Minor Handpan

The central note determines the pitch of your handpan. A low ding in C or D will give you a deep sound with broad resonance, along with larger notes on a larger instrument. In this collection, the Romanian Hijaz is tuned to E or F-sharp.

However, the melancholy of a minor handpan stems primarily from its scale, not just the pitch of its central note. When two dings are close in pitch, we believe the tuning quality and number of notes will make the difference when choosing your instrument.

The main reason is to remove notes that make the sound darker or harsher, starting with the minor sixth, which is the tensest and darkest note in the scale. This is the case with the Celtic minor and Amara scales. On a 9-note handpan in D, you will have a D ding surrounded by A, C, D, E, F, G, A, and C, with no B-flat. Once this note is removed, the scale loses its harshest interval, making it much easier to improvise with an open sound. The Integral, meanwhile, retains the B-flat but omits the fourth degree, which is G when the ding is tuned to D. The Pygmy goes even further by omitting an additional degree, so a 9-note model tuned to this scale contains only five distinct notes per octave, while a 10-note Kurd contains seven.

Minor handpan scales do not necessarily sound sad. It is true that, in our culture, most people tend to perceive the minor mode as dreamy, mysterious, sentimental, or melancholic. However, these scales can also be described as tragic, mystical, or gently hopeful, and each has its own distinct mood:

• The Kurd retains the entire natural minor scale and sounds darker because of its sixth degree.
• With the Celtic minor and Amara scales, which omit the sixth degree, the sound becomes more open and hopeful.
• The Pygmy is often perceived as solemn, hypnotic, and tribal.
• Finally, the Romanian Hijaz has a Middle Eastern sound.

Most handpan scales are tuned to a minor mode. This approach is no better than any other. To choose the right scale, treat yourself to a minor handpan with a mood that resonates with you.

To identify a minor handpan by ear, listen carefully to the third above the ding—that is, the third degree of the scale—which sounds a half step lower than the major third. In fact, the natural minor scale lowers this degree, along with the sixth and seventh degrees, by a half step compared with the major scale on the same tonic. The major interval therefore sounds bright and lively, while the minor version sounds deeper and more melancholic to most listeners. In our selection, you will find dings in C, F, and E in both major and minor modes, allowing you to compare the two modes with the same tonic.

It is also important to distinguish between two concepts. Relative scales share the same notes but have different tonics, as with D minor and F major. Parallel scales, meanwhile, share the same tonic but contain different notes, as with C minor and C major.

Yes, a minor handpan tuned to the Kurd scale contains its relative major, allowing you to play bright passages as well. On a D Kurd handpan, for example, the notes F, A, and C allow you to play a bright-sounding F major chord, and the C major chord is also present in this scale. This lets you alternate between brightness and melancholy within the same piece without having to switch instruments.

Yes, the chosen minor scale is one of the factors that influence the price of a handpan from one maker to another, along with build quality, the number of notes, and the type of metal. Common scales such as Kurd, Celtic minor, and Pygmy are offered by many makers, which tends to drive prices down. Conversely, a rare scale or custom layout requires more research and development to achieve the right tuning, driving up the price.