Handpan scale directory

A note on the layouts in this file. Every note list below was checked against at least one maker or curated scale database, and most against two or more independent sources. Handpan scale naming is not standardised (see SCA-05), so where sources disagreed, or where only one source existed, it is said so explicitly. Treat any layout here as a representative example, not a specification. Always confirm the actual note list with your own maker before buying.

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SCA-09What is D Kurd, and why is it the default recommendation?#

beginner

Short answer. D Kurd is a D natural minor (Aeolian) set, most commonly built as nine notes: D3 / A3 Bb3 C4 D4 E4 F4 G4 A4. It is recommended constantly because it is complete, chord rich, deeply supported by tutorials and recordings, and it holds resale value better than almost anything else.

This layout is one of the few in the handpan world that is genuinely consistent across makers. It was verified here against Isthmus Instruments’ scale database, the Mudra scale player, and two independent scale guides, all giving the same eight tone fields.

What makes it work musically is that it contains the whole natural minor scale with no gaps, plus a repeated A at both the bottom and top of the tone circle. That completeness is why it yields so many usable chords. From the standard nine note layout you get, at minimum:

• D minor (D, F, A) using the ding and two fields
• F major (F, A, C)
• B flat major (Bb, D, F)
• C major (C, E, G)
• A minor (A, C, E)
• G minor (G, Bb, D)

That is enough harmony to play a very large amount of Western popular and folk music, and enough to accompany a singer convincingly. The B flat is the note that distinguishes D Kurd from D Celtic/Amara, which omits it, and it is the reason Kurd has the fuller harmonic palette of the two.

The ecosystem argument matters as much as the music. More handpan tutorials, tab, backing tracks and duet arrangements are written for D Kurd than for any other scale. If you want to learn from YouTube or a course, D Kurd removes a layer of friction. It is also the easiest scale to sell on, because demand for it is permanent.

The honest counterargument: D Kurd is everywhere, and some players find it sounds generic precisely because they have heard it so often. It is also unambiguously minor and can feel relentlessly melancholic if that is not the mood you want. Neither of these is a reason to avoid it for a first instrument. Both are good reasons to think harder for a second.

Going deeper. D Kurd extends cleanly. D Kurd 10 adds C5 at the top (D3 / A3 Bb3 C4 D4 E4 F4 G4 A4 C5), verified in two sources. D Kurd 12 continues with D5 and E5. Larger versions typically add F3 and G3 as low fields or bottom notes.

See also: SCA-10, SCA-17

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SCA-10What are the minor family scales?#

beginner

Short answer. The minor family is the largest group and the one most beginners buy from. It covers Kurd and Aeolian (full natural minor), Celtic and Amara (natural minor with the sixth degree omitted), Integral (natural minor with a degree dropped for openness), Equinox and Mystic (minor sets with a wider, more suspended feel), and the various minor pentatonics covered separately in SCA-13.

Kurd / Aeolian / Annaziska. These three names all commonly describe a natural minor note set, and are frequently interchangeable. As a rough tendency, Annaziska is applied to C# roots and Kurd to D and E roots, with Aeolian used when a maker prefers the theoretical term. Verified examples:

• D Kurd 9: D3 / A3 Bb3 C4 D4 E4 F4 G4 A4 (multiple sources agree)
• E Kurd: E / B C D E F# G A B (Isthmus and Mudra agree on the core)
• C# Annaziska 9: C# / G# A B C# D# E F# G# (Isthmus and Mudra agree exactly)
• F Kurd: F / C Db Eb F G Ab Bb C (single source, Isthmus; transposes consistently)

Character: complete, structured, harmonically rich, unmistakably minor.

Celtic and Amara. These two names are used interchangeably by makers, and Saraz credits Pantheon Steel with coining “Celtic Minor” for handpans around 2012. The defining move is dropping the sixth degree of the natural minor scale, the B flat in D minor, which removes one of the two semitone steps and opens the sound out. Verified examples:

• D Celtic / D Amara: D / A C D E F G A C (Isthmus and Mudra agree; some builds end on a high D instead of C)
• B Amara 9: B2 / F#3 A3 B3 C#4 D4 E4 F#4 A4 (Isthmus and Mudra agree exactly)

Character: flowing, open, wistful rather than heavy. Slightly easier to improvise on than Kurd because there is one less note that can sound leaning or unresolved. Slightly fewer chords for the same reason.

Integral. A minor set with a scale degree deliberately omitted to create space. Isthmus gives D Integral as D / A Bb C D E F A C, dropping the G. Be aware that other sellers publish a materially different note list under the same name, so Integral is a scale to confirm before buying.

