Written by Ambre Montespan - Updated on Mar 24, 2026
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Have you heard of an artist named Taylor Sol? Have you listened to one of his handpan compositions, available for free on YouTube? Want to learn more about him? What’s been his musical journey, and what does his discography look like?
It’s been nearly three years since I discovered Taylor Sol when his album “Ancestry” was released, and I absolutely loved it. So I decided to dig deeper into this artist—his background, his influences, and his vision of music. As a result, I can now share everything you might want to know about Taylor Sol.
By reading this article in full, you’ll learn:
- How this musician discovered the handpan
- His current discography
This will help you better understand how Taylor Sol approaches his art and what he’s aiming for when he composes a melody using all the sound tools he has.
Now, let’s look at how Taylor Sol got his start in the music world.
How did Taylor Sol discover the handpan?
Taylor Sol is a multi-instrumentalist musician born in 1997 in Gisborne, New Zealand, who mainly plays the handpan and Native American flute in a sound therapy context. However, blending music and well-being wasn’t always his main focus. His musical journey began early, watching his father play drums and piano as a child, so he naturally started learning—especially drums, like his dad. Later, from ages 11 to 25, Taylor Sol played drums in various bands and took part in many concerts, festivals, and competitions such as Smokefree Rockquest and Battle of the Bands. While he considers growing up surrounded by music a blessing because it allowed him to truly express himself, he also felt like something was missing.
A little later, he discovered music tuned to 432 hertz through a tongue drum, another percussion instrument closely related to the handpan. While the vast majority of instruments and songs are tuned and played at 440 Hz, some believe that music at 432 Hz may have beneficial effects on health and feel more in tune with nature. In an interview, Taylor Sol said: "I then discovered 432 Hz, this beautiful natural healing frequency. I began to realize the power of this frequency during a stay in Bali. There, I heard the tongue drum, tuned to 432 Hz. Although 440 Hz is a beautiful frequency in contemporary music, by reconnecting with the ancestral sounds of 432 Hz, we discover that it is the miraculous frequency of nature."
It was through his interest in instruments tuned to 432 hertz and sound healing that he discovered the handpan in the summer of 2021. He later recounted that during one of his meditations, he had a vision of himself playing a Native American flute on a pyramid in space. He then purchased one of these flutes tuned to 432 hertz and found that he could play it without ever having practiced before, reinforcing his idea that he had learned in a previous life. Keeping that momentum, he then acquired quartz crystal singing bowls, as well as a taonga pūoro (a traditional Māori instrument), a djembe, a didgeridoo, and African chimes.
With this impressive arsenal of well-being-focused instruments, Taylor Sol offers workshops and performances centered around music therapy. He also plans to host a roughly ten-day retreat in Bali focused on well-being, relaxation, and meditation. This artist also offers handpan lessons, both in person and remotely, and invites listeners to follow him on YouTube, where he regularly posts videos—often several dozen minutes long—of himself playing handpan in a flowing, harmonious style, much like other artists such as Malte Marten and Konstantin Rössler. Here’s an example below:
What is the discography of this Hang drum player and practitioner?
Released on December 22, 2023, Taylor Sol has put out just one album to date, called Ancestry. He describes it as an immersive sound experience blending traditional and contemporary soundscapes. It features 22 tracks performed with Native American flute, handpan, shamanic drum, taonga pūoro, djembe, and much more.
In a different vein, Taylor Sol also offers a live concert he calls "The Miracle Tone." For 90 minutes, Taylor Sol weaves rhythm and melody on the handpan, an instrument renowned for its ethereal, vibrant sound, creating music that’s both soothing and uplifting. To enjoy this exclusive experience, you’ll need to travel to New Zealand—specifically to The Rose Centre theater in Auckland.
Let the soft sounds of the handpan fill you with calm and fulfillment
A specialist in what he calls "sound healing," Taylor Sol focuses his creative approach on the 432 Hz frequency and on playing instruments he considers connected to well-being, such as the handpan. After reading the information in this article, you now know much more about the life philosophy and journey of this talented New Zealand percussionist.
That said, if you’re thinking about getting started—like Taylor Sol—in the wonderful world of sound healing, it’s important to choose your future instruments carefully, especially when it comes to their tunings. To help you make the right choice, I highly recommend the online store Instruments du Monde, which sells dozens of handpans tuned to the incredible frequency of 432 hertz—especially this beautiful bluish 10-note model that I personally own.
Discover this excellent handpan tuned to 432 Hz by clicking the image below:
On a completely different note, I invite you to read my article about Peter Levitov. He is another handpan player who has made a name for himself in recent years by creating the Handpan 360 platform, which offers lessons and tutorials on this percussion instrument. This has propelled him into the ranks of the most renowned handpan players.
