The handpans or hang drums as they are also called are a fascinating musical instrument of this century.

The mesmerizing and captivating melody that it generates has enabled it to gain popularity all over the world. The demand for the product is growing rapidly, but unfortunately, not very many products are available in the market for sale.

This is because skilled artisans who have tons of experience in making them predominantly make these instruments by hand.

One of the biggest advantages that this musical instrument offers the percussionist is a chance to perform without going through the task of spending time learning how to read the chord symbols. The handpans are instruments that can be played without any proper understanding of the notes.

Small variations in the design of these pans and the notes they make have resulted in a few varieties available in the market. These are hang drums, steel slit tong drums, steel pans, tank drums, and space drums. All these instruments can be learned intuitively and can be played without any prior knowledge of the musical notes.

The musical notes or sounds created by these instruments differ in their softness and warmth. This is because they are played using the hands. Each instrument has been tuned to a particular scale in musical terms. The handpans, when struck by the hand creates a highly melodious sound that is distinctly percussive in its tone.

The instrument is generally placed on the thighs while playing. The musician uses his uncovered hands to play, but some percussionists prefer to wear gloves while playing the handpans, particularly if they are playing for long hours. The handpan is a highly intuitive instrument that is tuned to produce specific notes of varying scales. In the hands of a good percussionist, you could get mesmerizing music that would be soothing to the listener.

Street musicians to make a living out of it have also used the handpan widely. The ease with which you can master this instrument and the highly melodious notes that it creates has enabled many musicians to perform on the street to make a living.

The “Hang” the original instrument is a trademark product of PANArt, Switzerland, whereas, the handpan and a few other variations have become a part of the family of this fascinating percussion instrument that is produced by different companies. The scintillating sound that this wonderful instrument creates has popularized this instrument all over the world, and this is bound to grow in the years to come.