Major Handpan

In a major scale, the interval between the starting note and the third note of the scale is a major third, or four semitones. This interval is primarily responsible for the bright sound of a major-scale handpan. In a minor scale, the third spans only three semitones, which gives it a darker sound.

Yes, a major-scale handpan is an excellent choice for beginners if you want to start with a bright sound. A major scale such as Aegean will let you play joyful music before exploring darker sounds.

You can play some of them as long as the entire melody fits within the notes available on your instrument. Many familiar tunes are written in a major key: “Happy Birthday” is entirely in major, while the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” is based on this tonality. To play popular melodies in a major key, it’s best to choose a complete seven-note major scale, which allows you to build phrases and chords, whereas a five-note pentatonic scale is better suited to improvisation. Finally, practising the scale upward and then downward in groups of three notes will help you play your first melodies smoothly.

The second handpan you pair with a major-scale handpan can be tuned to the same ding note or to its relative minor. A natural minor scale shares the notes of its corresponding major scale, so a G major handpan, for example, can be played with an E minor or D Mixolydian handpan.

A D Kurd and a major-scale handpan tuned to the same D ding create a rich combination in which the minor scale brings depth and the major scale brings brightness. However, it’s best to compare the notes of your first handpan with those of the second before purchasing it, and to choose the same frequency for both, for example two 440 Hz handpans.

Yes, a major-scale handpan can be suitable for meditation, even though this isn’t the norm, and some musicians find their meditative centre in bright scales such as Sabye.

However, Sabye and other major scales may sound too bright and energetic for deep relaxation. If you want to meditate in a major key, we recommend an active relaxation practice in which you play freely and follow your intuition.

Major-scale handpans are less common because most players gravitate toward minor scales, which most people find soothing and conducive to relaxation. As a result, the best-selling scales, such as Kurd, Amara, Integral, and Pygmy, are all minor, while pure major scales remain the rarest on this type of instrument. Many musicians feel that the handpan is better suited to melancholic, hypnotic, or meditative music. The D Kurd also played an important role as one of the first seven-note scales tuned on a handpan, gaining recognition through viral videos.

Instruments du Monde has brought together its major-scale handpans in this collection, all sold under our brand.