Shellopan is a collective making metal musical instruments of the Handpan / Pantam family, located near Strasbourg (France). Each member builds his own instruments with his own tuning style, enabling us to offer a wider variety of different handpans.

So Shellopan is also the name of our creations made of steel...

 

 

The result of hammering by the tuner and a character given by the choice of raw material, all our Handpans are unique creations, and while it may seem possible to reproduce “the object”, it is never possible to reproduce “the musical instrument” in all the subtlety of its sound timbre.

Inspired by the “Steelpan” (a traditional instrument from Trinidad & Tobago developed in the 1940s) and the “Hang” (created by PANArt in Switzerland in 2000), our Shellopans attempt to reconcile two antinomic characteristics of our sources of inspiration: the wide tessitura of the steelpan and the intuitive playing produced with the hands as on the Hang.

Thanks to their easy access to intuitive melodic playing, they are a pleasure to play and listen to from the very first hours of use. Later, as you naturally develop your sensitivity to the touch of the material with your hands, they enable you to evolve your musical practice by exploring the infinite universe of rhythm.

Our handpans are designed to make the pleasure of making music accessible to all. 

We invite you to discover the different ranges of our musical instruments made of metal and passion... A special section for beginners wishing to discover the handpan features two articles on choosing your first handpan and advice on how to improve your playing. The fablab section is just the thing for DIY (do it yourself) enthusiasts like us, and if you're curious, you can even take a video tour of our workshop...

You'll also find all the information you need to buy a Shellopan. Finally, if you can't find the answer to a question, you'll find our contact details in the contact section!

Our presence on social networks is limited, but all our handpan and stock demos are on Youtube. Some nice photos and videos can be found on our Instagram page, and although we've deliberately neglected it, a few news items can also be found on our facebook page.

Would you like to buy a handpan and hear what other people are saying about our Shellopans?

Here are the shellopan handpan reviews left on Google. Please feel free to use these spaces to consult or leave reviews of our handpans, as this is the only “advertising” we find acceptable and useful for our visitors.

You can also see below videos of our handpans already sold and played by their owners and/or musicians.

Here is “THE” list of handpans, ranked from lowest to highest, and featuring
our selection of the 150 best handpan ranges (not all handpans presented here are actually available on order, some newer design may replace some old one):

 

 

Guide 2025: How to choose a handpan if you are a beginner? What are the quality criteria for a good handpan? Which scale to choose? Where to buy?... (human translation under progress)

Choosing a first handpan is not always easy, you will find below our tips for better understanding this instrument, its environment and we hope to make the right choice. This is not "the 10 best internet tricks to buy a handpan", no click racing or marketing here but an information resource that is as comprehensive as possible, accessible and maintained regularly since its first edition in 2016. This is the updated version on 19 February 2025 that is presented here.

Summary:

1. Who are the actors forming the handpan community?
2. What is all this vocabulary you use to talk about your handpans?
3. How are handpans made and why do some instruments look the same?
4. What determines the timbre and the quality of a handpan?
5. Which musical range to choose for my first handpan?
6. Can I settle for a "low-range" handpan or a second-hand handpan to start?
7. Is a handpan with 18 or more notes harder to play than a handpan with 9 notes? Do I have to take a handpan with few notes to start?
8. Which musical range to choose to have complementary handpans?
9. Can I buy a good handpan in music stores or on the internet?
10. But where can I buy a good handpan?
11. Do I have to take classes to learn how to play?
12. Are the handpans of Shellopan plagiarism of PANArt's Hang?
13. Okay, I've figured it all out to your explanation... I'd like to buy a Hang Drum. When can you deliver my future Hang Pan Drum to me?

 

"Who are the actors forming the handpan community?"

For those who discover this musical instrument: first of all, it is necessary to know that the development of the Handpan (sometimes also called Pantam) is today carried out by a global community composed of:

• passionate amateurs meet according to the encounters, playing for themselves, their relatives or on any other occasion
• manufacturers/tunters, called "makers", their hammers become the natural extension of their hands to sculpt the sheet metal and make it a musical instrument
• professional musicians who push the limits of the instrument and are a great source of inspiration for all players
• event organizers, from the smallest family meeting to the festival sometimes bringing together thousands of visitors
• of amateur and professional associations
• other people who bring added value around the instruments by organising discovery/improvement workshops, by selling instruments or by creating accessories.

Participating in this community has positively changed the lives of many of its actors and they all have a passion for discovering their musical instruments and welcoming new members. Of course, and as certainly in all communities, there are also currents, "clubs", people trying to "pull the cover" towards them, and more unfortunately sometimes also scams or people mainly attracted to profit. The arrival of influencers/youtubers becoming resellers or making instruments manufactured at low cost in their name now also affects the world of handpan. Misuse marketing, craftwashing, greenwashing, all of this is also developing with the growing fame of handpan and gradually communicators are becoming more visible than first-time enthusiasts. The best form of protection for newcomers is certainly information and we hope to participate in it to the best of our ability... on our own scale.

