Intrigued by handpan drum music and ready to start a new hobby? Learn what a handpan is and how to play it with our comprehensive guide.
What is a Handpan Drum?
A Handpan is a convex steel drum that you can play with your hands. One can play it with multiple notes. There are small pans on it, and each pan has scales like natural minor, harmonic minor, major, Mixolydian, etc.
It is a musical instrument that plays well with drone instruments. It can play multiple layers of sound and effects.
A Brief History:
In the 1990s, Felix Rohner invented his own company, "PanArt". He created the handpan or "Hang" there and played it for decades. In 2001, Handpan came to the public in Frankfurt, Germany, and they loved the Hang because of its tunes and music.
In 2007, handpan was made worldwide, and people started buying those instruments till now.
Consider some factors while playing a Handpan:
Playing the handpan is so refreshing and beautiful. Here are some tips that you may need to learn how you should play a Handpan Drum for yourself:
- Remember, the angle at which you are going to strike is the most important part of learning how you play a handpan.
- If you strike your handpan at a shallower angle, it will produce a muted sound. If you strike at a steeper angle, it will create a high-pitched sound. You can experiment with the slopes and enjoy the sounds of it.
- Well, location on the handpan is also an important factor you should be aware of. If you want to play what you want, you have to remember where the different notes are located and also the layout of your handpan.
- Another important factor is the amount of force you use when striking your handpan. If you are using too little energy, then you will get a soft sound. If you are using too much pressure, you will get a loud sound. So, it would be best if you remembered how you can balance the force to get the sound that you want.
- You can follow different techniques while striking your handpan, like the mute technique, the slap technique, and more. If you use the method, you can hear the different rhythms and melodies that are beautiful.
- If you don't care about your handpan, then it will not sound better when you are striking it. So, it would be best if you were more careful about its maintenance. If there is dirt on it, then the sound may not be pleasant to hear.
The Handpan Drum is a beautiful instrument to play with. You can produce various tunes and music when striking at it with the balance of force. You can add it to your hobby bucket list in your New Year's Resolutions and learn a new way to produce your desired music.
