What is the best handpan for me?
There is a huge diversity of handpans. The best way to choose is to play and listen to several handpans. Each instrument is slightly different and has its own unique character. Choosing from videos has the disadvantage that timbre and resonance usually do not come across well. Firstly, because it is difficult to record the sound of a handpan realistically. The result depends on the acoustics of the recording room and the microphones used. In addition, the device used to listen to the recording affects the sound. If you want to listen to a handpan online, preferably use good headphones or good speakers. The speaker of a phone or computer will not give a good reproduction of the handpan. We have free orientation sessions developed. A comprehensive form of purchasing guidance where you can try out different handpans at your leisure. Together with an experienced handpans player who will help you make your choice and who can also play aloud.
If you would like to do some preliminary research or learn more about hand pans, you will find a lot of information below that will help determine your final choice.
- Ways you can make a choice
- Key & key
- Quality and Mood
- Types of metal handpan
- Number of tones (pads)
- Helpful tips for buying a hand pan
- Spacedrum®, tongue drum, steel-drum, hang-drum, hand-drum... what's the difference?
Why listening to a handpan in real life is important
How do I choose a handpan?, is one of the most frequently asked questions. Before we look at quality, tones and material, let's start with how to make your choice.
Choosing a handpan by playing and listening yourself
As mentioned, the best way to choose your handpan is to play and listen to several handpans yourself. During our free orientation session we look for a handpan that suits your taste in terms of key, timbre and resonance. Here, we play many different scales or tone combinations of different makers and various types of metal. We spend a lot of time on this, because every scale has a different atmosphere; from cheerful to melancholic and from earthy to mystical.
This way, it will gradually become clear to you what your taste is. In our experience, this way you buy an instrument that you really keep playing, even after the ‘new’ has worn off.
Another reason why we put a lot of thought into our free orientation sessions is that people often buy a different handpan than they had planned beforehand!
Listening to online handpans: convenient but limited
In our webshop, you can listen to most handpans using videos. As mentioned, we do not recommend this approach. This is because the audio equipment used often does not convey timbre and resonance well. But it is a good way to do some preliminary work.
In the following blogs, we will discuss the different features of hand pans that will determine your final choice.
What factors determine your final handpan choice?
