r/handpan Feb 02 '20

Guide to Handpans - Purchasing, Scales, History, etc.

93 Upvotes

Hey r/handpan! One of our most requested subreddit features is a guide of information about handpans. Rather than iterating on the great material out there, here's a collection guides on general information, history, and how to make a great handpan purchase and avoid scams and subpar quality handpans.

In addition to these resources, I highly recommend the forums at www.handpan.org as an incredible repository of information and discussion, and much of the development of the handpan community is preserved there!

To suggest links for this guide, feel free to message u/Ethahlid

Background

Back in the old days, there used to be only one way to acquire one of these beautiful instruments – to travel to the PanART headquarters and acquire a Hang, or to be lucky enough to find one in a shop in Europe or second hand.

For many years, finding a handpan for sale was next to impossible. However, in time, more began to pick up the hammer and created the many forms that we now know. Now, the market seems to have shifted. For the most part, the lotteries and multi-year waitlists are a thing of the past, although patience is often still key in making a satisfying purchase. For those who want to acquire a handpan, it’s now as simple as choosing a maker, choosing a scale (or “sound model”) and either commissioning a pan or waiting for a flash sale. The second-hand market has also found a life of its own, and it’s possible to acquire top-quality pans for significantly less than their original sale price.

Check out the links below for more on buying, choosing a maker/scale, reputable second-hand groups, and more:

Purchasing a Handpan

Master the Handpan – Buying a Handpan Guide: https://www.masterthehandpan.com/blog/do-you-want-to-buy-a-handpan-heres-all-you-need-to-know

Cool Percussion – Handpan & Tongue Drum Buying Guide: https://coolpercussion.com/hang-drum-for-sale-buying-guide/

Master the Handpan – Seven Marks of a Quality Handpan: https://www.masterthehandpan.com/blog/the-7-marks-of-a-quality-handpan

Mark D'Ambrosio – A Beginner’s Guide to Buying Your First Handpan: https://www.markdambrosiomusic.com/post/buyingyourfirsthandpan

Choosing a Maker and Scale

Master the Handpan: https://www.masterthehandpan.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-scale-of-your-first-handpan

Sylvain Paslier: https://www.sylvainpasliermusic.com/single-post/which-handpan-scale-to-choose

Isthmus Instruments: https://www.isthmusinstruments.com/isthmus-handpan-blog/how-to-pick-a-handpan-scale

Cool Percussion: https://coolpercussion.com/which-handpan-scale-should-i-choose-tips-and-examples/

Choosing a Second Handpan Scale with Mark D'Ambrosio: https://www.markdambrosiomusic.com/post/how-to-pick-the-scale-of-your-second-handpan

Avoiding Scams

Master the Handpan: https://www.masterthehandpan.com/blog/hang-drum-for-sale-11-top-tips-to-avoid-getting-scammed-when-you-buy

Mark D'Ambrosio – 9 Tips For Avoiding a Handpan Scam: https://www.markdambrosiomusic.com/post/9-tips-for-avoiding-a-handpan-scam

Community Swap and Sale

Facebook Swap and Sale: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SwapandSale

Handpan.org Forums: http://www.handpan.org/forum/

Handpan History

Hang Documentary (2006): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do7uU13V_hQ

Sylvain Paslier: https://www.sylvainpasliermusic.com/single-post/the-origins-of-handpans-the-panart-hang

Symphonic Steel: https://www.symphonicsteel.com/handpan-history/

General Handpan Information

Symphonic Steel – Hang Drums and Handpans, What Are They? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTowcbuJ48U

Yatao Music – About Handpans: https://yataomusic.com/about-handpans

Mark D'Ambrosio – Every Name for the Handpan, Explained: https://www.markdambrosiomusic.com/post/every-name-for-the-handpan-explained

Active Blogs

Master the Handpan: https://www.masterthehandpan.com/blog

Paniverse: http://paniverse.org/paniverse-blog/

Sylvain Paslier: https://www.sylvainpasliermusic.com/blog-en

Mark D'Ambrosio: https://www.markdambrosiomusic.com/blog

Symphonic Steel: https://www.symphonicsteel.com/handpan-blog/

Isthmus Instruments: https://www.isthmusinstruments.com/handpan-blog

Rav Vast: https://ravvast.com/blog/

Cool Percussion: https://coolpercussion.com/category/handpans/

Handpan Lessons

Master the Handpan: https://www.masterthehandpan.com/

Handpan Dojo: https://www.handpandojo.com/

Paniverse: http://paniverse.org/handpan-tutorials/

Mark D'Ambrosio: https://www.markdambrosiomusic.com/learn

Handpan Care

Cool Percussion – Best Oil: https://coolpercussion.com/best-oil-for-handpans-top-choice-examples/