Equinox. A minor family set with a distinctive suspended quality, often described as simultaneously contemplative and hopeful. Verified: E Equinox E / G B C D E F# G B (Isthmus and Mudra agree). The pitch content is E natural minor with the fourth degree, the A, left out, which is what produces the open, suspended quality: with no fourth there is no strong pull back to the tonic.

Where Hijaz sits. Hijaz is technically a minor family scale, built on a harmonic minor or Phrygian dominant foundation, but it sounds so different that it is treated separately in SCA-12.

See also: SCA-09, SCA-16

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SCA-11What are the major and bright scales?#

beginner

Short answer. Sabye and Ashakiran are the two most common major family handpan names, both essentially major scale sets with a fourth degree placed low in the tone circle. Ionian is the theoretical name for the same thing. Golden Gate and Magic Voyage are maker coinages with more specific characters. And Pygmy, despite sounding bright to many ears, is not a major scale.

Sabye. The best established major family name. Verified: E Sabye E / A B C# D# E F# G# B (Isthmus, corroborated in pitch content by Mudra’s E Sabye (Major) 17). That is E major, with the A (the fourth) sitting as the lowest tone field below the ding, which is what gives Sabye its lift: you get a IV chord under the tonic. Other verified roots include C Sabye C / F G A B C D E G and F Sabye F / Bb C D E F G A C, both single source (Isthmus), so confirm before buying. Character: warm, uplifted, resolved, good for singing over.

Ashakiran. Isthmus states that Ashakiran is another name for the Sabye idea, and the Mudra database labels its C Ashakiran as “(Major)”. Verified example: D Ashakiran D / G A B C# D E F# A (single source, Isthmus), which is D major with the G fourth below. Treat Sabye and Ashakiran as the same family under different labels.

Ionian. This is simply the theoretical name for the major scale. A few makers list “Ionian” instruments, but there is no distinct handpan Ionian layout convention separate from Sabye, Ashakiran or plain “Major”. No maker specific Ionian layout could be verified for this entry. If you see an instrument sold as Ionian, ask for the note list and expect a major scale.

Golden Gate. A Pantheon Steel coinage that has been picked up by other makers. Verified: C Golden Gate C3 / E3 G3 B3 C4 D4 F#4 G4 as eight notes (Isthmus), with the nine note version adding B4 (Mudra). Note the F#: this is not a plain C major but a Lydian flavoured set rooted in G major, which is exactly what gives Golden Gate its floating, cinematic quality. Isthmus describes it as expressive and emotionally weighty despite the bright intervals.

Magic Voyage. A pentatonic minor set despite the sunny name, described by HaganeNote as very close to Low Pygmy and built around a minor seventh chord. HaganeNote gives E: E G B D E F# G B D, F: F Ab C Eb F G Ab C, G: G Bb D F G A Bb D. This is a single source, and a different retailer publishes a completely different note list under the same name. Confirm carefully.

Why Pygmy is not major. Pygmy is a minor pentatonic. It sounds bright and open because pentatonic scales contain no semitone clashes at all, not because it contains a major third over its root. Players routinely mislabel it. See SCA-13.

See also: SCA-18

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SCA-12What are the exotic and Middle Eastern scales?#

intermediate

Short answer. Hijaz is the main one, a harmonic minor or Phrygian dominant flavoured set with a distinctive augmented second step that instantly reads as Middle Eastern. Around it sit Romanian Hijaz, Raga Desh, Onoleo and various one off maker names. These are the scales where naming is least reliable and verification matters most.

Hijaz. The name comes from the maqam Hijaz of Arabic music, and the sound comes from an augmented second, a gap of three semitones between adjacent scale degrees. Where that gap falls depends on how the set is read: between the flattened second and the major third in a Phrygian dominant reading, and between the flattened sixth and the leading note in the harmonic minor sets that most handpan Hijaz layouts actually use. Saraz describes it as spicy, suspenseful and sensual, and notes it was popularised on early PANArt Hang instruments before spreading to essentially every builder.

Hijaz is the least standardised common scale in the handpan world. Verified layouts from different sources genuinely conflict:

• Isthmus gives D Hijaz as D / G A Bb C# D E F A
• Isthmus gives A2 Hijaz as A / D E F G# A B C E
• The Mudra database’s D Hijaz and A2 Hijaz have materially different note content from both of the above

Both are real instruments sold as Hijaz. Neither source is wrong; the name simply covers a range. If you want a specific Hijaz sound, get the note list and play a recording before committing.

Romanian Hijaz. A recognised variant where the lowest side note sits a fourth above the ding. Saraz notes it is also called Ukrainian Dorian in Eastern European contexts. Verified: E Romanian Hijaz E / A B C D# E F# G B (Isthmus; Mudra’s twenty note version has consistent pitch content).

