Speaking of the HandPan, that object resembling a flying saucer which has been consistently breaking its own sales records for a few years now, we're not just talking about music, but also about frequency, sound, vibration, and well-being!



Conceived in the early 2000s by Swiss artisans Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer, the handpan is a testament to innovative craftsmanship.
A typical handpanelodious steelpans of the Caribbean and the resonant gongs of Asia, they designed an instrument of unique allure, featuring a convex shape and a surface forged from nitrided steel.





To play the handpan, musicians gently tap its surface with their fingers or palms, eliciting a range of tones from distinct areas. These notes harmonize to produce a rich, enveloping scale. A typical handpan boasts 7 to 12 notes, each meticulously tuned to a specific musical scale, offering a symphony of sound in each touch.

It offers a comprehensive program of experiences and has the huge advantage of being extremely easy to use.
For many new customers and users, it only takes a few weeks to achieve true harmonic feats, the Handpan is also very recommended to propose a good start to children, in the realm of music.



Nikola Tesla once said, "If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration."
One can imagine that this genius of modern times would have been a great advocate of this fantastic musical instrument.

One of the great features of the Handpan is its tuning frequency set to 432Hz, a frequency in harmony with that of the Earth according to many studies.
Since ancient times, from ancient Greece to ancient Egypt, musical instruments were all tuned to this frequency of the "A" note. However, in 1940, at the beginning of World War II, the USA decided (without any evidence or reasons) to tune the "A" to the frequency of 440Hz, which has since become the standard, although this seems to be evolving.



So, the Handpan is also about a return to the almost "sacred" origin of this frequency used by the greatest classical composers of our era.
It is also, according to its design, a powerful resonance box that, when played, allows one to strongly feel the beauty and vibration of the notes in one's hands and chest, leading to the "well-being" aspect of this instrument.

Through its sensory capabilities and ease of mastery, many players use the Handpan as a support in meditation activities, much like Tibetan singing bowls.
Everything is set for more and more of us, starting with me(!), to dive headlong into exploring our musical abilities by adopting one of these magnificent instruments.



However, a word of advice, go try one out in one of the many shops offering the instrument in Brussels. Here are a few, along with some absolute references for hassle-free online purchases! Now, I'll return to my Handpan to attempt to reproduce the music from Interstellar. I'm almost there...^^

Some Handpan expert locations in Brussels and on the web:

AOS Handpan
Tour & Taxis, Avenue du port 86c - Brussels
+32 475 61 08 20 // [email protected]

Wonderlhang - rent, courses, workshops
Jessis Cherry +32 497 75 27 18 // [email protected]
https://www.wonderlhang.be/

Handpan Academy Brussels
Mechelsesteenweg - 303 - 2830 Willebroek (North of Brussels)
[email protected]

Star's Music
Rue du Midi, 143 - Brussels
+32 26 81 13 38 // [email protected]

And for a very beautiful and high-end Handpad, go to Yishama