Written by Ambre Montespan - Updated on Feb 7, 2026
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Did you first discover Sam Maher while watching his legendary video in the New York City subway? Want to learn more about this talented artist? What percussion instruments does he play? How did Sam Maher get started in the world of the handpan?
I discovered Sam Maher in 2015, and I immediately had a feeling he’d become a renowned percussionist. Ever since, I’ve been following the projects and performances he regularly shares on social media. So in this article, I’ll walk you through his musical journey and the instruments he uses onstage and on tour.
By reading this short article, you will learn the following about Sam Maher:
- How he became one of the best players in the handpan community
- His most popular songs
- His collaborations with other Hang drum players
- The musical instruments this musician uses
By the end, you’ll be up to speed on everything related to Sam Maher, which might help you feel more connected to his work. You may even end up catching him live or trying to play some of his musical compositions yourself.
Now, let’s see how Sam Maher first discovered the handpan.
How did Sam Maher discover the handpan?
Sam Maher is an Australian percussionist, known primarily for his handpan performances. He currently lives in the small town of Fremantle, a city in Western Australia on the west coast, at the mouth of the Swan River. Before discovering the handpan, Sam Maher played drums, working with bands and artists such as Methyl Ethel, Katy Steele (Little Birdy), Rabbit Island, Grace Woodroofe, Nicholas Allbrook (POND, Tame Impala), and countless other Perth-based acts.
In 2012, Sam Maher discovered the Hang or handpan, and quickly developed a special connection with it. According to his own statements on his Facebook account, he learned to play this percussion instrument in the Himalayas, more specifically in Nepal’s Annapurna region, even though this musical instrument originates from Switzerland. In May 2013, he purchased an AsaChan handpan from the Swiss maker Echo Sound Sculpture, which arrived in a protective case after a previous instrument was destroyed during shipping. Around that time, he announced that within a year, he’d set off on a road trip from Seattle all the way down to South America, aiming to live solely on the money people gave him during his street performances.
Before leaving, he started busking across Australia—in Fremantle, Melbourne, and at Sydney’s Vivid Festival—to fund his ticket. The goal was to pay for the flight that would kick off his road trip through the Americas. When he wasn’t playing handpan, he kept playing drums with various bands, notably at the PICA Bar & Cafe in Perth, Australia. However, in September 2013, he accidentally dropped his handpan, completely detuning it and making it unplayable. He decided to ship it to Germany for repairs and had to wait until January 2014 to get his precious instrument back in good condition.
In February 2014, he began his journey with his girlfriend, changing his original plan by flying to New Zealand and then to Costa Rica. He then made his way to Panama before heading down through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile. This South American chapter lasted until November 2014, and he earned his money mainly through handpan busking or occasional odd jobs. He slept in a tent or on farms in exchange for volunteer work, traveling by local bus while immersing himself in unfamiliar cultures.
Eventually, he took another flight to New York, where he performed for the public, especially around Brooklyn. On December 10, 2014, Sam Maher met someone who would change his life: Brett Murphy, who runs the YouTube channel Buskrs, which features performances from countless street musicians. The very next day, Sam recorded his now-famous composition "New York handpan" in a Brooklyn subway station. The video was uploaded on October 31, 2015, and you can watch it below:
A few days later, he flew to Nicaragua to continue traveling through music. He then went to El Salvador, Honduras, Belize, and Mexico, still earning most of his income as a street musician. Finally, he returned home to Australia in March 2015 after traveling through more than 16 countries in just over a year.
Coming back to Australia was a shock for Sam Maher: almost all his friends had forgotten him, and the bands he used to play with had either found success without him or broken up. A kind of discouragement—even depression—set in for about 15 months. During that period, he almost stopped playing music altogether and took a job at a medical device company.
But after the New York subway video was posted in October 2015, it quickly went viral, and Sam Maher’s popularity only grew, especially around mid-2016. It got to the point where he re-entered the music world professionally. He traveled to Hong Kong, England, India, the U.S., Jamaica, Germany, China, and Switzerland to perform at festivals and concerts. He also began organizing tours that have been highly successful since 2018, along with yoga retreats paired with handpan playing. In March 2020, Sam Maher collaborated with French player David Charrier so that Sam could teach a masterclass on Charrier’s site, Master The Handpan. For a fee, you can learn to play the instrument with Sam Maher’s guidance. You can find Sam Maher’s masterclass here.
Then, starting in October 2020, Sam Maher chose to step back from social media, saying it had become toxic for him. He deleted his Instagram account and kept a very low profile on Facebook. Today, he still posts a few videos on his personal YouTube channel and occasionally announces appearances at certain concerts and festivals. He hasn’t released any albums or CDs, but he did put out the singles Instrmntls in 2016 and Heirloom in 2017.
What are this Hang drum player's most famous songs?
While the New York subway melody is clearly his most famous—and has been covered countless times—it’s also worth mentioning the track called "Fremantle handpan," which has seen plenty of success as well. You can listen to it below:
Has this artist collaborated with other musicians?
Among the musicians who have performed with Sam Maher are David Charrier and Manu Delgado, whom Sam especially admires, as he says Delgado inspired his artistic work.
What musical instruments does Sam Maher use?
Although Sam Maher is best known for the handpan, he also plays drums, bongos, and all kinds of common percussion. As for the handpan brands featured in his videos, there are many. There’s Echo Sound Sculpture, of course, which he used on his road trip, but he now also plays Chinese-made MrPans Instrument handpans and Ayasa, to name just a few. For reference, the handpan featured in the New York subway video is tuned to Anaziska (C# / G# A B C# D# E F# G#); however, he has also suggested an arrangement, or transposition, for a model in D Kurd.
Play songs with a handpan approved by Sam Maher
Sam Maher’s story is truly one of a kind. He discovered the handpan in an unlikely place in Nepal, then set off on a 15-month journey through the Americas, and eventually became a star more than a year after returning to Australia—thanks to a video recorded in the New York subway. Thanks to the article you’ve just read, you now know the key details of this internationally recognized artist’s musical path.
That said, Sam Maher likely wouldn’t have achieved such success with a low-end instrument. That’s why he regularly tests different models to help guide new players. And if you’d like to create melodies like his, I recommend this beautifully designed 10-note model tuned to D Kurd. It’s sold by the reputable Instruments du Monde store, which offers only high-quality handpans.
Click on the image below to discover this instrument and see Sam Maher demonstrate it:
Sam Maher is far from the only artist to break through thanks to social media. The same is true of Kate Stone, a German musician who gained recognition with her track "Urban," which she shared on YouTube. From there, she began to establish herself among the best handpan players of her generation.