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"What is all this vocabulary you use to talk about your handpans?"

If there is a community, there is also a vocabulary that can sometimes lose the people who discover the instrument. Let's start with the name of the instrument, some say handpan, Hang, pantam, hang drum, hangpan, hangpan drum, sound sculpture, cupola, flying saucer... it's likely that I forget:) The most commonly used name is handpan, it refers to the game with the hand and the initial inspiration from the first Trinidad's steel drums. The names using the expression "Hang" refer to the work of the PANArt company, which wanted it not to be used to define a family of musical instruments, out of respect for their work, we do not use them (see the last question in this article for more information).

A few other expressions often used:

dimple - dumpt made in the middle of the notes

ding - means the simple part of the central note of the instrument

gu - vent located on the underside of the instrument used to generate a bass from the inner volume of the instrument. It also makes it possible to re-tread the instrument from the inside.

bottom notes - notes on the shell below the instrument (most often in contact with the knees)

shoulder tones - the highest harmonics that are tuned to the central note, they are played on the edge of the note and are particularly important for determining the quality of an instrument. Some tuners take care to tune them harmonically and others simply leave them in an inharmonic configuration.

maker/tuner - handpan manufacturer

nitrided steel is the raw material used to produce handpans. It is a mild steel (to be stamped) which has been hardened by a heat and chemical treatment in a special furnace. A well-known method in the industry (automotive, tooling, etc.) the use of which for steelpan was initially documented by the company PANArt in the year 2000.

stainless steel 430 / 441 / 4xx - different varieties of ferritic stainless steels used to make handpans. This material opposes nitrided steel and generates a sound gong which is characterized by a long sustain and a more linear "decay".

ember steel - a trade name given by the company Ayasa (Netherlands) to stainless steel shells 441 which they use for themselves or resell to manufacturers not producing their own raw material.

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"How are handpans made? Why do a lot of instruments look the same?"

The manufacture takes place in three stages, a first part consists in designing the object, a second gives life to an instrument which becomes granted and the third consists in the finishing of the sound timbre.

In order to be the subject, some makers choose to do everything by hand and select their steel, others carry out part of the work in a more industrial manner while retaining the selection of their raw material, others finally use shells already formed and available on the market . . . the visual aspect will therefore result from the choices made by the maker. It is the making available of the hulls already formed in the trade that has allowed the multiplication of the number of makers because it is a part of the work that is difficult to carry out but in part it leads to making more instruments that are similar.

To make the musical instrument, after giving the shape, the tuner intervenes to tune each note by the hammering of the steel sheet. This operation is always manual and lasts between 30 minutes and several hours for each instrument.

Finally, the finishing work brought by some makers combines with the characteristics of the raw material to give the character of the final instrument. This final character consists of a "sound stamp" unique to each instrument, from the equilibrium the dynamics of the membranes of the notes, from the alignment of the highest harmonics of the central notes (the shoulders)... All of this goes beyond the simple accuracy of the note-tuning and reveals the level of expertise and care provided by the maker. As in many crafts, this finishing work can take much longer than the two steps described above. It is this stage where time no longer matters that is neglected in all volume-oriented instrument production.

To go further on the work of makers, you can find more information in the "For makers" section.

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"What determines the stamp and the quality of a handpan?"

The following questions may help you to understand certain quality criteria. We write in red some of the characteristics that would be particularly damaging to your future relationship with the instrument.

Is my future handpan granted? This is the very first criterion to be taken into account. Each note has 3 components: a fundamental, an octave and a fifth after the octave. Sometimes the sharpest marks are given with an octave, a third or a quarter instead of the fifth. Perhaps an instrument:

• A decorative instrument found on an e-commerce site that visually resembles a handpan. Badly tuned, this object is simply unplayable.
  
• Barely playable because even given approximately, there are too many non-harmonic components in the notes and this makes the sound unpleasant for the player and his listeners.
  
• The marks are given and the sound is pleasant.
• Pleasant because it is well tuned with additional sound stamp work and a "shoulder tones" tuning (sharpest notes when you play on the edges of the central notes). This is very important because the sound stamp in percussive play will depend a lot on this work of shoulder tones.

