Handpan 101
A short first guide for someone new to the handpan: what it is, how it is laid out, and how to start playing.
What is a handpan?
A handpan is a steel instrument played with the hands. Two shallow steel shells are glued together, and the top shell carries a set of tuned notes. Most are 20 to 22 inches across; mini pans are about 17 inches.
The first one, the Hang, was made in Switzerland in 2000 by PANArt, a steelpan workshop. The word "handpan" appeared online in 2007 and now covers the whole family of instruments that followed.
The parts of a handpan
- Ding
- The big centre note, usually the lowest note on top.
- Notes (tone fields)
- The ring of notes around the ding, numbered from low to high.
- Shoulder
- The curved steel between the ding and the notes.
- Rim
- The outer edge where the two shells meet.
- Gu
- The hole in the bottom shell. It gives the pan its deep, round resonance.
- Inner notes (optional)
- Extra notes on the top shell between the ding and the ring.
- Bottom notes (optional)
- Extra notes on the bottom shell, usually bass or high notes that fill out the scale.
How it makes its sound
Each note is a thin area of steel tuned to three pitches at once: the note, its octave, and a fifth above that octave. That is why one stroke sounds so full. Bigger tone fields sound lower; smaller ones sound higher. Most pans are tuned to concert pitch, A = 440 Hz; some use 432 Hz.
Materials
- Raw steel
- Untreated steel. It rusts most easily and needs the most care.
- Coated steel
- Steel with a protective coating. Lighter, but it can rust where the surface is damaged.
- Nitrided steel
- Heat-treated to resist rust; the material of the first Hang. Shorter sustain, still needs oiling.
- Stainless steel
- Highly rust resistant, needs little care, and has the longest sustain.
- Ember steel
- A type of stainless steel.
Key and scale
A pan's name has two parts. In "D Kurd", D is the key (the ding's note) and Kurd is the scale (which notes sit around it). A pan plays only its own notes, so the scale sets its mood.
Two pans in the same key can feel different. D Kurd and D Amara (also sold as D Celtic) share a ding, but Amara leaves out the Bb:
- D Kurd 9: D / A Bb C D E F G A
- D Amara 9: D / A C D E F G A C
Makers often give their own names to the same scale, so compare the notes, not just the name.
Good first scales
These minor scales are easy to sound good on, and popular enough that you can play with others:
- D Amara (Celtic)
- D Kurd
- F Low Pygmy
- E Equinox
- F Magic Voyage
How to strike a note
- Relax. Breathe, go slow, keep your hands light.
- Let the wrist do most of the work, like a small whip, and bounce off the note right away.
- Use the pads of loose fingers. Start with the index and middle fingers.
- Strike gently and precisely. Hitting hard sounds worse and can knock the pan out of tune.
- Near the edge of the note's dimple you get a soft, warm tone; nearer the note's border, a louder, more percussive one.
- The thumb can strike too, rotating from the elbow, which helps when playing two notes at once.
There is no single right position. Sit so the notes fall comfortably under your hands; many players face note 1 toward them.
A first practice routine
- Play the scale up and down with one finger at a time, soft at first, then louder.
- Four ding strikes with the right hand, then four with the left. Then two and two.
- Walk up the scale alternating hands, with a metronome at 60, then 80, then 100.
- Keep a steady ding pulse with one hand while the other explores; then swap.
- When you feel tension, stop and shake out your hands.
Next steps: a paradiddle (R L R R, L R L L) and a 3:2 polyrhythm.
Videos to start with
Chords on a handpan
A chord is three or more notes of the scale played together or one after another (an arpeggio). Every pan has a handful built in.
Caring for your pan
- Wipe it with a microfibre cloth after each session.
- Store it out of its bag so moisture does not build up.
- Keep it out of direct sun and hot cars.
- Oil it as needed, especially raw or nitrided steel.
Resources
Sources
- Handpan, Wikipedia: history, construction and tuning.
- Hang (instrument), Wikipedia: the first instrument of the family.
- Kurd scale, Saraz Handpans: how makers describe the scale.
Published by Handpan Chords, a free chord flashcard app for handpan. Last updated .