Top 10 Handpan Buying Tips: Your Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Perfect Instrument

Well, welcome to the great universe of Handpans! These charming instruments produce some amazing sounds and hypnotic melodies. But if you think otherwise about it, there are so many handpans for sale it can feel like you will never find the right one. Have no fear, we're here for the rescue!

Now here is a guide to the 10 things you need to know in order for you to get your perfect handpan that will fit your requirements and this will reflect on your music.

Listen up

It is a journey culminating by sound. To look at the industry of handpans, look up youtube videos. Type in “handpan”, and start clicking through different links on the web to hear multiple options. Wear headphones and check out the subtleties: tone, sustain, tuning result (pitch-wise), balance between notes and evenuate kinetic range. Recognize the gaps between distinct Handpans.

The more you hear, the better you will get at hearing each instrument separately. Whether you decide to ignore this or go full-bore into rolling out our solution, and if you are lucky, you will come to your favorite handpans which sing to you and make you fall back off your chair a little after playing them. The more guitar demos you attend, the quicker you will learn to separate well-playing instruments from not-so-good ones.

Use Your Head: Quality Explained

And what are the qualities of a memorable handpan you should look for before purchasing one? So, to that end, below are the 7 signatures of an excellent handpan you needs to be aware of:

Accuracy of tuning across the notes.

Strength: Lively, Soft, sonorous.

Sustain:The ability of the notes to ring nicely.

Balance: Each note should sound as clear and present as the other.

No Cross Talk — A note should not interrupt another.

Dynamic Range: Sensitive and Responsive to Louder and Softer Playing

Remember Your Harmonics: Remember, the harmonics should match along with your basic notes as an alternative of combating them.

Once you get a sense of these characteristics, it will be smoother for you to decide on which handpan to buy.

Have Faith in Your Fingers: Playability

Optimally, when it comes at all you should try… before you buy. Go to handpan festivals, meet other handpan players from your region, or try reaching out to well regarded makers and see if you can arrange a visit. A handpan should also inspire you to play without hurting your wrists after hours of practice. Play around with the instrument and remember the 7 quality marks of point 2 as you play.

Consumer Tip: The right-sized scale for the job

The handpan scale world is vast and somewhat daunting when you first step into it. But don't worry, we're gonna break that binary down!

To begin again back to YouTube. While you might be listening to different sound qualities, pay attention to the size measurements used in the videos as well. Keep a note of the scales that you like, and whether minor or major scales you started getting hang of. Mellow or upbeat? Bassy or bright? Maybe a flavour of some culture be it oriental, jazz, blues, celtic or something else?

The next thing to do is think about what you are going to use your handpan for. Solo jamming, songwriting, chilling out or enhancing your instruments with something a little different? This will help to ensure you choose a handpan that aligns with your musical aims.

Listen To Yourself: Don't Get Stuck Into A Scam

So the bottom line is that your intuition is your best friend when purchasing a handpan. Below are red flags to run away from:

A Steal: If you see a price and think it is way to cheap, it probably means that it is.

Always purchase a handpan through reliable sources.

Look at who the maker is

If any kind of note sounds wrong, if the video is not corresponding to reality or it feels wrong, just leave. If you do come across a handpan that brings you immense joy, alternatively take time to settle down before making any commitments. So, it's always better to stay away from impulsive decisions.

Select the Handpan Substance

Handpan material Handpans are made of 4 main metals, each with advantages and considerations:

Raw Steel: Economic, easy to oxidize (rust), need more attention and care. Too sensitive in humid conditions.

Steel encased:Lighter build, better in price but dents smoother and can rust from scratches, likely to experience less sound variety.

Stainless Steel – Extremely resistant to rust, ideal for slow playing and long lasting sustain, but it's more expensive and harder work with without affecting the quality.

At the end of the day, it will be heavily predicated around how you play (percussive vs melodic), where you play and what kind of upkeep the instrument demands. Browse our various steel handpans for sale in different materials at Cosmos Handpan.

Choose the Size of My Handpan

These factors include comfort of play, note range and ease of use. These include the following basic factors:

A larger accordion means more notes, generally speaking.

Size: The size of the handpan determines how low or how high the scales can go. Most larger handpans are able to have lower and more resonant scales while the smaller ones tend to be higher in pitch.

Easier for children, anyone with shorter arms, or has physical limitations — Handpans are smoother to play when they're smaller.

Travel: Handpans that are smaller and lighter can be smoother to travel with as they may fit in overhead compartments.

The Number of Notes on Handpan

Most handpans have between 8 and 10 notes located around the ding, but some even come with 20 or more! The optimal number is up to the preference of the individual and their coding skills.

More Notes:

Benefits: A greater variety of potential musical compositions are now available to musicians and styles, an even bass extension is added for a sense of more depth.

Cons:More expensive to build and tune, more possibility of defects or crosstalk.

Fewer Notes:

Pros: Generally more affordable, smoother to learn, good for beginners.

Cons:Sounds limited at first.

I know this may seem as a lot for beginners, but 8-9 notes on the top shell is over reasonable. Lay emphasis on learning and playing the instrument keeping visible the base range of scales before opting for a bigger handpan with extra notes.

Other features (If you would like to go further)

Optional (buttons, pick-ups, etc)Depending on the configuration of the handpan you choose to buy, some instruments may offer a whole bunch of additional feature to ease and improve your playing experience such as :

Dings: High-pitched sounds from small indentations. They add a little specialness to your playing.

Be Wary of Scams

The handpan market is full of scams, unfortunately. Deals that appear to be too good, no guarantees offers and sellers that have bad ratings are the red flags you need to watch out. Use payment modes that are secure and never buy from unknown vendors. Make sure that you read reviews and ask people in the handpan community to prevent yourselves from falling into these scam seller traps.

If you have any questions or need help, ask experienced players, makers and retailers such as Cosmos Handpan. ReadingThese people are very knowledgeable and will be happy to help you find your ideal handpan.

By following these 10 necessary tips for handpan for sale you will have everything you need to maximize out of your experience with this beautiful instrument wherever your music leads you. As ever, trust your gut and quality over quantity when it comes to pricing — and don't be afraid to ask for some help. And above all, enjoy the wonderful world of handpans!

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Top 10 Handpan Buying Tips: Your Ultimate Guide to Choosing ...

Michael Zeligs, MST | Director, Start Motion Media

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Michael Zeligs, MST | Director, Start Motion Media

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Music Company

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