HANDPAN
hub
What is
the handpan?
Sound Sculpture | Alien Spaceship | Interactive Wind Chime
These are a few ways people have come to describe the handpan. And so much more occurs when we play — a beautiful dance, between the head (thinking) & the heart (feeling).
Because the instrument is tuned to itself, fear lessens, making it ideal for everyone to play. This grants permission for our creative, imaginative sides to reemerge from hiding. In addition to melodic musings, benefits come in the form of vibrational medicine (vibro-acoustics), positively resonating for both the player and audience.
A BRIEF HISTORY *
The Hang® was created in 2000 by PANArt inventors Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer of Switzerland. Referred to as a Sound Sculpture, the Hang® was inspired by and based on the physical properties of the Trinidadian steelpan, Indian ghatam, Thai gong and Indonesian Gamelan.
In 2007 the instrument term “Handpan” filtered into used, and has since remained a popular and universal name, in addition to “Pantam”. Handpan is a term for a group of musical instruments that are classified as a subset of the steelpan. Thanks to the initial creative spark in 2000, there are now over 300 makers and thousands of musicians across the globe.
The Form
The basic form of a handpan consists of two metal half-shells glued together, a centre tone field (named Ding) surrounded by a circle of at least seven tone fields on the upper side and an opening in the bottom side (named Gu). Differences between manufacturers include the used materials, the manufacturing processes of the raw forms, the shaping of the tone fields and the tuning methods.
* Thank you wikipedia *
Handpan Resources
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16 Women Handpan Players to Know
From the Isthmus Instrument Archives, Amy Naylor shares about the Women of Handpan Playlist she created, along with 16 women handpan players from around the globe!
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Play outside of your comfort
Going out of your comfort zone can be a challenging but rewarding experience, especially when it comes to learning a new instrument like the handpan.
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Global Handpan Events
PANIVERSE is a great resource for all things handpans, especially if you’re wanting to go to a gathering!
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Essential Techniques & the best sound
This 23-minute lesson goes over essential considerations in getting a powerful, controlled touch, and a great sound out of your instrument.
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Amy Naylor Tutorial
Amy Naylor is a songwriter, handpan player, and music facilitator who creates easily digestible handpan tutorials, arranges popular songs for handpan, writes music, mantras and folk songs.
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The 7 Marks of a Quality Handpan
In this article, David Charrier (objectively) discusses, what makes a quality handpan.
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Handpan Timeline-Project
This is a living project with no claim to completeness. The Timeline is an attempt to collect and structure handpan related sources.
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Do you want to buy a handpan?
You want to buy a handpan, but you feel lost? Here's all you need to know to make the best decision for your future purchase.
Handpan
Makers
While there are amazing handpan builders* across the globe, it’s nice knowing what local options exist! This is an alphabetical list of handpan builders in the US. Please let builder’s know if you discovered a handpan via Heartland Hangout or our friends with the Super Bloom Collective!
STATESIDE
Acolyte (CA)
Arcana Musical Instruments (CO)
Aura Handpan (NJ)
Axiom Instruments (NV)
Elysian Instruments (WA)
Hamsa Handpans (CA)
Harper’s Handpans (AZ)
Iskra Handpans (CO)
Isthmus Instruments (WI) **
Makai Instruments (HI)
PanSmith Handpans (OK)
Saraz Handpans (NC)
Spirit Handpans (NC) **
Xenith Handpans (CA)
* Please reach out if you are a handpan builder not listed
** Female builders & women run businesses
Curious about global makers? Here ya go »
… Remember …
It is best to play & hear an instrument in person, and it’s second best to listen to a good quality recording with a good quality sound system or headphones.
The makers on this list have not been verified.
GLOBAL
Shared Stories, Podcasts
& Music
Below, a few featured podcasts from our friend Sylvain Paslier at the Handpan Podcast. Have a listen to these stories shared.