Handpans: a guide from our workshop

A handpan is a steel instrument you play with your hands. Anyone can start by simply tapping the notes, and over time you develop your touch, rhythm and melody. We make handpans by hand in our workshop in Almere, the Netherlands, very close to Amsterdam. This page shares what we have learned along the way.

A handpan is made of two steel shells joined at the rim, which gives it its flying saucer shape. Most handpans have a central note that sits on the top, with a ring of notes around it. Each note is a shaped field in the steel, tuned to one note of a scale. The bottom shell has an opening in the middle, and all models we make carry extra notes on the bottom too.

The first instrument of this kind was the Hang, made in Switzerland around 2000. “Handpan” became the name for the whole family of instruments that followed.

Every Ayasa is shaped from Ember Steel®, an alloy we came to after a long period of research and developement by our team: it has the stability and ceramic sound of nitrided steel and the sustain of stainless. The result is a sound that is full and warm, with a crystal-like upper register.

Each instrument is shaped with thousands of hammer strikes, and each one shapes its character. Every instrument is played for the very first time by the tuner who made it, alone in the tuning room, before anyone else in the world has heard it. Before an Ayasa Premium leaves the workshop, Ralf plays it and engraves it by hand.

We tune every instrument to 440 Hz.

An Ayasa hardly ever needs a re-tune: note stability is what our long building process is for. Over 99% of all Ayasas ever built have never needed one, and every instrument carries a two-year tuning warranty. Heat is the one thing to watch: in the sun, a handpan slowly drifts out of tune. Move into the shade and let it cool down, and it comes back in tune.

No clear preference? Most people start with a D Kurd (D minor). It is our most sold scale and very versatile: you can play many moods with it, from dark and melancholic to happy, with many chord possibilities. Most online courses are recorded on it too.

Playing with a friend who has a handpan? Pick a similar scale, otherwise the two instruments sound dissonant together. Tell us their scale and we will tell you which ones fit.

Playing with other musicians? A natural D minor or E minor usually works best. E minor is great with guitar and concert flute; the E Amara is our E minor.

Just listening? Go through our models and notice which scale resonates with you.

The best way to decide is with your own hands. You are welcome to try different scales at the workshop, by appointment: write to info@ayasainstruments.com.

The handpan is a very intuitive instrument. If you feel stuck, a teacher can help, online or offline: most big cities have them. We also host concerts and workshops with great players at our workshop. Three online courses we happily recommend: maltemartenmethod.com, masterthehandpan.com and handpandojo.com.

An Ayasa handpan measures 55 cm across and 28.5 cm high, and weighs about 4 kilograms. It fits a medium Evatek hardcase. Every instrument ships in a case, because a handpan needs one to travel safely.

Every Ayasa comes with the Ayasa Care Kit: a microfiber cloth and our care sheet.

Ayasa Premium arrives sealed in a glass-like nano coating. An occasional wipe with the cloth is all it asks.

Ayasa Elements has no nano coating and ships with a bottle of protective oil. A few minutes of care now and then keeps the steel as beautiful as its sound.

Flying? Take your handpan on board as carry-on whenever you can: the medium Evatek case fits in the overhead compartment of most larger planes.

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. Elements instruments are made by a dedicated team of Ayasa-trained makers and skip the nano coating, which is what makes their price possible. Not a “beginner handpan”: a real one, at a price that makes beginning possible.

Directly from us. Every instrument page shows its real shipping date: in-stock models ship within 1 to 2 working days, and made-for-you models show the date of their production batch.

More questions and answers.