Does my future instrument have sustain? This is the duration of each note and an instrument may have:

• A sustain that is too short, imposing an advanced percussive game technique to be appreciable. This category is considered to be somewhat less the "current standard of handpan" but may be particularly suitable for percussionists or persons seeking this type of sound. Such a characteristic would be considered detrimental only to persons who could not have tested other instruments at the time of making their choice.
• A sustain adapted to both a melodic and percussive game. Quality instruments and instruments made of nitrided steel without all in this category.
• A long sustain more suited to slow or meditative play. Too long sustain can be flattering at the first test but sometimes this can create a kind of large "sound dolk" where everything mixes at the same time. It is then necessary to integrate the extinction of the sound into the game and this becomes a very advanced game technique. Stainless steel instruments are said to have the longest sustain.

How is the dynamics of my future handpan? This parameter allows the player to communicate emotion through his game by sometimes playing in a very gentle way and also integrating passages with higher sound volume.

• Ratings that have to be played very hard to be audible or that saturate very quickly when the game is not very strong.
• A dynamic starting very low, a simple touch of the notes will make them vibrate, it facilitates learning for beginners but too strong a game could be tiring from the sound volume of the instrument becoming very strong.
• A very wide dynamic, both from the lowest to the strongest game, although the instrument may require more precision in its touch to reveal its potential.
• A more "compressed" dynamic, even a strong game will not produce a sound that is too strong and potentially tiring.

Is this handpan balanced? Do all the notes sound with the same timbre of sound or do some appear to be dominant the instrument?

• One or more notes are ugly even when they are played smoothly.
• One or more notes seem to have a lesser and/or stronger dynamic and/or sound timbre differences, this may contribute to the character of the instrument but your game will be "colored" by this personality.
• The instrument is very balanced... if it will sometimes be well suited to a musician who seeks to mix the instruments or to give the whole expression himself to his music, sometimes this can be considered a more "clinical" sound and the instrument might lack personality.
• There is a very subtle progression between the two extremes presented above. For a beginner, we consider that the personality of an instrument will contribute to giving the player the desire to play and will therefore inspire his first intuitive "compositions".

What about the coupling between the notes? Coupling is the interaction between the notes during the game. This parameter participates in the balance “equilibrium/character” of a handpan. It is not necessary to seek a total absence of coupling that would remove any relief and subtlety from the instrument.

• One or more couplings between notes do not form a chord or any other coupling too present and dominating the entire instrument (e.g. a coupling of two notes side by side and separated by a half-tone will be troublesome).
• A coupling between neighboring notes forming a chord, this will give texture to the sound and it will have less purity, this contributes to the character of the instrument but it is preferable that this type of coupling is not too marked.
• A coupling between a low note and its octave, colors it is of the instrument, again this results in more character but it must remain possible to play the note without the coupling dominating the entire instrument. The existence of a time limit is therefore preferred between the activation of the note and its coupling. Some inverted couplings (agging to severe) are sometimes very pleasant because they give a warmer sound.

That it finishes at my future instrument? The finish gives the image of the maker's care to his craftsmanship.

• Are the aperture on the bottom hull (Gu) and/or the edge of the instrument sharp or finished and therefore making the instrument pleasant to handle?
• Is the "Gu" granted and consistent with the range of the instrument?
• Is the sound of the hull apart from the notes metallic, "dry" or "mat"?
  
• Is the touch of the instrument silky or coarse?
• Is the edge of the instrument well finished or rough cutting of the hull?
• Is the sheet metal edge all around the instrument provided, fixed in brass, removable and in quality material, or is it a piece of golden plastic with the "bling-bling" effect. The sheet metal edge is appreciated for indoor or recording games because it makes it possible to soften the highest harmonics. It is also good protection during handling or transport.
• Does the instrument have a visual identity? even if it is of course not possible to make this point a criterion.

What future for my instrument?

• It is made of a rust-resistant material (nitride or stainless steel) or it is made of untreated sheet/treatment too fine and therefore requires constant maintenance.
  
• Are there any people who agree to re-agree it close to you or its re-tuning promises to be particularly complicated or expensive?
  
• Could it be easy to exchange if one day I want to change range (this wish is quite common and only quality instruments are easy to exchange).

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"What musical range to choose for my first handpan?"

Each handpan manufacturer offers a list of ranges that it manufactures and sometimes the possibility of requesting the realisation of customised ranges. There are several hundred different ranges of handpan. The names given to the scales are chosen by the manufacturers sometimes in a poetic way, sometimes by taking a name already used by another maker, sometimes to differentiate themselves from the others, sometimes by more or less respecting the names already known in musical theory and sometimes even by taking the names of the musicians of certain videos on youtube (ex: Sam Maher range).... in short, it is very likely that you will find all this a little chaotic and so We made a very detailed article explaining the characteristics of the ranges of handpans and the associated music theory, the presentation given below is less theoretical and more suitable to help choose a range of handpans with an overview of the multiple styles of ranges that exist and their main features.

