How to Choose the Scales with augmented notes

How many notes in a scale the handpans and tongue drums usually have? Although the tongue drums and handpan tend to have nine notes only, the instrument’s possibilities are infinite. However, if you are a seasoned musician or a great enthusiast who is ready to push himself forward, buying a scale with augmented notes can be a real deal for you.

Basic note range V.S augmented notes. What to choose?

It’s not like the average drums are worse, and the drums with the augmented notes are better. It’s about the bigger toolkit you have and your mastery level to deal with the additional notes. If you never played any musical instrument before and would like to play the RAV as a hobby, you may enjoy the no-augmented drums more as they will be easier to manage and will still create beautiful music. However, if you are more serious about mastering your RAV drum, the drums with augmented notes will be just what you like. The RAV drums with the augmented notes follow the rule of harmony just like any other RAV drum. There are different scales with an extended note range, so as usual, listen carefully and choose the one that speaks out to you.

You can start learning to play without involving all the notes at a time. Get to know your drum slowly. When you master 9 notes, involve the 10th one. Try different combinations, omit some notes and play others. You will get a completely different mood.

Check out the RAV Vast drums with the additional notes below. 

A paradox, but this is one of the beginners’ most beloved scale, although it’s not that much easy to play. People love it for the versatility of the scale, the unique mood it creates, and the vast opportunities with one additional note. What scale is this? It’s a diatonic minor scale with two steel tongues cut out within the same area on the drum’s top. Two top notes are tuned in F#4 and A4 (just like in the B Celtic Double Ding). Just like the other minor scales, the B Kurd has a slightly melancholic and romantic feel to it and has a great cadence of the songs you can create with this drum. If you are a beginner, we recommend using mallets. If you are a seasoned musician, you will reveal a lot of potential this drum provides by playing with hand. The scale gives unlimited opportunities to a player.

If you are a fan of minor scales like the B Minor or D Minor scale and you’d like to take advantage of having an additional note, take a look at the B Celtic Double Ding RAV Vast. Although the scale is called the B Celtic Double Ding, the drum’s Ding is tuned in A2, while it’s actually the B-note scale as B is the bottom note and the focal point of this scale. The two tongues on the top are tuned in F#4 and A4. Instead of just placing a different note on the top of the drums (like it’s usually done in other scales) in the B Celtic Double Ding, we replicated the A note in a lower octave (so the scale has two A-notes in total). The lower note allows you to add dynamics to your playing, while with the top A-note, you can add a more percussive feel.

In addition to an augmented note, this RAV Vast extends your toolkit by giving you an option to choose between A major and B minor keys while playing and thus choose between the mood of the music you are playing.

And last but not least, an exotic scale for those who love Asian vibes – here’s the In Sen RAV Vast. We created this scale being inspired by traditional Japanese shamisen string music. The top tongues are tuned in C#5, E5. This is so far the highest-pitched RAV Vast in our collection. There’s no division between major and minor modes in Japanese music as the scale intervals are totally different. However, you can switch between the B major key and the minor feel by changing the keynote when playing the In Sen.

If you are looking for something completely different and other-worldly and you are a fan of Asian music – this scale will be a good option for you to buy.

Augmented note handpans

It’s not only the tongue drums that can have an extended note range. Searching the ways to add dimples to handpans is one of the focal points of handpan creators nowadays. These handpans are sometimes called mutants (as they can really have some alien outlook). Adding even one extra membrane so that the overall handpan sounds harmoniously is a real challenge, so make sure you only take the handpan from a trusted crafter.

At RAV, we have one pan scale with the augmented note – the F Pygmy RAV Pan, which for a good reason we consider to be the most supreme handpan in our collection. In addition to 9 notes on the top, the F Pygmy RAV Pan has 2 extra dimples on the bottom, providing you a more generous room for creation.

As the bottom notes may be a little bit tricky to tap, especially while playing fast, so we created the RAV Pan Key – a wooden pedal attached to the edge of your RAV Pan that makes the bottom notes easy to play just like the top ones.

The F Pygmy RAV Pan has a deep and lush sound and works perfectly for meditation, music therapy, solo performance, or playing with other instruments, including other handpans and tongue drums. It’s the drum we are really proud of creating, but the sky is the limit, and we are currently working to create more augmented note handpans. Stay tuned to not miss the launch!

Do you still need help choosing the best augmented-note drum from the variety of instruments available for sale in our online store? Drop a comment below or send a message to our managers! We are always here to help you!