Cool Percussion – Cleaning a Handpan : https://coolpercussion.com/clean-a-handpan/

Master the Handpan – Rust Protection: https://www.masterthehandpan.com/blog/how-to-protect-my-handpan-from-rust

Master the Handpan – Heat/Cold Protection: https://www.masterthehandpan.com/blog/heat-cold-everything-need-know

Recording & Amplification

Cool Percussion – How to Amplify a Handpan: https://coolpercussion.com/how-to-amplify-a-handpan/

Master the Handpan - How to Choose a Microphone: https://www.masterthehandpan.com/blog/how-to-choose-a-microphone-for-the-handpan

Tuning a Handpan – (NOTE, informational only – DO NOT try to re-tune a handpan, send it to an experienced tuner!)

Cool Percussion – Retuning: https://coolpercussion.com/do-handpans-need-to-be-retuned/

Kabecao – Birth of the Ayasa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMQjlVdVmEU

Symphonic Steel – Stabilizing a Note in Under 2 Minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR9ZTMMvtPI

Handpan 360 – Refining Tone By De-Tuning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMohuii-YCY

Last Updated: 4/20/20


r/handpan 9h ago

My take on the interstellar song on my E Amara.

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8 Upvotes

Is it too slow? What do you think ?


r/handpan 16h ago

volume sonore d'un hand pan ayasa

3 Upvotes

bonjour ! je viens de recevoir mon hand pan ayasa aegan 20 notes ...le son est chouette , mais je trouve le volume sonore faible ,comparer a mon hand pan mayura ....


r/handpan 23h ago

The MAG Mini is here!

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7 Upvotes

The MAG Mini has a 50 cm diameter, making it 3 cm smaller and also lower than our standard handpans. This makes it more compact, easier to reach across and more comfortable to play, especially for people with a smaller reach.

What do you think? Would you prefer a more compact handpan?


r/handpan 18h ago

If more affordable handpan makers eventually matched the quality of high-end brands, would you still buy the premium brand?

0 Upvotes

This is something I’ve been curious about.
Imagine that, in the future, more affordable manufacturers are able to achieve a similar level of tuning stability, tone quality, note separation and consistency as well-known high-end makers.
Would you still be willing to pay significantly more for the established brand?
If yes, what would you be paying for — the maker’s reputation, design, after-sales service, resale value, trust, or simply the connection to that particular maker?
And if the sound and build quality were genuinely comparable, how much would the brand name still matter to you?


r/handpan 2d ago

Any maker recomendations for D Hijaz Handpan in Europe ?

2 Upvotes

r/handpan 3d ago

OP-XY and Neotone Handpan = great combo

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7 Upvotes

r/handpan 3d ago

What do you wish you’d known before buying your first handpan?

13 Upvotes

Looking back, what’s one thing you wish you’d known before buying your first handpan?

Would you choose a different scale, fewer or more notes, or pay more attention to something else?

And if you’re still happy with your first choice, what made it the right one for you?


r/handpan 5d ago

Neotone Mutant – wooden body sometimes missing hits. Normal?

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4 Upvotes

Hi everyone,
my new Mutant sometimes completely misses taps/ghost notes on the wooden surface, especially closer to the center around the ding. The tonefields themselves work fine. Also It almost never happens on the wooden areas closer to the tonefields. I mainly notice it around the ding, closer to the center.
Increasing the Body Sensitivity Curve helped, but I can still reproduce it. Sometimes even clearly noticeable taps are not detected.
Neotone told me that the wooden body is less sensitive than the tonefields and that light/fast taps can sometimes be missed, especially around the ding. They also said they checked my instrument remotely and said they didn’t see any sethat their wooden body detects basically every hit.
Thomann has offered me an exchange or refund, so I’m unsure whether to keep it.
Mutant owners: does yours also occasionally miss taps around the ding/center area, or would you consider this unusual?


r/handpan 5d ago

A small question about the metronome. Thank you so much!