For a beginner, we recommend being able to test different ranges and, within the same range, different instruments. It is as much the sound timbre, the dynamics of the notes under his own fingers as well as the range of an instrument that often determine the choice for a particular instrument. The “heart” and listening to his intuition are often good criteria. Some scales may seem easier for a beginner to play because they allow an intuitive melodic game. For example, the R / The Hexatonic Minor range is often considered a very good starting point and it is one of the best-selling ranges (this range is sometimes also called D minor, D Celtic minor, D AmaRa or sometimes even Daniel Waples range...).

Before going into detail, it should be noted that the ranges are determined with respect to a tonic note, a starting point. There are usually two tonics per instrument defining two main modes and often confusing people with this instrument. The central note and the second most serious note on the top of the instrument constitute these 2 tonics. The first letter indicated is always the central note and the second is sometimes not indicated, but some gaming names are consistent with the music theory only if one mentions this second tonic which then determines the most complete range truly present on the instrument.

The ranges may be either minor, or major, or based on modes more often used in world music such as so-called Oriental modes:

• the minor lends himself more to a game for oneself (introspective, meditative, relaxing...). To detail more precisely the 4 existing minor modes, it is possible here to refer to the Greek modes whose characteristics and some assessments of their uses are as follows:

- Wind mode, also called natural minor and is seen as a melancholy mode, without tension, soft, calm... used in ballads, rock, pop. This mode is a little in the middle of the cool (darker) and Dorian (lighter) minor modes.
- Dorian mode, t rès used in funk, metal, jazz, rock, medieval, Celtic musical

The most typical minor range is the range called "Kurd" in D with 9x1 notes. In fact, it is an Euwine Re(D) and a Heptatonic Physian (Phrygian) La(A). Kurd being the name of the Phrygian mode in the Oriental music system (Maqâm). transposed a half-tone below and with 8x1 notes, it was the range of handpan played by Sam Maher in the New York City subway that was identified as a C-Aeolian.

• the middle finger lends themselves more to a demonstrative game (communicating others, telling a story through its music, a more cheerful atmosphere).

- The Ionian mode, also simply called major mode and is considered to have a cheerful color, rejoicing, joy, innocence, child language...
- The Lydian mode, u n comic mode, strange, hovering... the brightest mode of all major modes... "more major" than the ionian mode bitch at its 4th augmented mode.
- Mixolydian mode, a u

There is not really a major range considered the most common, Sabye, YshaSavita, Celtic major, Fa major, E/A Lydian, Aegean are classics

• Eastern fashions and more broadly all those with world music accents... they are often invitations to travel, to more mysterious, enchanting music. They are based on:

- The minor harmonic mode (example: harmonic minor, serving as the basis for the Romanceian minor, Ukrainian dorian but also hijaz range...)
- The modes from the Maqâm (the system characterizing Oriental music, example: Hijaz, Hijaz...)
- The very many Indian rabgas (example: raga desh...) but they do not all have "world music" accents and which sometimes just give other names to all the modes mentioned above.

The best known "world" range is the Hijaz range, a name from the Maqâm (a system defining the rules of Oriental music). It is a Kurd range of which only the third party has been increased by half a tone. This creates all the tension and the surprise that characterizes this mode.

Complementary information: Our experience tells us that about 90% of people choose a minor mode for their first handpan. 5% a world/oriental range and 5% a major range. Some trainers recommend R minor ranges to start with as it is one of the great classics and having the same instruments facilitates collective learning. Oriental scales often have a kind of ON/OFF effect, either one falls in love with the game full of surprises that they offer or one does not feel comfortable because too much they are too far removed from one's own musical experience/culture. Finally, some instruments can be both a major and minor depending on the tonic that is considered by playing it but the mode accessible via the central note is often considered to be dominant the handpan (example: D/F Voyager range, D minor and Fa major but the presence of the D at the center reduces the sensation of playing also on a range in F major, the player can of course still succeed in accentuating the tonic in Fa).

When a range is defined as presented above, it must finally be considered that they can be broken down into pentatonic, hexatonic, heptatonic versions . . . more rarely octatonic, decaltonics, chromatics . . . this refers to the number of notes per octaves (be careful not to be confused with the total number of notes of the instrument).

