The Ding

The ding is the bass note. It sits in the centre of the handpan, it is the biggest note and the lowest note, and it is undoubtedly the core beat of any rhythm we will play. When your fingers land on the ding, the steel starts to vibrate, the air inside the handpan answers through the gu, and you get a deep, warm note that rings for several seconds.

On our D Kurd, the ding is D3. It is also the home note of the scale: the note every phrase wants to come back to. If you play a rhythm on the handpan, the dings are what a listener feels.

The ding is the first stroke we will cover, and it is played with your right hand.

Technique #

Keeping your index, middle and ring fingers together, but not tight, let them drop onto the top of the ding. The part of your fingers that should land is the soft pad just behind the fingertips — not the very tips, and not your nails. As soon as your fingers have made contact, they should bounce off the steel and pull away immediately. The fingers should not linger on the ding.

The movement comes from a loose wrist. Your forearm moves a little, but it is mostly along for the ride. Think of your hand as a ball bouncing off the steel, rather than a hammer hitting it: one smooth movement down and straight back up again, not a stroke down followed by a separate decision to lift. A good way to picture it is touching something you think might be hot.

Aim for the top of the dome. That is where the ding gives you its fullest, deepest note.

The sustain #

The ding is characterised by its sustain. The sustain is the long sound you will hear after you play the ding, and on a handpan it lasts much longer than a darbuka’s Doum — a good ding will ring for several seconds before it fades away completely. You will know that your technique is getting better when you can consistently create a long, clear sustain.

The whole sound of the note is decided in the first moment of contact. Once your fingers have left the steel, nothing you do can make the note better — and nothing can make it worse, either. All of the craft is in how you land and how quickly you leave.

Drop, don’t push #

The ding needs much less force than you think. Let the weight of your hand and a relaxed wrist do the work, rather than pushing your fingers down with your muscles. If you push, the same muscles are still tensed at the moment you should be leaving the steel, and your fingers stay on the ding a fraction too long.

Most experienced players play the ding noticeably softer than the other notes. It is the biggest note on the handpan and it moves the most air, so it doesn’t need your help to be heard.

Practice Tips #

There is a methodology that can be followed when practising a new stroke, and this methodology was taught to me early on in my darbuka studies. When you practise, practise by playing one ding every two seconds. If you imagine a clock going tick-tock, you should play a ding on every tick. The reason for this is that you need to allow time to hear and critique your own sound. If you play a stroke and you play another one straight after it, you won’t have given yourself time to stop and think about the stroke you just played. On a handpan this matters even more, because you need time to hear the whole sustain. Ask yourself the following questions:

• How long did the sustain last?
• Did my fingers bounce straight off, or did they stay on the steel?
• Did I land on the top of the dome?
• Did the note sound warm and deep, or harsh and clangy?
• Was my wrist loose?
• Was that the best ding I’ve played so far?

By asking yourself these questions and considering your answers, you will get a better understanding of how well you are doing.

A key point to mention here is that initially, you might not be getting your ding to sound very good, but if you follow the technique tips above, you will probably hit 10% or so of your strokes well (albeit by chance). The trick is to identify which ding you accidentally played which was correct, to recognise that it was correct, to remember the technique you used for that ding, and to try and recreate it. Once you’ve heard a correct ding enough times, you will know what it’s supposed to sound like, and you will easily be able to reproduce it.

Common Mistakes #

There are some common mistakes you can watch out for. The result of these mistakes is almost always a ding which is short, dull or harsh. If you feel like your ding falls into this category, be sure to read through this section carefully.

Pressing into the steel #

This is the most common mistake by far. If your fingers stay on the ding after they land, even for a fraction of a second, they soak up the vibration you have just created, and the note dies. The result is a short, dull thud instead of a ringing note.

To hear the difference, try the extreme. Play one ding and deliberately leave your fingers pressed on the steel. Then play one ding and let your fingers bounce straight off. The first will sound dead, and the second will ring. Hearing that contrast will teach your ear faster than any description I can give you.

Hitting too hard #

More force does not make a bigger ding. Past a certain point, extra force turns into a harsh, clangy sound and actually shortens the sustain. Hitting the steel hard over and over is also one of the few playing habits that can, in time, affect a handpan’s tuning. If your ding sounds harsh, play softer and bounce away faster.

Playing off the top of the dome #

If you strike the ding towards its edge, where the dome meets the flat steel around it, the note becomes brighter and thinner, and you’ll start to hear the steel around the ding as well. Aim for the top of the dome.

Using the very tips of your fingers #

If only the very tips of your fingers land, or your nails, the ding will sound clicky and thin, with a hard attack and not much body. Make sure the soft pads just behind your fingertips are landing.

A tense wrist and arm #

A stiff wrist and a tight shoulder produce a stiff, choked sound. If your forearm is doing all the work, you will get tired, loud and dull all at once. Shake your hand out, let your wrist go loose, and start again slowly.

Blocking the gu #

If your ding sounds thin even though your technique feels right, check what’s underneath your handpan. A blocked gu takes away a lot of the depth of the ding. For a full understanding of the problem, re-read the last section of Lesson 2, titled “Space allows sound to travel”.

Bad tuning #

This is rare, but if your ding sounds sour, wobbles or seems to beat against itself no matter how well you play it, the problem may be the instrument, not you. That is a job for a handpan tuner. Read Tuning stability for more.