Explore handpan topics and behind-the-scene stories on the blog.

As a fellow handpan enthusiast, I love these instruments and often wonder: how is this thing made? This summary will give you an idea.

If you're new to the handpan art form, you might be wondering how to distinguish a great handpan from an average one. It comes down to these 2 main factors. The rest is personal preference.

The handpan has quickly become an expensive musical instrument. But are there cheaper alternatives? Yes, the acolyte handpan is the best cheap handpan available today.

All handpans looks roughly the same but they can sound vastly different from one another. That's because the handpan is a diatonic instrument. This means it is tuned into a specific musical scale unlike chromatic instruments which can play all musical notes (all the black and white keys on a piano).

A typical handpan only has 8 or 9 notes. While this may seem like a restriction, the handpan is special because it'...

Get inside the handpan maker's workshop. See how a handpan is made, from start to finish. Understand what makes the Iskra a unique handpan.

Unlike most musical instruments, you don't need to tune your handpan before playing it. In this article we'll understand how handpans are tuned, what might cause handpans to go out of tune, and what to do if that happens.

The price of a quality-made handpan typically ranges from $1,500 to $3,500 USD (£800 to £2,600 GBP). Keep reading to understand why, to avoid being ripped-off and to plan your purchase well.

The first Hang prototype was essentially an inside-out steel-drum. It was far too big and bulky to play with ease (see video at the top of this page), but over time, PANArt refined its instrument to settle on what we now think of as handpans. Hang instruments went through a series of iterations known as "generations".

Congratulations, you are almost the owner of a handmade, one of a kind handpan! There are so many great handpans out there, do you know how to find the one that is right for you? This is a big purchase, and I can tell you are doing your research—you're starting by reading this article!

I want to help you find a quality handpan that is the right fit for you. The handpan marketplace can be difficult to navigate. So I want to give...

Sean uses the same materials and the same tuning techniques as PANArt did. The result is a clean and clear-sounding instrument that takes you back to the early years of the Hang. I have to say, Sean's Iskra is particularly refreshing. Especially as handpans seem to be getting a little out of hands... Have you noticed some makers seem to be in a race for always more notes or weird mutant designs? On the contrary, the Is...