Music

What Is A Handpan, History And How To Play?

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About the instrument

A Handpan is a musical instrument that comes from a relatively small instrument family. It is shaped like a UFO and is very easy to play. Two sets of steel sheets are put together in such a form that is shaped like a pan. Therefore, it is also locally called Handrum or UFO drum, etc. It is an efficient instrument because of being totally easy to carry around. It can be easily played with hands and does not require much of specialization to play it as has its tuner set at the top and might be at the bottom sometimes, already in the way it is constructed. 

It has a tone that helps in the invention of beautiful and mesmerizing musical sounds that produce kinetic energy leading to a peaceful mind without much effort or specialization while playing the Handpan. It is the best instrument for people who enjoy meditating and compositions that are traditionally connected.

Origin of the Handpan

There are rarely any instruments that produce melodious musical sounds by simply being played using hands. The origin of the Handpan was in Switzerland where a family working in steels invented this instrument. Felix Rohner and Sabina Scharer were the original inventors who gave the instrument a name called Hangpan — Hang in German is known as Hand, as the instrument is played by hands.

In 2001, Felix and Sabina introduced the instrument in a great fair held in Messe Frankfurt from where the Handpan took a fly among the people. Later in 2007, there began to the creation of various other versions of the Handpan. Some critics did not see Handpan as a musical instrument but as an artistic creation. At places, the instrument was still called “Hang” rather than “Handpan,” but there are differences between the two. Although both these instruments tend to possess the same method of playing, the origin and the inventors are distinctions that vary.

Where to get a Handpan from?

Handpan is a traditional instrument; however, it is not available to everyone. Even during the great fair of Messe Frankfurt in 2001, Handpan being an interesting instrument was not accessible to a lot of people due to its less production. When it got hyped among people, there was a gradual increase in the production of the instrument. You might not be able to get a genuine Handpan in the market now, but you can get a different version of the Handpan on ecommerce sites. You can read these reviews for more information. These are just a great source of producing some fantastic music, and the purpose is fulfilled.

How is it played?

The best thing about this instrument is that you do not really need to attain any professional techniques or have any talents. All you need to do is play them with your hands and fingers. The instrument is invented in such a way that it produces beautiful sounds even at the slightest of touch. Majorly, just a little practice is all you need to play this beautiful musical instrument.

Calmness and gentility are what are necessary for playing the instrument. It needs to be performed by the gentle touch of your hands. Remember, good things come with bad as well. If you handle the tone of the Handpan in a way that is not complemented, you might end up producing the worst of the sounds from this instrument. The only foundation of getting a beautiful tone out of the instrument is the art of the gentle touch. You can attain that by merely practicing on the instrument. All in all, it does not require much.

Rules of playing the Handpan

Handpan is an amazing instrument that does not demand any specialized training, but just a little practice. Get yourself creative with the instrument and see what the instrument has got for you. A Handpan is an intuitive instrument. The softer you touch, the more beautiful are the sounds it creates. On the other hand, if you are nervously playing the instrument, one can clearly get that from the tone it produces. Allow yourself to be as creative with the Handpan as possible by simply practicing, and you will not be disappointed with the sounds it generates for you.

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