Choosing a scale
How to pick a first scale, avoid boredom, and choose a second instrument or a scale that works with other musicians.
Scales and music theory
Everything about the fixed note set at the heart of the instrument: how layouts work, what the scale families sound like, how to choose one, and the small amount of theory that actually pays off.
The scale is the single most consequential decision in owning a handpan, and the single worst documented. Names were coined ad hoc by individual makers over twenty odd years with no registry and no agreed definitions, so two instruments sold under the same name can genuinely have different notes. Every note layout published in this section was verified against maker sites and curated scale databases before it went in, and where sources disagree or only one source exists, that is stated on the entry rather than smoothed over.
If you are here to buy your first instrument, read SCA-17 and SCA-09, then come back for the rest.
Contents#
Understanding scales · SCA-01 to SCA-08#
| ID | Question | Level |
|---|---|---|
| SCA-01 | What is a handpan scale, and why is the instrument fixed to one? | beginner |
| SCA-02 | How do I read a handpan note layout? | beginner |
| SCA-03 | Why do the notes zigzag rather than run round in order? | beginner |
| SCA-04 | What does a name like “D Kurd 9” or “C# Annaziska 10” actually mean? | beginner |
| SCA-05 | Why does the same scale name differ between makers? | beginner |
| SCA-06 | What does a 9 note, 10 note or 12 note instrument actually give me? | beginner |
| SCA-07 | What do bottom notes and mutants add? | intermediate |
| SCA-08 | Is more notes better? | beginner |
Scale directory · SCA-09 to SCA-16#
| ID | Question | Level |
|---|---|---|
| SCA-09 | What is D Kurd, and why is it the default recommendation? | beginner |
| SCA-10 | What are the minor family scales? | beginner |
| SCA-11 | What are the major and bright scales? | beginner |
| SCA-12 | What are the exotic and Middle Eastern scales? | intermediate |
| SCA-13 | What are pentatonic scales like Pygmy and Akebono, and why are they so forgiving? | beginner |
| SCA-14 | What changes when the same scale is built low or high? | intermediate |
| SCA-15 | What about rare and custom scales? | advanced |
| SCA-16 | Is there a quick reference table of the common scales? | beginner |
Choosing a scale · SCA-17 to SCA-22#
| ID | Question | Level |
|---|---|---|
| SCA-17 | How do I choose my first scale? | beginner |
| SCA-18 | Should my first handpan be minor or major? | beginner |
| SCA-19 | How do I choose a scale I will not get bored of? | intermediate |
| SCA-20 | Does the scale limit what music I can play? | beginner |
| SCA-21 | How do I choose a second handpan that complements the first? | intermediate |
| SCA-22 | How do I pick a scale for playing with other instruments and voices? | intermediate |
Music theory for handpan · SCA-23 to SCA-26#
| ID | Question | Level |
|---|---|---|
| SCA-23 | How much music theory do I actually need? | beginner |
| SCA-24 | How do I find the chords available in my scale and use them? | intermediate |
| SCA-25 | How do I transpose, or think in modes, on a fixed instrument? | advanced |
| SCA-26 | How do I write down and notate handpan music? | intermediate |
A standing caveat on note layouts#
Handpan scale naming is genuinely inconsistent between makers. Celtic and Amara are used interchangeably. Kurd, Aeolian and Annaziska overlap heavily. Sabye and Ashakiran describe the same major family idea. Hijaz varies so much between builders that two instruments under that name may share fewer notes than you would expect. Isthmus Instruments reports having catalogued well over 200 distinct scale names since the instrument’s invention, many of them near duplicates.
Never buy on a scale name alone. Ask the maker for the full written note list with octave numbers, and for a recording of the actual instrument. A seller who will not provide both has told you something useful.
See also: 06 Buying, 03 Anatomy and construction, 07 Playing and technique
Music theory for handpan
How much theory you need, how to find your chords, how to think in modes on a fixed instrument, and how to write handpan music down.
Handpan scale directory
The main scale families, what they sound like, verified note layouts where they could be checked, and honest flags where makers disagree.
Understanding handpan scales
What a handpan scale is, how to read a note layout, what the naming format means, and what note count actually buys you.