• 5 notes per octave, the range is easy to play with a nice distribution between high and high notes but it is more difficult to get out of the atmosphere imposed by the range. It lends itself well to the style of play dominated by rhythmic and could be boring more quickly for those who wish to keep an intuitive game without working on the technique. The most common pentatonic ranges are Pygmy (minor penta), Aegean (majeur penta), Onoleo (harmonic minor penta)
• Hexatonic. 6 notes per octave, intermediate between pentatonic and heptaton. Only one component is missing (example with the most classic ranges: the second from the La/A is missing in the Celtic Minor range and in the Fa/F Equinox range is the fourth of the Fa that is missing) and this prevents some chords from playing even if this is less marked than for the pentatonic scales.
• 7 notes per octave, more subtleties in melodic games are possible but you will have fewer sharp notes after the repetition of the tonic. The above-present D/A Kurd range is the great classic of this handpan category.
• Octatonic or Decatonic. These are heptatonic modes with in addition one or three chromatic notes. This makes it possible to make rare multi-mode instruments (e.g. Shellopan harmonic minor plus natural minor). On a detatonic instrument, there will be 10 notes per octaves offering melodic and harmonic diversity very rarely achieved on a handpan. Listen to the diversity of melodies from this eastern decatonic range to get an idea.
• 12 notes per octave, it means the whites and blacks of a piano. It's a kind of "handpan grail" but it's also a bad idea to wish this on a single instrument (see the example of the chromatic spacedrum to get an idea for yourself)... For physical reasons, this will be to the detriment of the quality of the overall sound timbre of the instrument. No intuitive game will be possible on such an instrument, and if you are still interested in this type of configuration, you either have to turn to the Steelpan or consider buying 2 to 3 handpans specially adapted to form a chromatic set.

When the range and its number of notes per octave are defined, it is now possible to choose the difference between the central note and the second most serious note. The ratio between these two notes will determine the two main modes dominating your handpan and also the richness of the chords that you can play (the latter parameter varies primarily according to the number of notes per octave on your instrument as was seen in the previous point).

• The most conventional is a deviation of the fifth (example central note in D/D and the next 7 half-tones below and therefore in La/A as in the C'/G'celtic minor or D/A Kurd range).
• A little less classic and very interesting for the presence of the instrument in its low register: the ratio of quarte then of the fifth (example of our center in Si/B and next 5 half-tones further and therefore in Mi/E, then the next in F-/F- as on the B/E Pygmy ranges).
• Even more interesting for the low presence and the chords, a third-party, then quarte ratio, then fifth grade (example: F/Ab Bb C as in the "F Equinox heptatonic" range or without the quarte on the most classic "F Equinox").
• A second ratio is rarer because it gives the impression that the instrument no longer has a central bass and this can sometimes confuse players (e.g. F Akepygnox range), it is also possible to make this configuration by keeping the strong presence of the lower power unit by adding the second, third and fourth or any other of our missing on the underside of the instrument. The result is more complex instruments to take control and make some compromises on sound quality and/or playability (a note projecting sound to the ground will not sound the same as a note on the top of the instrument). Instruments with bottom notes cover more than 2 octaves and offer a very wide variety of games despite the compromises, see for example the Harmonic minor 18.
• Finally, a ratio of one octave between the central note and the next is a configuration in the mode which relies on a reinforced serious presence but without opening up more possibilities of chords. The Yshama Pantam Low F2 Pygmy played by Kabeçao is a very good example of such a configuration.

To go further, here's an article featuring different examples of more than 150 ranges of handpans with more in-depth demonstration videos and theoretical information. Finally, you can also find the opportunity to read this article from David Charrier's blog (musician, blogger and handpan learning workshop animator) where he shares his advice for choosing an instrument. Finally, if you have a prominent instrument and are curious about the features of its range, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Info add-on: If you don't have the opportunity to test scales by yourself, videos posted on the Internet can help. It should be noted, however, that the sound of certain videos and sometimes "masterized" and therefore not natural. It is also common for the instrument to be promoted by a professional musician whose expression impresses without necessarily giving a faithful overview of the instrument itself (the musical expression associated with the dominant technical mastery the "simpler" demonstration of sound). Our experience also tells us that when we receive visitors to choose an instrument and they had pre-selected a handpan in video, in about 50% of the cases, they have a crush with another instrument or range. If you have no alternative but to buy an online instrument, at least always ask for the video demo of the exact instrument you are going to receive and do not accept that of a 'similar' instrument, if a manufacturer does not have time to make a 2-minute video of his instrument, he probably does not have time to do a very great finishing job either.

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"Can I just have a 'low-of-range' handpan to begin with? Or a second-hand handpan?"

As a beginner, it is particularly important to choose a quality instrument. We often meet people who assume that a "low-range" instrument is enough to 'get an idea' before going any further. We think that's a mistake. If a percussionist musician is able to make a very beautiful music with two simple little spoons, it's an art that requires a lot of practice. As a beginner handpan player, you will need the instrument to "carry" you and feel that it "calls" you to play intuitively. It is largely the quality of the sound that allows you to play intuitively with very few notes and without a long learning while causing pleasure in playing and listening. It is this quality of sound that will motivate you to keep the instrument close to you.

