All You Need to Know About the Handpan Instrument

Percussion is the most adaptable family of instruments. The biggest challenge is to project percussion in a lyrical way. Evelyn Glennie

You might have read our guide on the different percussion instruments and you may have noted that we have mentioned everything from playing the marimba to playing the triangle. However, in this article, we will focus on a musical instrument that has a unique history of its own.

Have you heard about the handpan musical instrument?

The handpan is a type of steel drum that requires you to strike the instrument with your hand. The aspect of the handpan that sets it apart from other instruments is the fact that it produces the most unique, somewhat of a hypnotic sound.

The handpan is an incredible instrument, to say the least, and the fact that there are so many artists who choose to play the handpan proves that it is worth learning more about.

If you are particularly interested in this instrument due to its unusual qualities, we don't blame you as we too have come to understand just how unconventional this instrument is yet how melodic it can be.

So, if you want to learn about this instrument that is still known primarily for its novelty, then you have come to the right place. Read on so that the hand pan doesn't just remain a knick-knack in your home but one that you play often.

Find insights on how to play different percussion instruments on Superprof.

The Origin of Handpan Instruments

Yes, you can play the handpan by keeping it in your lap.  This convex steel drum can be played with your hand but it already comes tuned with multiple notes.

So how did the handpan actually come to be?

The handpan is known to have come about due to Europeans' fascination with the Trinidad drum. It is believed that Felix Rohner and Sabrina Scharer created this type of handpan instrument.  They changed the shape of the metal pan from concave to convex and adjusted the notes to be sensitive to the gentlest touch.

Whether you view the handpan instrument as a miniature UFO or as an instrument of note, its origins may surely have piqued your interest.

So, how did the name of the instrument come about?

The "hang" and "hand" part of the instrument's name was due to Rohner and Scharer wanting to name all the instruments in their brand in a similar way.  The name also incorporates an element of the brand name PANArt.

The handpan is classified as part of the family of idiophones.  These idiophone instruments consist of blocks of material that completely vibrate to produce the sound. Similar to the xylophone and the marimba, the handpan works in this way too.

Can you just strike any part of the handpan to make a melodic sound?

It is actually the top piece of the handpan that produces the sound because of the indentations of various sizes hammered into it. To create these sound vibrations, you need to strike these indentations with your hand and fingers. By doing this, different notes are produced.

Now that you know how to produce sound using this instrument, we can explore further facts about the handpan.

Handpan or Steel Hang?

Whether you call it the handpan or the steel hang, thank Trinidad and Tobago for this instrument.

The handpan instrument was built on the very same principles as the familiar steelpan. The steelpan, like the handpan, also originated from Trinidad and Tobago but the steelpan is a pan-shaped object that ought to be struck using mallets.

So, the steelpan was the instrument that gave the PANArt company some inspiration.

However, did you know that the steelhang was developed in Switzerland. Besides, while you may admire how gorgeous the handpan is, it took the PANArt company a few years to perfect this instrument.

To further fuel your obsession with the instrument, watch some YouTube videos to see how professionals play the steel hang. If you still feel that this instrument doesn't tickle your fancy, perhaps discover how to play the xylophone.

All the Types of Handpan Instruments

Reading about the history of the handpan instrument may get you thinking that there is only one type available. The beauty is that the PANArt inventors have created a whole range of steel hang instruments for you to choose from.

There are many different sizes of the handpan instrument and a variety of ranges too. The very first handpan was about twenty inches in diameter and nine inches in height. Since the creation of the initial handpan, many more variations of the instrument have come about.

It would be worth your while to explore the range of handpan instruments available before you settle on just one type of handpan.

You may be interested in finding out more about where you can find a handpan instrument.

You might be lucky and end up stumbling across a second-hand handpan.

Or you may even want to start your percussion instrument journey with another instrument instead, such as a more commonly found instrument like the tambourine.

Catching Handpan Drum Performances Near You

The handpan is still mainly an instrument played by street performers.

If you are lucky, you may catch a local musician playing the handpan drum at your nearest mall.

You might even want to check up the Hang Massive band.

Hang Massive is a particularly famous band that is known to play the hang very well. You could also do a simple search for Manu Delago.  Delago is an expert with the handpan and you could learn many tips and tricks from watching him play the percussion instrument.

The Value of a Handpan Teacher

If you are all too keen on learning to play the handpan, you would be doing yourself a great service by learning to play the handpan with a handpan teacher.

There are some key rules that you need to remember about using the handpan. For one, there is an opening on the bottom side of the instrument that should ideally be unobstructed.

If you are learning all about the instrument under the guidance of a sophisticated handpan teacher, you will learn some techniques that will help you play the instrument far better.

You can rest assured that you will hit no wrong notes on the handpan particularly due to how the instrument is constructed.  You may be worried that it will be just as hard to find a handpan teacher as it is to find the handpan instrument itself, yet with the steel hang growing in popularity, this is not entirely true.

More and more people are becoming fascinated with instruments such as this one. You can even resort to asking for help from one of the musical tutors teaching from all around the world. In fact, there is one particular place where you can search for the right handpan tutor for you. On the Superprof website, you can most surely find a tutor who teaches students to play this instrument and other percussion instruments as well.  Again, your location will determine whether you need to find an online tutor or if a face-to-face tutor will be better for you.

The best part with the Superprof site is that you will most likely get your first handpan lesson for free. Having a free lesson will give you somewhat of a taste of what you can expect from all your other handpan lessons.

The thing to remember when searching for a handpan tutor is that learning how to play any percussion instrument will assist you in your lyrical journey.