How the Hang makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the Hang 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
The Hang is a type of musical instrument fitting into the idiophone class and based on the Trinidad & Tobago steelpan. It was created by Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer in Bern, Switzerland, and marketed by their company, PANArt Hangbau AGa. They took the name "Hang" from a Bernese German word that means both "hand" and "hillside". Though it has sometimes been referred to as a "Hang drum", the inventors consider this a misnomer.
Other struck idiophones
Frequently asked questions
What does the Hang 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 Hang?
It is classified as struck idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 111.24).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q835877 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Hang (instrument) – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Michael Paschko ( Ixkeys ) – CC BY-SA 3.0