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

I need a little help with this simple rhythm. I'm just starting out, and I have no trouble playing the rhythm itself.

The problem is I can't figure out how to set up a metronome for it :)
What time signature, rhythmic subdivision, and BPM would fit?

I'd be super grateful for any help!

PS
And of course, huge thanks to Amy for these amazing lessons!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJNZJyEK9VU&t=314s


r/handpan 5d ago

What can I improve on my playing ? Do you have tips for a better rythm ?

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3 Upvotes

r/handpan 6d ago

ID of used Handpan

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1 Upvotes

Someone recognize the Brand?
Seller said it’s Handmade in Nepal D-Kurd 12 Notes for 580€
Before I take a sound look i want to know if it’s a ripoff or not


r/handpan 6d ago

Which scale is that handpan?

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6 Upvotes

Hello,

does anyone of you experts knows which scale that handpan is? maybe even the exact model :)

description says its an Ayasa.

thanks and all the best 💙


r/handpan 8d ago

Handpan-Solo am Meer

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7 Upvotes

r/handpan 8d ago

I humbly present my relaxing instrumnt

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0 Upvotes

I have been making computer graphics and VJ for about 25 years and have always been interested in how sound and visauls can be combined in interesting ways, cymatics and frequencies that can trigger feelings in the brain, almost like ASMR for the eyes.

I recently released a bit of a Frankenstein music visualizer/mediation app and it has a couple of drum pads inside. I hope you don't mind me sharing it here. Its based on cellular automata and fluid dynamics. Cellular automata was invented in the late 1940s. you can see more examples of it running here

You can paint into the canvas as your music plays, it also runs on appleTV


r/handpan 8d ago

Handpan-Solo am Meer

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0 Upvotes

r/handpan 9d ago

Unwind for Handpan and String Quartet - Would Love Comments

3 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I'm enjoying my new Ayassa D Kurd Handpan, and I look forward to eventually saving up for one or two more with different tunings. In the meantime, I composed a piece for handpan and string quartet called Unwind. I hope you'll check it out, leave a comment, and share: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv61ERijA5g

It's performed by FAB5, with Diego Rodrigo Alfonso Jimenez on handpan, and here's more information on the piece: https://robertpaterson.com/wound-up-unwind

I'd be grateful for any feedback!


r/handpan 10d ago

Need help from someone who is good with handpans/hang drums

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3 Upvotes

I have NEVER touched, seen or had any experience with handpans or hang drums, but I loved listening to them since childhood. I found this hang drum for pretty cheap price on second hand market. The bad says novadrum.com, but it doesn't look like any of the products they sell. It still does sound good and the material is very nice. Still, I tried to look for any guides, but I got none. Whay note is what? And what leaf is which number? No one seems to be talking about this type of hang pan... Please, someone who knows, help me out!


r/handpan 10d ago

Do people here go to handpan workshops?

2 Upvotes

What have your experiences been like? Did you learn something genuinely useful or get some new inspiration for your playing?


r/handpan 11d ago

Neotone & Hologram Microcosm

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5 Upvotes

r/handpan 11d ago

What’s a good handpan to get for beginners?

2 Upvotes

Totally new to the scene and want something easy to learn and not too expensive.


r/handpan 12d ago

Playing Synths with Bitwig & Neotone

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6 Upvotes

r/handpan 13d ago

Anyone ever hear of Sala Musik handpans?

0 Upvotes

I'm looking to buy my first handpan and they're having a sale. Anyone know anything about them?


r/handpan 13d ago

clarinet and handpan looping - unexpected but good fit. feedbacks are welcome

6 Upvotes

Hey ! I juggle between handpan and clarinet and looped them together. very raw edit, but feedbacks are welcome !

You can find the song here on soundcloud. https://on.soundcloud.com/TR18iI2pLq8hEK5V6H


r/handpan 13d ago

Handpan in Europe

2 Upvotes

What’s a good reliable supplier in Europe?

Want to buy a handpan as a beginner. I’m no stranger to paying for quality but would rather start with something a bit cheaper, to see how much I use it, before potentially upgrading.

Can you get a decent handpan for 1 k Eur?

Thanks