Back in the days when basically only the Hang® by PANArt existed, I fell in love with this instrument. I had a CD by Davide Swarup, then a busker (street performer) and loved the music. Gradually, the handpan emerged and the sound could be heard more and more in meditative or wellness music.
In 2021, I spontaneously decided that I wanted to learn to play this instrument and started looking for a shop where I could buy a handpan. I ended up at Henk-Jan Pelle's HandPanShop and could not make a live appointment there at the time because of coronagraphs. On the phone, Henk-Jan promised me that he would intuitively pick out (and send) a handpan, which I could rent until I could make a final choice in a live appointment in the shop's showroom. I received a beautiful Convex handpan (D), which indeed pleased me very well.
I started taking lessons from Sjaak van Dam (hand-pan player, drummer, teacher and employee at the HandPanShop) via Zoom. A few months later, I was allowed to visit the shop and he let me hear all the hand-pans; a very nice experience! Despite my inexperience, I fell for a beautiful Low F2 Pygmy, because this handpan is beautifully low yet has high notes. It seriously gave me tummy jitters! As if the handpan chose me... Only recently, I was told by my teacher that it is a tricky instrument because the tones are far apart (spread over 2.33 octaves). That said, I have never regretted my choice. Precisely not.
I started playing for women in a meditation circle I had set up. Also, the open stage of our favourite campsite in France provided a nice target for performing.
Last year, the handpan became an even more important part of my life. I made a switch within my work. I coach highly sensitive women who get stuck in their work on this character trait. I combine the coaching with one-on-one meditations that I -you guessed it- support with my handpan. What I find beautiful about the handpan - apart from the sound - is that it is an intuitive instrument. I can play by feeling, and the lessons I still take help me to grow all the time.
I decided in 2023 that I would like to have a second handpan in a more neutral key. At the Handpan Shop, I was again allowed to take my time to make a considered choice. I opted for an Octopus D-Kurd 10 and am once again very happy with it. Now I have even more possibilities to support my clients in a meditation in a beautiful way!
Author: Linda t'Sas (info@lindatsas.nl - www.lindatsas.nl)
