Why had I not heard of this before?
I love alternative music like the pan flute, chanting monks, among others and now I love the hang drum.
When I first saw the hang (pronounced "hung"), it reminded me of an upside down steel pan, and when I researched it, it is an offspring of the steel pan.
Steel Pan drums
Image borrowed from Google images
Image borrowed from Google images
Created by Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer in Bern, Switzerland, it is constructed from two half shells of deep drawn, nitrided steel which are glued together along the rim leaving a hollow inside....it resembles an UFO.According to Wikepedia, "The top ("Ding") side has a center 'note' hammered into it and seven or eight 'tone fields' hammered around the center. The bottom ("Gu") is a plain surface that has a rolled hole in the center with a tuned note that can be created when the rim is struck."
Using the same basic physical principles as the steel pan, it has been modified in such a way to act as a Helmholtz resonator.
Hang Drum - Hand Drum
Image borrowed from Wikipedia
Image borrowed from Wikipedia
It is the result of many years of research on the steel pan and other instruments.
The name Hang is the Bernese German word for hand....thus the hand drum.
Since its creation in 2000, PANArt has emphasized that it is not a drum but a sound sculpture.
Image borrowed from Google images
It is a registered trademark of PANArt Hangbau AG....I think I want one.They're pretty pricey, and since they're hand produced, they're not that many made in any given year.
I guess I will have to make the best of my situation, and would you know it,..... yes there's an app for that.
Image borrowed from Google images
In the meanwhile I will add its beautiful music to my collection.
The music is hauntingly beautiful, enchanting, calming and surreal all in one....is this possible....YESSSS!
Please watch and enjoy...http://youtu.be/xk3BvNLeNgw?list=PL269B827E21C20BAD
Here is the website.http://www.hang-music.com/hang.php
Update: The company no longer creates the Hang instrument, they are now making the Gubal, an instrument that's similar but yet different.
Very interesting. I'd never heard of them.
ReplyDeleteI'd never heard of them either until this week....aren't they incredible?
Deleteoh this is great! thanks for sharing, I'd never heard of a hang drum before
ReplyDeleteI love sharing information....glad you liked the post.
DeleteActually as a sometimes pan player I found this so interesting. I think I will look for the app
ReplyDeleteA"sometimes pan player" is waaaay better than no pan player at all.
DeleteI wish I could learn how to play the pan but now that I've seen the hand drum, my interest has moved in that direction instead.
A completely new instrument to me.
ReplyDeleteSo unique but yet so simple....fits me to a T.
DeleteI wanted to thank you for this excellent read!! I definitely loved every little bit of it. I have you bookmarked your site to check out the new stuff you post. handpan
ReplyDelete