sale. I decided to take a chance and purchase this one. If all else fails I could have sent it back if it didn't meet my expectations. Well, I'm not sending it back I'm keeping it. It went well beyond my expectations and this green color is deep and rich and it's just a beautiful piece of art as well as an instrument. I very highly recommend this. I would definitely purchase it again and recommend it to anyone. This is the brand to get. I have always loved drums. When I stumbled upon these things called steel tongue drums last week, I knew I had to have one lol. You're never too old, I'm 64 and I thought to myself, I need one of these in my life, lol. So glad I made this purchase. This is going to be so fun not to mention give me some calmness and balance in my life LOL. Go for it, you know you want to, lol. You won't be disappointed!

0:15

Awesome instrument

Very melodious and soothing, would recommend to instrument lovers. It has a music book to help you learn some tunes and has a heavy duty carrying case. It's a little heavy, but that doesn't really matter, since usually drums are heavy. The sticks were nice and have rubber tips on the ends of them. Definitely buy if you are wanting a soothing, addicting instrument. I was amazed the moment I started playing it. It would be a great gift for someone, but just to warn you, it has the name of the company and what it is on the box it comes in. Thank you Hopwell!!

Steel drum

I love it nice packaging and beautiful case and accessories

0:35

High quality. Great price. Fun!

I seldom leave reviews but just have to for this well priced, quickly delivered and high quality steel drum. I purchased it for a gift for my grandson and honestly I think I will purchase one for myself! The case is very nice and sturdy. I can't wait to give it to my grandson.

Rebirth of the Viking Country Boy

My first one was 300 us dollars and it got damaged from moving i was depressed because i could not afford 300 us dollars to replace it. this one was 75.00 us dollars with tax and shipping it sounds just as good if not better so i bought two other ones like it in different tones.

Much better than a “$400 handpan”

I bought this one 5 times cheaper than a handpan, this steel tongue drum delivers a sweet and relaxing sound

Very Nice Instrument

Just opened the box. It will take a little time to learn the ropes, but I'm already working on "Amazing Grace". The tone is excellent. Very soothing and clear. Easy to use. Would recommend.

Love it and happy we bought it!

My son loves drumming so we got this as a new instrument for him for Christmas. He loves it! The sound is great. It seems sturdy and seems durable. He didn't care too much for the decorative wrap but it works fine without it. One of the number stickers is wearing off but it comes with replacements and once he uses it enough I don't think he will need them. Would recommend! He is enjoying learning a new instrument.

My son Ramsey loves it

My 11 year old son Ramsey loves this Tounge Drum because he says it perfect quality and it sounds beautiful

1:24

Beautiful Tone

Lovely instrument that is easy and fun to learn to play. It came in tune with beautiful tones. It was complete with instructions, drum sticks and a very well made zippered, padded carrying case making it portable to take with you. This would make a great gift for anyone.

My new hobby: Steel Tongue Drum

This instrument is well made and very easy to learn. I’m music illiterate and was able to learn Castle in the Sky in just 2 nights of practice (total about 5 hours).

The music book that comes with the package isn’t good though. It lacks the bass clef notes. I downloaded the complete music sheet for this song online.

I’m still giving the item 5 stars regardless of the disappointing music book.

0:25

Hopwell 14” Tongue Drum Excellent Quality

Review from a seasoned musician (guitar) with over 50 years experience with numerous videos on YouTube. I am extremely impressed with the quality of this 14” Steel Tongue Drum from Hopwell. All the tongues on the drum I received are exactly on key (no flats or sharps) and are very resonant with excellent sustain. The design and finish are very nice and complement the beautiful sound. The included case is also very well made. Even the included mallets are finished in an aesthetic manner. Bottom line I could not be happier with this purchase. The song in the video is something I composed on the first day I received the drum. It was recorded outdoors on my iPhone 12 without any sound effects.

1:41

Great sound for the price.

I just picked this up and started playing. No prior experience to enjoy this drum. Anyone can do it. Can’t wait for my kids to try it. I find the sound very soothing. It’s beautiful too!