Later, after "adopted" his instrument, the intuitive game will fill some and refine their "touch" of the instrument; others will wish to develop melodic compositions and/or work on the rhythmic aspect... The handpan looks (too) simple and with (too) few notes, but a good instrument will go far despite this number of notes that will always be limited. There are courses and workshops to work on rhythmics, composition...

To choose your first handpan, we recommend that you contact a manufacturer, talk to him, feel in line with his gait, test several instruments and choose the instrument that you really feel ready to adopt. Participating in community meetings facilitates the possibility of testing different instruments. Everyone has their own personal preferences regarding sound and scales. These preferences will sometimes be difficult to explain with words. So our best advice for choosing a first handpan is to test several and take the time to listen to your intuition.

The possibility of testing several instruments side by side is rarely possible when looking at second-hand handpan sales and so we can only recommend this solution if you already have a good knowledge of handpans and the appreciation of their quality. We would also like to draw attention to the large amount of very 'diocre' handpans on ad sites such as 'leboncoin'. It is also imperative to ensure that the manufacturer is known to the seller or that other manufacturers will agree to match this second-hand instrument (coders generally refuse to resent instruments not signed by their maker). Even a very little-powered instrument needs to be revised by a tuner before sale.

Finally, we think it is useful to make it clear that the prices of instruments are rarely proportional to their quality, so it is necessary to be able to assess for itself the level of quality of an instrument without basing oneself on this criterion.

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"Is a handpan with 20 or more notes harder to play than a handpan with 10 notes? Do I have to take a handpan with few notes to start?"

For the record, an instrument denoted 9 plus one notes in some may be noted as having 10 scores in others. The more serious an instrument is, the more the notes take up space on the surface, the more complicated it is to put a lot of it. Initially the first Hangs made by PANArt had 8-1 notes before this number was reduced to 7x1, the increase in the number of ratings is an initiative that developed in the handpan world.

The number of notes will determine the extent of the melodic universe (the tessitura) in which you can play with your instrument. In this area, the more notes there are, the more this universe will be extended. The counterpart is that the more notes there are, the more difficult the maker's work will be, the more likely the risk of having bad links between the notes will be present. The sound timbre could lose a little of its crystalline side and thus have a more "draft" texture.

Regarding the ease of playing the instrument when there are more notes, if the notes are all located on the top of the instrument, the most high-pitched notes become more numerous and its notes require a more precise touch. You might get the first impression that the instrument is harder to play, but it's an impression that will fade very quickly with your first progress as a player. It is therefore not necessary to feel limited by this first impression as a beginner.

Another way to increase the number of notes is to add notes on the underside of the instrument. This type of "all-in-one" instrument was originally designed for people who traveled a lot with their instrument and could not have several with them. The touch of the notes below is more delicate for beginners and it takes a little habit to get comfortable. Here again, we should not feel limited by this first impression as a beginner but as the price will rise to sometimes double, it will be useful to ask whether it would not be better to have a second instrument next to the first rather than having all the notes on the two faces of a single... two instruments, it also allows you to play in pairs.

We often talk to players about the fear of getting bored with a pentatonic scale or with an instrument with few notes. Our experience tells us that it is almost equally easy to get bored with an instrument with many more notes. When a player is going around in circles with his instrument, it's just the sign that he has to work on other aspects of his game like the rhythm for example. In the early hours of the Handpan, musicians made an entire album with a single 9-note instrument.

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"What musical range to choose to have two complementary handpans?"

This issue always happens when a person wishes to acquire a second instrument or two people wish to play together. This question has no answer applicable to all, and we can see three lines of answer according to the profile of each:

I want to add a few notes to my current instrument: this allows you to change the range of my handpan by replacing one or the other of the notes of my handpan. The second instrument will only be used for this purpose and any range with the notes you wish to change/add will be welcome.

- I want to be able to play intuitively with other people: playing intuitively requires having a lot of notes in common. Two handpans with the same notes, one with a grave register and a more extensive one to the sharps give very good results. If one or two notes are not in common, it is not blocking, if there is more, the game will become more difficult and less intuitive.

- I want to play or compose alone or several of the pieces of music: composing your chromatic set may be made for you, each instrument will have to have a minimum of notes in common. It should be noted that placing notes will make it difficult to work memorize and that some sequences of notes could be difficult to achieve.

It's up to you to figure out which of these categories corresponds most to you in order to find your second instrument. It is sometimes also useful to consider the sound stamp of an instrument to choose the right complement, and I recommend that you consider quality-level instruments that they be close to you or to be able to test the rendering before purchase.

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"Can I buy a good handpan in music stores or on the Internet?"

From an artisanal instrument made by two people in the world in the year 2000, he inspired new passionate craftsmen to develop other creations from 2008 and he now sees people arriving who wish to industrialize his production and its sale. This is certainly what happened to many other creations before him... Is that normal or acceptable? To take a stand on these issues when we ourselves are manufacturers is to open a debate that may lack neutrality... To say nothing is to condone... So here we are writing an opinion that must be seen as coming from passionate manufacturers involved in the handpan community since its early hours.

