10-Note Handpan

A wide variety of scales are available in this format, including D Kurd, Amara, Celtic minor, and G minor. Other options include C major, Aegean, Hijaz, Pygmy, Integral, Nordlys, Equinox, and harmonic minor. D Kurd, also known as Annaziska, is a complete diatonic D minor scale—neither pentatonic nor hexatonic—with no skipped scale degrees, allowing you to play a wide variety of chords. On the ten-note version, the Amara scale also starts with a low D, but the first note around the ding may be a G or an A, depending on the model.

As for frequency, you can choose between 440 and 432 hertz on most of our instruments.

In our store, moving from 9 to 10 notes generally costs more when the model, frequency, and color are otherwise identical. Expect to pay between $120 and $250 more per additional note than you would for a 9-note model.

For a first instrument, a 10-note handpan is more than enough, and starting with an 8+1 or 9+1 model is recommended. Even professionals enjoy playing this format, and it is best to move up to a 12-note handpan only if a specific scale requires it or when choosing a second instrument once you know exactly which sound you are missing.

A 12-note model primarily gives you two or three additional notes, providing a range of approximately one and a half octaves. On a D Kurd model, it adds a D and an E above the high C. Some models place the additional notes on the bottom shell. To reach them, you will therefore need to move your hand underneath the instrument. This format generally requires greater precision and experience, as well as a larger budget.

If you think you may need a wider range someday, keep in mind that some models in our catalog are available as both 10-note and 12-note versions, while others are only available with ten notes.

On this type of model, the added note is located on the upper shell, where nine notes surround the ding rather than the eight found on a 9-note version, changing the spacing between them. Most of the time, neither the 9-note nor the 10-note model has any notes on the bottom shell, unlike a 12-note model, which may place some of the eleven notes surrounding its ding there. Not all manufacturers count notes the same way: this format is sometimes written as 9+1, meaning nine notes around the edge plus the ding, while a 12-note model with two notes underneath is written as 9+1+2. If you are deciding between a 9-note and a 10-note model, you will therefore usually be comparing an 8+1 with a 9+1.