Forged from iron.
Tuned for a lifetime.

There are different elements that you should keep in mind when deciding on your first handpan scale.

The most sold instrument is the D-Kurd (D-Minor). The pro of this scale is that it is very versatile. Once you learn a bit how to play the scale, you can play in different moods ranging from sad, dark, melancholic to happy and euphoric! There are also many chord possibilities. What also has to be noted is that 95% of the online courses are recorded with this specific scale. Often for beginners that do not have a clear preference, we recommend the D-Kurd, it still is one of our favorite scales to play ourselves.

If you want to play together with a friend that already has a handpan, it is important to pick a similar scale, otherwise the instruments will sound dissonant when played together. You can tell us the scale that your friend has and we can let you know which scales will fit together.

In case you want to play together with other musicians, for example guitar players, it is often best to go with a natural C-Major, E-Minor or D-Minor scale. Our favourite is the D-Kurd (a natural D-Minor scale) it is also the most popular handpan scale, which means that if you might want to play with other handpan players in the future you have a good chance for a match! E minor is also great, especially when playing with guitar and concert flute the E Amara is perfect for this.

If you do not particularly have the interest of playing with others, we recommend listening to all the instruments we have listed. Listen carefully if there is any scale that resonates more with you. You canalso browse the artists pages and hear everyone play in their way on a certain scale.

Finally, we always invite you to come to our workshop to freely try out different scales and ask any questions you would like to ask. That way you can make a decision much more on your own gut feeling when you actually touch an instrument and you are also free to leave the workshop without buying an instrument, of course!

The process of making the Ayasa handpan is a very extensive one, mainly for the purpose of note stability. Our notes become so stable that they hardly ever need a retune it is what differentiates the Ayasa from many other handpans. 99% of all Ayasas ever built have never needed a retune, and every Ayasa comes with a two-year tuning warranty.

If you feel your instrument has gone out of tune, send us a sound clip where you play the note(s) you think are affected for at least 15 seconds continuously our software and ears will tell us if it’s out of tune, and at our workshop we can tune it up.

Both are made from the same Ember Steel®, on the same shells, to the same shaping standards. An Ayasa Premium begins and ends in our workshop in Almere sealed in a glass-like nano coating that makes maintenance as easy as it can get. As a last touch Ralf plays and engraves the instrument by hand by Ralf before it leaves, if it doesn't suit his standards, it does not leave the door. Elements instruments are made by a dedicated team of Ayasa-trained makers and don’t carry the nano coating: every Elements ships with a bottle of protective oil, and a few minutes of care now and then keeps the steel as beautiful as its sound.

That is what makes an Elements possible at its price. Not a “beginner handpan”: a real one, at a price that makes beginning possible.

Yes, Ember Steel handpans are fine to take outdoors, and even to the beach.

One thing to know about the sun: when you play in direct sunlight for a while, the instrument slowly starts to de-tune due to the heat. Get out of direct sunlight once you hear your instrument going out of tune and let it cool down, it will come back in tune as it cools. Also be careful: an instrument left in the sun can get very hot.

Every Ayasa ships with the Ayasa Care Kit; a microfiber cloth and the Ayasa care sheet.

Premium instruments arrive sealed in their nano coating, which makes maintenance as easy as it gets: an occasional wipe with the microfiber cloth is all they ask. Elements instruments don’t carry the nano coating, they ship with a bottle of protective oil, and a few minutes of care now and then keeps the steel as beautiful as its sound.

This is a question that we get very often. But before we are able to give you a clear answer we must first determine what your wishes are for this second instrument. Would you like to have the second instrument complement your first one and increase the range that you will be able to play by combining both? Would you like to be able to play chromatically (use all 13 keys of an octave) by combining both instruments? Or would you like to be able to play together with a friend or family with both instruments? The answer to this question will drastically change the outcome of what your second instrument will be. Send us an email at info@ayasainstruments.com and we will happily help you find the scale that suits your needs best.

We decided to only make our instruments in 440 Hz, because we have experienced too many disruptions in our building process when making instruments tuned to a different frequency. We prefer to make instruments that can be played with other instruments.

We have also decided not to take on custom orders anymore, and only produce sound models that we have tested and know work and sound well. You can find all the models we are taking orders for, including prices and ship dates, in the range.

If you order directly from us, you can be sure about the authenticity of your Ayasa handpan 😉 If you buy a second-hand Ayasa, you can easily verify its authenticity by the engraving on the bottom shell, stating the scale name, the year of production and the series. Ralf engraves all Ayasa handpans by hand.