Why would an industrially or mass-produced handpan be worse than an artisanal instrument? We believe that one step in its manufacture requires taking a lot of care and it is the one that transforms a metal object producing sound into a real musical instrument. This step is the finishing, the work of the sound timbre of the notes, of the character of the instrument... it goes beyond the simple tuning of a note that is quite easy to obtain. It's a subtle job where time no longer matters and that's what we feel is uncompatible with the production logic needed to power wholesalers and music stores.

As we explained at the beginning of the article, we believe that beginner players need a good instrument while an experienced percussionist will be able to make a very beautiful music with two simple small spoons (of course, they will certainly prefer very good instruments). We've met too many people who have bought a bad handpan in a music store or in classified ads and who have never managed to have fun playing. Worse, some felt devalued because they were unable to make music pleasant with this instrument when it is reputed to be the most suitable for giving pleasure to make music through its intuitive learning.

As the "market price" of a handpan has historically been established on the manufacturer's direct-seller channel, handpans sold in music stores or online sales sites are often sold more expensive than the price that a connoisseur would agree to invest in terms of the quality of the products presented. If you want to buy an instrument on an online sales site, we invite you to ask for a video of the exact instrument (not that of a similar instrument) that you are going to receive and to check what are the conditions for re-tuning your instrument. In a music store, you will have the opportunity to compare yourself by yourself if there are several instruments available, but it must be remembered that the order of prices does not reflect the quality of the instruments resold by this distribution channel.

Handpans from China and on sale or promotion on facebook, Amazon, aliexpress, alibaba are very mostly decorative objects and have not been the subject of any serious tuning work.

Since 2021 in France, dropshipping sites will make you believe that they are producers, importers or resellers of handpans when in fact they are simply ordering for you a handpan in China that they will have you delivered directly. These sites are misleading because they make you believe that these are French companies and use names like handpan-france. All of these websites have in common that they have no names, exact addresses and identifiers of their companies that can be found on their website. They also use fake customer comments... It's a kind of digest of all the fashionable scams on the Internet. Even Google must be considered dubious because it favors the referencing of those who pay without any qualitative criteria, be very vigilant about what will be displayed first by typing "handpan france" on Google, whether it's an announcement or not.

Since 2022, it is also the turn of Internet content influencers/creators to enter massively on the resale business of handpans that they do not manufacture themselves. Some will have them made in China before putting their own names on it or others will promise to know what the right handpan is to allow you to participate in their online courses. It's up to everyone to feel what are the real motivations behind these multiple promises.

Finally, some vendors offer "Tong drums" in the same category as handpans. These are two totally different instruments, vibrating slats produce the sound of tongue drums and membranes carved into the steel sheet do it for handpans. The richness of the sound and its living side are not at all comparable. This does not prevent the tongue drums from being able to be pretty musical instruments, but they cannot be compared.

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"But where can I buy a good handpan?"

It's very simple: directly at a manufacturer's. (often called "maker")

Some makers make the ranges of their choice before making their instruments available for sale in their workshops, by correspondence or at festivals. If you can move around, this is always preferable as it gives you the advantage of being able to test several instruments while meeting the manufacturer.

Other manufacturers prefer to take orders mainly and they give you the pleasure of having a custom-made instrument for you.

Some also sell via resellers during introductory courses, and some prefer to make flash sales (the first to click, buy the instrument) or resell music stores.

It is very likely that there will be enough to satisfy all forms of needs today and that you will be able to find the instrument that will accompany you.

 

 

"Should I take lessons to learn how to play"

The handpan is an easy-to-handle musical instrument and everyone will discover after a few hours of practice their own intuitive music. There is no musical basis for learning handpan, it is truly an instrument accessible to all. We recommend discovering your intuitive music as a first approach to the instrument and many players remain on this level of play that brings individual pleasure even if it does not correspond to the usual rigour of the standards of musical composition. Of course, you might also have the wish to work on the more rhythmic side of the instrument or compose your own music in a more structured way, for that course could then become useful.

We also wrote an article that details how to learn how to play handpan.

 

 

"Are the Shellopan handpans of PANArt's Hang?"

As the founder of the Shellopan project, I (Matthew) wish to speak at the beginning of 2025 on the question of the differentiation of my handpans from PANArt's Hang. This statement also aims to defend my values as a passionate craftsman against ongoing legal conflicts among European neighbours and between manufacturers and resellers of handpans and PANArt.

