The story behind the Chaya handpan
The story of Chaya is one of extraordinary coincidences, an unlikely meeting between two passionate handpan enthusiasts: its creator, Rastislav Belko, and Henk-Jan Pelle, the owner of HandPanShop. In this blog, we take you on the journey of these two handpan enthusiasts to creating a unique musical instrument that is now among the best-selling handpans in the world
The birth of Chaya
Rastislav fell in love with the handpan when he first heard about it. However, realising his dream of making one himself was not an easy task. He started by making the necessary tools himself in his garage in Slovakia. It was an adventurous path full of failures and challenges, but the feeling of creating something new was stronger than ever. Initially, he called his work ŽIVA, derived from the Slovak word Život, meaning ‘life’.
A good example of his first attempts is the welded stand he made himself, or the first temporary tuning rings that barely produced a tone. He designed modern lightweight tuning rings. Sound holes were made using a press, cone and flanges, and the rest of the process was completed by hand. PVC templates were used to determine the exact location of the tone fields.
Building the first handpan
Rastislav moved his workshop to a music studio in Slovakia. Manufacturing the handpan was only half the work, tuning was the other half. He remembers the first tone he heard after nine hours of tuning, unstable but present. And each tone taught him more about the nature of steel. Rastislav completed his very first handpan and gave it to the workshop's porter. This marked the end of an intense creative process.
Second-generation hand pans
While making them, Rastislav realised that there was much room for improvement. This led him to the second generation of hand pans. For this, he designed more precise semi-circular metal bowls and developed new tools. These handpans could even be engraved with beautiful symbols. The process of nitrocarburising was perfected, improving the sound and corrosion resistance of the handpans. All in an artisanal manner.
The birth of the Chaya brand
In 2019, Rastislav and Henk-Jan's paths crossed. Henk-Jan started a shop in handpans and was looking for new ones. He discovered a beautiful handpan that Rastislav had once made and this marked the beginning of a close friendship. Together, they decided to revive the craft of handpans and created the brand Chaya, derived from the Hebrew word Chayim, meaning ‘life’.
Chaya handpans and professional musicians
These nicer and better-sounding handpans began to attract the attention of many well-known, professional musicians, such as Marko Bandera.
Further development and innovation since 2022
In 2022, Rastislav and Henk-Jan went even further. They designed a special sound chamber to improve the resonance and sound of the handpans. They started using Ember steel with a high chromium titanium alloy and experimented with new design elements. Creativity was at the forefront here. Currently, they are experimenting with new shapes, sounds and techniques.
Chaya® has its own website, where you can find much more information. Take a look at www.chayahandpan.nl. Here you will also find the complete genesis of the unique Chaya® handpan. The Chaya® handpans are available in our webshop.
