David Charrier, the French handpan star

Have you recently heard about a musician named David Charrier? Maybe you’ve spotted him in a video playing a handpan, a percussion instrument that looks a bit like a flying saucer. Want to learn more about this French artist? What has his path looked like since he first discovered the Hang drum?

I’ve been following David Charrier for more than 10 years, and I genuinely enjoy the music he creates and shares across his many social channels. I also keep up with his news, so I can easily sum up the key milestones of his musical journey, especially since his first encounter with the Hang.

Once you’ve read this informative article, you’ll have a clear understanding of:

• David Charrier’s journey with the handpan
• The standout pieces he’s shared with his audience

This will help you better understand the story of this instrumentalist, one of the pioneers of the handpan in France and across Europe. You’ll also see the influence he’s had internationally, especially in handpan education.

Let’s dive right in.

What is the musical journey of David Charrier, the famous handpan musician?

David Charrier is a French multi-instrumentalist who is best known for his mastery of the handpan. Self-taught, he has learned to play many percussion instruments, including the udu, bongo, cajon, derbuka, and djembe. He also plays more traditional instruments such as the guitar, which is how he got started in music at a very young age. His style has always gone against the grain of mainstream musical trends.

In 2004, while living in Grenoble, David attended the Coupe Icare, the largest paragliding and air sports festival held in the French Alps each September. The event typically runs for a weekend, with concerts filling the evenings. During one of these concerts, he met a musician named “Dominique,” who introduced him to the handpan. Captivated by its otherworldly tones, David purchased the instrument—one of the first models crafted by the PANArt company in Switzerland—along with its case, for £450. In 2005, David Charrier travelled to Switzerland to buy a new instrument directly from PANArt, which allowed him to quickly perform several melodies with two instruments.

In 2007 he and his cousin Sylvain Paslier formed the handpan duo Keona, also known as “Hang Cousins.” At the same time, the two of them created Wadhom, a group that blends handpan, violin, didgeridoo, and udu. He later shared videos of these compositions directly on his YouTube channel. One of their most popular works remains the track “Hang Insomniac Jam,” which has racked up over 4 million views. You can watch this melody below:

The duo continued to release songs until 2011, when Sylvain Paslier left France to move to the United States, while David Charrier remained in France in the Grenoble area. The band Wadhom also ceased its activities at the same time.

Starting in 2008, notably at the Hangaout Festival in France, David Charrier discovered a passion for sharing and began teaching the handpan. It started with in-person lessons, then, due to high demand, expanded into online classes on platforms such as Zoom and Skype. Around 2010, David Charrier built a strong reputation in the music world, especially among other handpan players, and he was invited to perform around the globe. He has played on a wide range of stages at festivals such as the Didgeridoo Festival in the United Kingdom, the Festival of Nations in Tennessee, USA, and even at the presidential palace of the Gabonese Republic.

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In 2011, David Charrier joined the Christian folk group Yatal, whose name combines two Native American words meaning “declared and just, by the grace of faith.” Around the same time, he also performed Christian music in support of the Hymnes 21 association, which aims to spread Christianity through music. His guitar cover of “Sois seul ma vision” was especially appreciated. You can listen to it here:

In 2016, David Charrier launched the website Master the Handpan, a complete online platform for learning the handpan. He realised he could no longer keep up with everyone who wanted private lessons, so he created this site to meet the needs of aspiring handpan players. I share my take on Master the Handpan in this other article. Today, it’s one of the best online resources for mastering your percussion instrument step by step in as little time as possible. What’s more, collaborations with other artists have been added, which means you can take lessons from Hang Massive or Sam Maher. You’ll gain access to exclusive exercises that are genuinely helpful for levelling up.

As part of the five-piece band Yatal, David Charrier stood out for his mastery of the handpan. The band released several albums before disbanding in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can see an excerpt of what the Yatal music collective produced in the video below:

After moving to the Toulouse region of France, David Charrier pursued his love of religion by becoming a pastor in 2021, training at the “Les deux rives” church. After that, David kept a lower profile and largely stepped away from concerts and live performances to focus on his family, especially raising his children. He still posts regularly on social media like Facebook and Instagram, promoting the Ayasa Instruments brand and RAV Vast tongue drums. It’s still possible to hire him for a private performance through his official website. He also runs a blog on the Master the Handpan platform, where he shares his passion for the instrument and occasionally publishes interviews. In 2024, he announced that a new album is in the works, suggesting a return to more musical activity.

What are David Charrier’s most famous hang drum tracks?

Among David Charrier’s most successful tracks is Handpanophone, from his album Ephemeral, released in December 2020. The tracks Lafa, Once Upon A Time, Promesse, and Mad World have taken off on YouTube, each earning several million views. This percussionist also recorded a standout duet with Malte Marten. You can purchase CDs directly from David Charrier’s official website or listen on Spotify for the digital version. You can hear Lafa in the following video:

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David Charrier’s life seems to have taken a decisive turn when he encountered the handpan in 2004. From that point on, he devoted most of his energy to learning and mastering this percussion instrument, becoming one of the best-known virtuosos in this sound world. After reading this article, you now know a bit more about what brought this artist to where he is today.

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Another intriguing handpan artist is Daniel Waples. The English musician gained recognition after sharing a composition recorded in one of London’s tunnels, and he soon became one of the most celebrated handpan players of his era.