The healing sounds of the Ethereal Handpan
A 'sound sculpture' that is healing and transforming the world
There is something absolutely incredible about the healing power of music, isn’t there?
Certain sounds and frequencies have the ability to elevate our consciousness to very high states — and yet other types may drop our energy by entraining us to more negative states.
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For many years now, I’ve been blessed to play the didgeridoo and handpan, guitar, frame drum, singing bowls and other instruments professionally during yoga classes around the world. These sounds and harmonic frequencies have the power to radically shift consciousness, often dramatically.
This is especially true when coupled with intention and the ability to hold specific states of consciousness.
I love playing for people in yogas classes because there is a receptive ‘listening’ that happens, creating a powerful dynamic of giving and receiving Divine love. I never feel that I am ‘performing’, and I am thus free to create the melodies and rhythms as my Higher Self awareness flows through.
What is a HANG or Handpan? (History)
The handpan was first known only as a “Hang” or “Hand Drum.”
The original Hang was (and is) a sound sculpture which was inspired by the steelpans of Trinidad.
On the top of the Hang there is a central gong like tone field called Ding surrounded by the ‘chorus’, a circle of seven tone fields called voices. The bottom side has a round resonant opening, the Gu, that generates a deep bass sound.
The history is fascinating… the original creators of the Hang, Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer (PANArt), through many decades of research, transformed common steel into a new kind of material which was more suitable for acoustic purposes, naming it ‘Pang’.
As they deepened their knowledge of acoustic instruments from the near and far east, the result was a series of interesting instruments whose acoustic qualities – especially the vitality of the sound – made them prick up their ears. This, eventually, led to the development of the Hang, meaning ‘hand’ in their own dialect.
“The gong revealed the purpose of the dome, the tabla refined our acoustic art decisively, the gatham led to the integration of air resonance, and the cymbals and pans introduced us to the world of sounds.”
The label ‘hang drum” has now stuck around the world but it’s not technically correct because to really capture the richness of the Hang’s potential, the artist must play from his or her centre, or hara.
Percussionists were initially attracted to the Hang — many calling it UFO, flying saucer, Pantam, and Hang Drum amongst others — but then came many others who were interested in acquiring one… the source of attraction seemed to be the ‘energetic vibrations’ of the Hang, which enthralled players and listeners with the richness of its overtones.
Sound therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, shamans and healers were all fascinated and drawn to work with this new instrument as well.
The scales of the earliest Hanghang (plural for “hang”) were bright and higher, and then in 2006 the sound became warmer, more organic and pleasing to the human body.
Felix and Sabina began to listen more intently and expanded their understanding of the nature of the hand on this complex membrane and how it affects body, mind and spirit. Through better understanding of our Pang material, they succeeded to manage the high stresses in it through controlled distribution of these forces.
The reduction of the tonal circle around the central dome resulted in a better balance in this complex system of forces. A more suitable relationship was established between the choir and the dome. The acoustic relationship of both sides of the instrument with the human body became evident when played on a person’s lap.
The Integral Hang was developed in the spring of 2008, which emphasized the fact that individual voices were exciting other voices that were harmonically related:
“The chant of the overtones was like a choir singing in a cathedral, which is how we see the Hang. We were entering a multi-dimensional walk to a vast potential.”
PANArt stopped official production of this unique and inspiring instrument at the end of 2013 to concentrate on their next evolution in sound. At this stage, it was uncertain what would happen. Many were disappointed that the beautiful Hang was no longer going to be made by PANArt.
Demand continued to remain high and thus others felt inspired to take up the gauntlet!
Other makers: Acquiring a Handpan
Other makers of the Hang have now sprung up around the world, some of whom are taking the handpan to new levels of acoustic brilliance… However, some makers are producing handpans are just diabolical and not worth the money.
All “Hang (Drum)” makers have had to call their own instruments ‘Handpan’ or ‘Pantam’ due to the fact that the name ‘Hang’ is trademarked by PANArt.
PANArt ended up with a wait-list of several thousand people at one stage as demand far outstripped supply.
Today, it’s still true that high quality handpans are generally made in very small numbers each year (approximately 40-80), with each one tuned precisely by hand and ear. However, you can today pre-order high quality handpans approximately 6-12 months in advance due to the fact that there are several high quality makers around the world.
The quality of a handpan would suffer greatly with mass production, so anyone eager to get one should beware of those makers claiming to be able to turn out such instruments quickly and “in bulk”, as the quality will surely be far inferior to the sounds produced by authentic Hanghang/Handpans. The tonal quality, harmonics and decay time, for example, will both be poor.
Thanks to advances in technology, you can now listen and buy your handpan online without needing to travel. Be prepared to invest around €2,500 to €3,000 + VAT. (A price much lower than this would make me suspicious, at least at the time of writing!)
Buyers should also exercise cautious when acquiring a second hand one, checking for any damage that might have occurred to the tonal fields etc.
The decision to acquire a beautiful Hang really is an inner journey, so take your time to tune in! What scale resonates, what’s your musical ability, how much time do you have to invest etc?!
Music to bliss out to
One of my favourite handpan players remains Malte Marlin (of Yatao), and he continues to hold my attention when playing skilfully, from the heart.
I came across this beautiful clip on YouTube, and wanted to share it out after the Easter weekend, when some of you will be ‘back to work’ or ‘back to the grind.’
This is a beautiful piece by Malte on handpan and Luna Mando on guitar (another favourite instrument of mine) — simply ‘mesmerising’.
Enjoy! :)
Announcement: Sound Yoga Workshop on 25th May 2024 (featuring the Didgeridoo and Handpan)
I’m excited to announce that I’m partnering with my dear friend Hassan (senior yoga teacher from Turkey/UK) to run a 2.5 hour workshop at Breeze Yoga in Beckenham, Kent (in the UK) on Saturday, 25th May 2024.
Watch this space for a fascinating interview with Hassan later this week!
Reply to this email or DM me if you’re interested in attending.
For 1-1 sound healing work with me, click here. Conducted for my worldwide clients on Zoom.
In Lak’ech,
Jaime Tanna
Medical Intuitive, Quantum Healer, Yoga Teacher, Health & Life Coach
Founder of Energy Therapy and Total Frequency Shift
Get coached on the deeper teachings of the Law of Attraction, and Living from Presence.
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