Handpan

While it’s impossible to cover every option in just a few lines, the Instruments du Monde store generally recommends a 9- to 10-note handpan tuned to a D Kurd or D minor scale. These are popular choices because they’re easy to explore and deliver soft, pleasant tones.

When it comes to material, we also favour stainless steel because it requires very little maintenance and offers a well-balanced sustain (the notes’ resonance). Plus, its price is often very close to nitrided steel, which remains relatively affordable for a handpan.

Finally, there are generally two options when it comes to frequency. If you want to play with other musicians, it’s best to choose a 440 Hz model because most instruments are tuned to that standard, which was widely adopted in the 1950s. If you’re drawn to the idea that 432 Hz is a more “natural” frequency with added benefits, you might be tempted by that option. However, these claims haven’t been confirmed by scientific studies. Also, keep in mind that 432 Hz instruments can’t easily play alongside 440 Hz instruments, so you’ll be closing the door on many musical opportunities.

Yes, the handpan is relatively simple and easy to learn compared to other instruments such as the violin or ocarina for several reasons.

For one thing, the movements needed to produce sound are quite basic: you strike the metal surface with your fingers. There are more advanced techniques that require some flexibility in your joints, but overall, the handpan remains an easy instrument to pick up.

It also helps that the handpan has a limited number of notes. Manufacturers choose notes that naturally sound great together. This is what we call a scale, with different variations available. Owning a handpan means you can play sequences that will almost always sound “right,” since the notes are tuned once during the build to work in harmony. That’s also why many percussionists who have never studied music theory enjoy it so much—music theory matters very little when learning the handpan.

Finally, the huge number of video tutorials online will help you explore this percussion instrument with confidence.

Not at all, and that’s one of the handpan’s greatest strengths. There are very few scores written specifically for the handpan because it’s primarily an intuitive instrument—this is exactly what it was designed for. So, while a bit of music theory can be helpful if you want to refine your own compositions, it’s absolutely not a barrier for beginners. You can fully enjoy playing the handpan without ever spending an hour studying music theory.

The handpan has fairly recent origins. It was directly inspired by a Swiss invention called the Hang, created by Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer in 2000. However, the concept behind the Hang took years to develop. In 1976, Felix Rohner heard an orchestra playing a steelpan (steel drum), a Caribbean steel drum from Trinidad and Tobago that can produce multiple notes. Captivated by its sound, he began making steel drums himself.

In the 1990s, he was joined by his partner Sabina Schärer. Together, they came up with the idea of creating a hybrid between the steel drum mentioned above and the ghatam, an Indian instrument shaped like a terracotta vase about 50 cm (20 in) in diameter, which the player strikes to produce distinctive tones.

In 2000, the first prototype of this new instrument was completed. It was named the Hang and described as a sound sculpture by Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer. The success of this European musical instrument was so immediate that its creators couldn’t keep up with demand. At the same time, some buyers would purchase Hangs from the Swiss company only to resell them at higher prices. Seeing a financial opportunity, several makers began producing instruments that closely resembled the Hang. These new instruments were then called handpans after PANArt Hangbau SA, the company founded by Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer, filed an intellectual property patent.

Today, the handpan has become much more widely available and easier to buy. However, it’s worth noting that Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer did not appreciate other makers adopting their idea to produce handpans. They initiated legal proceedings to force these manufacturers to stop production. So far, that request has not yet been ruled on in court.

In the vast majority of cases, not really. The handpan is an instrument with very few notes—on average 9 or 10—compared to a traditional piano, which has 88. As a result, you can’t truly transpose classical sheet music or a well-known melody to the handpan.

That said, there are exceptions. Some professionals who own high-end instruments with more than 15 notes sometimes perform recognisable songs such as Nothing Else Matters by Metallica or Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. Still, this remains uncommon, and the handpan is often paired with other instruments or vocals for the song to be clearly recognised. In short, the handpan is not meant for playing sheet music. If that’s your main goal, you’ll likely be better off with a tongue drum.

Handpans usually come with a few accessories, sometimes included and sometimes optional. The first is often a gig bag, which is essential for protecting your precious drum from moisture, dust, and impacts. Your handpan is typically shipped inside it. The second is usually a soft cloth for removing fingerprints and sweat residue from the metal shell. The third is often a tripod-style stand (a stand) that keeps the instrument stable while you play. Together, these accessories make for a very complete setup.

More rarely, you may also find a pair of mallets. However, mallets have become less common over time because many new players used to strike too hard, which could cause the handpan to deform in the long run. That’s why they’re gradually disappearing to avoid this issue. You can also buy an audio device to record or increase the volume of your handpan—most often a microphone/pickup that attaches to the shell magnetically.

In any case, the included accessories may not always be the perfect fit for you. You can always purchase gig bags, hard cases, and stands designed to match different handpan sizes and shapes.

As mentioned earlier, most people still refer to a handpan as a Hang. However, “Hang” is a trademark registered by PANArt and shouldn’t be used interchangeably with “handpan.”

Along the same lines, some makers have marketed their handpans under purely commercial names such as Spacedrum, Pantam, or Hangpan. In every case, these names refer to the very same instrument.

That said, a handpan shouldn’t be confused with a tongue drum. While they can look similar, the tongue drum doesn’t have hammered note fields—it has tongue-shaped cutouts made directly in the metal. Tongue drums are also sold under other names, such as the tambour à langues, hank drum, steel tongue drum, tank drum, or Vibe Drum. None of those names refer to a handpan.

There’s no official term for someone who plays the handpan. Some call themselves handpanists, while others simply say they’re handpan players.

Not at all—that’s a tongue drum, which was originally made from an emptied butane cylinder. A handpan is much more complex to manufacture because it requires thinner sheet steel than a tongue drum, so it can’t realistically be made from salvaged materials.