How the handpan makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the handpan belongs to the struck idiophones: the body is struck directly – bells, gongs, xylophones and cymbals.
More broadly it is one of the idiophones, where the solid body of the instrument itself vibrates, without strings or a stretched membrane.
Its timbre – the colour that lets you tell it apart from other instruments playing the same note – comes from the mix of overtones its body and resonator emphasise.
From Wikipedia
Handpan is a generic term for a group of musical instruments that are classified as a subset of the steelpan. Several handpan makers and brands emerged following growing worldwide interest in the Hang after it was introduced in 2000.
The basic form of a handpan consists of two metal half-shells glued together, a centre tone field surrounded by a circle of at least seven tone fields on the upper side and an opening in the bottom side. Differences between manufacturers include the materials used, the manufacturing processes of the raw forms, the shaping of the tone fields, and the tuning methods.
Other struck idiophones
Frequently asked questions
What does a handpan sound like?
As one of the struck idiophones, its sound comes from the way the body is struck directly.
What type of instrument is the handpan?
It is classified as struck idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 111.2).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q5647544 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Handpan – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Toglenn – CC BY-SA 3.0