Hijaz Kar. In maqam theory, Hijaz Kar is the double harmonic scale, with augmented seconds in both tetrachords. Some retailers list handpans under variations of this name. No consistent maker published Hijaz Kar handpan layout could be verified for this entry. If offered one, treat the name as descriptive of intent and insist on the note list.

Raga Desh. Named after the Hindustani raga. Verified: C# Raga Desh 9 C#3 / F3 F#3 G#3 B3 C#4 F4 F#4 G#4 (single source, the Mudra database). The character is drone like and modal, with the repeated fourth and flattened seventh giving it a strong Indian classical colour. Single source, so confirm.

Onoleo. A maker coinage with a dark, unsettled quality. Verified: B2 Onoleo 9 B2 / F#3 G3 B3 D#4 E4 F#4 G4 B4 (single source, Mudra), which combines a minor second above the fifth with a major third, an unusual and quite striking combination. Also built in C as a sixteen note. Single source, so confirm.

Annaziska. Despite the exotic sounding name, this is a natural minor set, usually on C#. It belongs with the minor family in SCA-10, and is listed here only because buyers often assume the name signals something unusual.

Blues. Handpans are occasionally described as having a blues scale, meaning a minor pentatonic with an added flattened fifth. No maker published handpan blues layout could be verified for this entry. The blue note is a semitone away from two of its neighbours, which is difficult to place on a handpan without introducing exactly the clashing adjacency the layout normally avoids. Where blues playing happens on handpan, it is usually done on a minor pentatonic instrument such as Pygmy, with the blue note implied by phrasing rather than present as a field.

See also: SCA-15, SCA-05

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SCA-13What are pentatonic scales like Pygmy and Akebono, and why are they so forgiving?#

beginner

Short answer. Pentatonic scales contain five distinct pitches instead of seven. In the anhemitonic kind, which includes Pygmy, no two are a semitone apart, so there are no harsh intervals and every combination sounds consonant. Akebono is the hemitonic kind and does contain a semitone. Either way a complete beginner can play one for ten minutes and sound like they know what they are doing, because the number of ways to go wrong is very small.

The mechanism is worth understanding because it explains a lot about the handpan generally. In a seven note scale there are two places where adjacent degrees sit a semitone apart, and those two places are where dissonance and tension come from. They are also what gives a scale its pull towards a home note. Remove them, as Pygmy and the other anhemitonic pentatonics do, and you get a scale with no built in tension, no strong pull, and no wrong combinations: you can strike any two fields simultaneously and get a pleasant interval, every time.

Pygmy. A minor pentatonic, popular from the earliest Hang days. Saraz notes the name was probably first attached to handpans by PANArt in the early 2000s. Verified layouts:

• F Pygmy: F / G Ab C Eb F G Ab C (Isthmus)
• F2 Low Pygmy 9: F2 / F G Ab C Eb F G Ab (Isthmus and Mudra agree in content)
• G Pygmy: G / A Bb D F G A Bb D (Isthmus)
• C# Pygmy 17: C# / (D E) F# G# A (B) C# (D) E F# G# A (B C# D E) (Isthmus and Mudra agree exactly)

Saraz describes three structural forms of Pygmy, differing in the interval from the ding to the first side note, which is another reason the name alone is insufficient.

Akebono. A Japanese pentatonic. Saraz calls it hypnotic, majestic and simultaneously haunting, and notes that it has no fixed tonic, so any note in the set can function as the root. Verified layouts:

• F# Akebono: F# / B C# D F# G B C# (Saraz) or F# / B C# D F# G B C# D (Isthmus, eight fields)
• G Akebono: G / C D Eb G Ab C D (Saraz) or with an added Eb (Isthmus)
• D Akebono: D / G A Bb D Eb G A (Saraz)

Note that Akebono contains a semitone (the flattened second above its functional root), so it is not quite as blandly safe as Pygmy. That semitone is exactly what gives it its distinctive, slightly aching Japanese colour.

The trade off. Fewer distinct pitches means fewer chords and fewer melodies. Pentatonic pans are wonderful for meditative playing, sound bath work and effortless improvisation, and they are limited for accompanying songs or playing with other musicians in a fixed key. Some players find them liberating for years. Others find them one dimensional within months. The variable is what you want the instrument for.

See also: SCA-19, SCA-22

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SCA-14What changes when the same scale is built low or high?#

intermediate

Short answer. Pitch changes the physical instrument, not just the sound. Lower dings need larger shells and larger tone fields, which means more weight, longer sustain, deeper bass and less projection of the melody. Higher dings give brighter, more articulate, more cutting instruments that are lighter and easier to travel with.