0:36

Pierced🦋Papilio

January 24, 2024

Beautiful Sound

This drum is excellent quality. I am new to tongue and barrel drums, but not to music since I’ve played instruments for most of my life. I don’t usually care for light tinkling sounds like chimes and the similar instruments used in most meditative practices. Instead, I prefer more deep, melodic sounds. However, I was intrigued by the tongue drum and thought it might be an easy instrument I could enjoy while relaxing. For that reason, I did a tiny bit of research to see which ones might have the tones for my music preference. This one does not disappoint! The sound is beautiful. I like that it isn’t difficult to hit the drum in the correct spot, even on the smaller areas. I was concerned that it might be difficult to get a good sound without exact precision. I find that the mallets work very well for what I am trying to achieve. This video is after only a few practice runs. I’m still sloppy, but it didn’t take long to memorize and tap out my first melody.

0:35

Great Gift! Perfectly Tuned!

This was a birthday gift from my children and I am thrilled! I have wanted a tongue drum for meditation and relaxation purposes for a long time. I can’t believe the quality you get for the price! And it is a beautiful instrument that has also become part of my decor.

It came perfectly tuned as measured against a tuner app I downloaded (PanoTuner). This particular tongue drum is tuned to the key of D major, which includes 2 sharps: F and C. If you are new to musical scales or haven’t played an instrument for a while, remember that an F sharp is also a G flat, and a C sharp is also a D flat. Some reviewers have said their drum came out of tune; they may be misreading the tuner (see photo I have included).

One other criticism I see in the reviews is the chemical odor caused by the materials in the case the drum comes in . . .there is no odor to the drum itself that is noticeable. Yes, it is obnoxious. If you’ve ever bought a foam mattress topper you’ll recognize the smell immediately. I suggest you do what I have done and open the case fully, find an out of the way place for it, and give it as long as it takes to air out. Meanwhile, keep your drum clean and dusted daily. Enjoy!

Nice item

Great item. Just be aware the box it’s shipped in says what’s in it. ;)

Hermoso! Me encantó

Muy buen sonido, hermoso! Me parece una excelente compra. Su bolso muy resistente y lo protege. Trae todo lo que ofrecen. Bien empacado y a tiempo. Amo mi tambor!

Easy to play

0:30

A very fun instrument with great packaging

The drum is easy to play and the instructions manual really helps in playing different songs/poems. I chose green color and it looks lovely. Such a great instrument to gift someone as well. Can be used for fun evenings with friends or family or for meditation.

0:21

Surprising.

Surprisingly good for the price! Recommend if you don't have the thousands of dollars for a hand pan and want something endlessly riffable.

0:32

WinWin

May 29, 2023

Dull Tongues, Replacement Was Even Worse !!

I’m very bummed about this tongue drum, it had so much potential and I was excited to receive it!! However, first thing was the zipper on the bag was stuck, so that wasn’t a good start. Played the tongues and although lost sounded lovely, there were some, especially the center that sounded just dull/dead. The tongues were in tune, just some were not resonant, which made them unpleasing to play. So, I ordered a replacement hoping that would solve everything. Hey, the new bag worked!! But, alas, the center tongue drum was pushed it!!! (See image). And one of the stickers was half off already. I tested the tuning on the new one and with that pushed in middle tongue, it threw the whole thing off tune, plus it didn’t sound good, so that was a bust. Very frustrating and bummed because I can’t get another replacement after being sent a junk replacement. Have to return both and see if I even want to bother trying my luck again reordering another one. Ugh.

Father of 1 beautiful cat (RIP Karl)

May 5, 2023

Very relaxing

Likes: It has a very pleasant sound. All of the notes are in tune. No dead notes. Best tongue drum for this price.

Dislikes: My cat was afraid of it.

Kimi

April 3, 2023

Great gift

Beautiful!!! So happy with it!!

0:42

The best value tongue drum

Beautifully tuned. I checked with E tuners and every notes came out clear, resonate and beautiful and true to the description. I was surprised by how that sound with the price it offered. Definitely play with the 2 mallets came with it. I tried to play by hand, it didn’t sound very nice. Well-made D major tongue drum.

0:06

Lovely Steel Drum with beautiful tone

This is a beautiful and easy to learn instrument. The case however, had a zipper that was stuck and had to be cut . I could return it but I didn't want the hassle. The drum itself is nicer than I imagined. I was looking for an easy and relaxing musical instrument to learn. This is it! I am editing this review to say that the company offered a replacement or a $30 refund for the case. I appreciate this offer. It's a great company as well.