Handpan versus other instruments
How the handpan differs from the steel tongue drum, the Trinidadian steelpan and the RAV Vast, and how it compares with a singing bowl or a kalimba if you are choosing your first instrument.
Fundamentals
What a handpan is, what to call it, and how it differs from the instruments it gets confused with. Start here if you have just discovered the instrument.
Files in this section#
| File | Questions | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| What is a handpan? | FUN-01 to FUN-08 | The instrument itself: construction, sound, classification, size, learnability |
| Naming and terminology | FUN-09 to FUN-14 | Handpan, Hang, “hang drum”, pantam, trademarks and etiquette |
| Handpan versus other instruments | FUN-15 to FUN-18 | Tongue drums, steelpans, the RAV Vast, singing bowls and kalimbas |
Contents#
What is a handpan?#
| ID | Question | Level |
|---|---|---|
| FUN-01 | What is a handpan? | beginner |
| FUN-02 | What does a handpan sound like, and why do people describe it as ethereal? | beginner |
| FUN-03 | Is a handpan a drum or a melodic instrument? | beginner |
| FUN-04 | How many notes does a handpan have? | beginner |
| FUN-05 | How big and how heavy is a handpan? | beginner |
| FUN-06 | Is the handpan hard to learn? | beginner |
| FUN-07 | Do I need any musical background to play one? | beginner |
| FUN-08 | Is the handpan a real instrument or a novelty? | beginner |
Naming and terminology#
| ID | Question | Level |
|---|---|---|
| FUN-09 | What is the difference between a handpan, a Hang and a “hang drum”? | beginner |
| FUN-10 | Where did the word “handpan” come from? | beginner |
| FUN-11 | Why does PANArt object to the word “drum”? | intermediate |
| FUN-12 | What other names does the instrument go by? | beginner |
| FUN-13 | Is “handpan” trademarked? | intermediate |
| FUN-14 | What should I call it when I am talking to a maker? | beginner |
Handpan versus other instruments#
| ID | Question | Level |
|---|---|---|
| FUN-15 | What is the difference between a handpan and a steel tongue drum? | beginner |
| FUN-16 | What is the difference between a handpan and a steelpan (steel drum)? | beginner |
| FUN-17 | How does a RAV Vast compare with a handpan? | beginner |
| FUN-18 | If I am a beginner choosing between a handpan, a singing bowl and a kalimba, what should I know? | beginner |
Where to go next#
- 02 History for where the instrument came from and how the movement grew.
- 06 Buying if you have decided you want one.
- 13 Related instruments for a fuller treatment of the neighbours.
Naming and terminology
Handpan, Hang, “hang drum”, pantam and sound sculpture: where the words came from, which ones are trademarks, and which ones will get you a frosty reply.
What is a handpan?
The first eight questions: what the instrument is, what it sounds like, what family it belongs to, how big it is, and whether you can actually learn it.