Handpan roots in common circulation run roughly from A2 up to G3, with F2 and G2 instruments at the deep end and occasional higher builds above that. Broadly:

Very low (A2, B2, C3, and F2/G2 specialist builds). Big shells, big fields, long sustain, a genuinely chest resonating bass. These are superb for meditation, sound bath and solo ambient work, where the ding acts as a drone that hangs in the room for many seconds. They are heavy, they are usually more expensive because the shells are harder to build, and the melodic notes can feel slow and slightly indistinct. Rhythmic playing is harder because the fields keep ringing into each other.

Low middle (C#3, D3). The most popular territory, and D3 in particular is the reference point for the whole instrument. Enough bass to feel grounded, enough clarity for fast melodic work, and a shell size most people can carry comfortably. C#3 sits a semitone lower and is noticeably warmer for a small change.

Middle and high (E3, F3, F#3, G3). Brighter, faster, more articulate. Notes speak immediately and decay sooner, which makes rhythmic and percussive playing much easier and cleaner. Higher pans project well in a group and are less likely to be swallowed by a guitar or a drum. They are lighter to carry. The cost is less bass weight, and some listeners find them a little thin or nervous compared to a D.

Three practical consequences:

1. Sustain and damping. Low instruments require more active damping technique. If you like busy, rhythmic playing, a higher root will flatter you.
2. Vocal range. If you intend to sing over the instrument, the root matters enormously. A low voice sits well over C#3 or D3; a higher voice may find E3 or F3 easier to pitch against without the ding muddying the low end.
3. Ensemble. In a mixed group, low handpans compete with bass guitar, cajon and kick drums for the same frequency space. A higher pitched pan cuts through and stays audible.

Going deeper. Key is not the same as scale. A D Kurd and a C# Annaziska share a nearly identical interval structure and will feel almost the same under the hands, but they sound meaningfully different in the room. Conversely two instruments in the same key with different scales feel completely different to play. Decide the mood (the scale) first, then the weight (the pitch).

See also: SCA-22, SCA-06

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SCA-15What about rare and custom scales?#

advanced

Short answer. Beyond the twenty or so names in common circulation there are hundreds of rare and one off scales, many created for a single player. They are worth pursuing only when you know exactly what you need, because they are harder to buy, harder to learn from and much harder to sell.

Isthmus Instruments reports having catalogued well over 200 distinct handpan scale names, and the true number of unique note sets built is higher still. Most of those names describe instruments made in tiny numbers. Scale databases carry entries such as La Sirena, Mystic, Jibuk, Aegean, Oxalis, Nordlys, Ursa Minor, Hokkaido, Deep Elysian, Harmonic Lora and Voyager, many attributed to a specific maker or the player who commissioned them. Some of these will become standards. Most will not.

Three routes into rare scales:

Buying an existing rare instrument. You are buying a specific pan, not a scale, so the usual advice applies with extra force: get the exact note list, get a recording of that instrument, and if possible play it. There is no reference recording online to compare against.

Commissioning a custom scale. Most established makers will build to a specified note list. Expect a longer wait, a premium, and a conversation about feasibility, because not every note set is physically buildable on a given shell size. Intervals that require two large adjacent fields, or notes far outside the shell’s comfortable range, may be refused. A good maker will tell you when your idea will not sustain properly, and you should listen.

Designing your own. Genuinely rewarding if you already know what you want to play. Write out the note list, check every interval against every other, and pay particular attention to which notes end up adjacent on the tone circle, because semitone neighbours will beat and muddy. Then send it to a maker and expect them to push back.

The honest warnings. Rare scales have thin resale markets; a D Kurd sells in days, a bespoke fourteen note Nordlys may sit for a year. There will be no tutorials, no tab and no backing tracks. And you will have no duet partners, because nobody else has your instrument.

None of that should stop a player who has hit a real ceiling and knows precisely which notes are missing. It should stop a player who wants something unusual for its own sake.

See also: SCA-05, SCA-21

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SCA-16Is there a quick reference table of the common scales?#

beginner

Short answer. Yes, below. Every layout shown was checked against at least one maker or curated database and most against two. Where a layout could not be reliably verified, or where sources conflict, the table says so rather than guessing.

Layouts are written as ding / tone fields ascending. Unless a version number is given, the layout shown is the common nine note form.

How to use this table. Shortlist two or three moods, then get the exact note lists from the specific makers you are considering, then listen to recordings of those specific instruments. The table narrows the field. It does not replace the last two steps.

See also: SCA-05, SCA-17