1. A profession inspired by the work of PANArt

The research and publications of Sabina Schaerer and Felix Rohner (PANArt), notably on nitrided steel and the creation of the Hang in the year 2000, were essential inspirations for my handpan manufacturing activity.

2. My handpicescious production

While the Hang was considered by its creators as a sound sculpture, the handpans pursued a development, more inscribing them in the landscape of musical instruments. There is now a large musician community, made up of amateur players, professional musicians, music groups performing in public and who market their musical works.

The aspirations of each craftsman, the development of technical know-how and the consideration of the wishes of the musicians have allowed the development of handpans with distinct characteristics at the level of the tessiture, the stamp, the sustain or the dynamics... This diversity, as well as the coexistence of many independent craftsmen, allows for the best accessibility of handpans and services, participate in the development of a community of enthusiasts and promote a continuous innovation approach.

I consider that the artisanal production of my handpans gives them a visual and sound identity that differs from industrial production and therefore I cannot consider my handpans to be copies/plagiates of the Hang.

My handpans produced by handicrafts are distinguished in particular by:

• the broadening of the tessiture by the addition of notes and an extensive exploration of the high and acute registers that the instruments can reach,
• a diversity of shapes of the membranes, their borders, and tuning techniques promoting the diversity of stamps and the dynamics of the notes,
• materials allowing a diversity of sound stamps (stainless steel, nitrided steel)
• taking into account the physical constraints resulting from the presence of a semi-closed cavity to limit interference.
• surface finishes as well as interstitial structures making it possible to give a distinct visual identity to each instrument.

I consider that these developments have contributed to a differentiation of my Shellopan handpans in relation to the Hang in visual, sound and playfulness.

3. 3. Ongoing legal conflicts

Since 2020, a legal dispute has been under way in Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands. It deals with intellectual property issues related to the design of the Hang and between a group of manufacturers/sellers of handpans with a funding structure known as HCU at PANArt. From July to September 2024, the conflict, involving some 15 actors, was the subject of a judgement and subsequent appeal proceedings. Immediately after the opening of this appeal procedure, PANArt sent a letter to a majority of handpan manufacturers in France, although they were not taking part in this legal dispute, to inform them of its intention to enforce its copyright at the end of the appeal procedure. Although such a letter was regarded as a call for more emancipation, it highlighted the ambiguity of a situation where no one knows what a judge will consider to be the precise perimeter of copyright.

As an independent craftsman, I can only deplore the legal approach initiated by HCU, which seemed to favour a strategy of prolonged and costly confrontation. These legal actions in other countries, for which I have no influence, could have an impact on my profession. The subject of visual emancipation has never been the subject of direct debate between craftsmen and PANArt. The establishment of a fair and party-friendly framework should remain a priority objective and the search for diplomatic solutions for harmonious coexistence between PANArt and artisanal manufacturers.

4. Innovative and respectful craftsmanship

I consider that my craft is already engaged in a continuous innovation approach that includes the issue of visual emancipation in relation to the Hang. I note the encouragement of PANArt to continue on even more creative paths and my creations hear:

• Respect the inspiration received from PANArt by continuing to innovate in my art craftsmanship practice.
• Pursue the development of my own designs, materials and techniques in order to ensure the strongest and most differentiated identity of my creations.
• Focus on instrument manufacturing
• including notes on the bottom of the instrument (bottom notes)
• and/or with decenter the lowest note
• and/or with off-center of the vent of the lower hull
• and/or the addition of a second row of notes (configuration called cyclop or mutant)
• and/or implement any other element of visual differentiation for instruments which would be validly considered to be too close to the initial design of PANArt's Hang.
• Propose for sale of instruments which are always identifiable and signed.
• Individual and/or collectively promote artisanal work and combat current industrial and commercial drifts.
• Work to establish and maintain a sincere and respectful dialogue with PANArt that will enable all actors to prosper harmoniously.

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"Okay, I've figured it out in your explanation... I'd like to buy a Hang Drum. I heard that the Swiss were no longer making any more. When can you deliver my future Hang Pan Drum?"

We wrote the question humorously by compiling some of the demands we sometimes hear:)

The Hang is a registered trademark name belonging to PANArt (CH). The Hang is not the generic name of a musical instrument family. It is a sound sculpture which, by virtue of its design, is unique and inimitable. No instrument of the handpan family has the same sound stamp as the Hang (even if they have the common feature of being made of metal and playable with the hands). PANArt was a pioneer and the results of the research they shared when the Hang was created inspired many current manufacturers (including members of the Shellopan team). For this reason, they enjoy great respect within the Handpan community even if some tumultuous relationships regarding emancipation issues sometimes generate some tension and many legends.

PANArt still manufactures musical instruments. If your wish is to get one of their creations, the best way is, of course, to contact them directly.

 

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article written by Matthieu, founder of the Shellopan cooperative