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Greetings everyone, iam very new here, so firstly hello to all.

Iam in emotional turmoil at the moment, deciding whether or not i should sell my beloved hang drum. I bought the hang back in 2007 after a pilgrimage to switzerland, carried it all the way home in its double flight case with a broken wrist, i had to suffer a few weeks of one handed playing which just added to the anticipation! I love getting lost in playing it and have had some eye opening almost out of body meditative experiences with the instrument, experiences which invoke a strong attachment. The hang is quite a rare 8 note gudu hang with the octave step wooden insert.
For the last year and a half i havent found the time to play it, i have been a student for the last 5 years progressively building debt, alongside starting my own business. Recently i have had a few glimpses of thoughts towards selling it. I know it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to own one, and a blessing, i am sure selling it is a decision i would no doubt regret for the rest of my life. however iam very very broke and selling my hang offers a fairly instant remedy to my situation!

I suppose what iam looking for here is some inspiration to start playing again,this is difficult because i live in a very concrete city and i cant seem to relax as i can in the country. Or to satisfy the curiosity of the dark side where would be best to sell my drum? i have seen the crazy ebay auctions and would like to avoid that kind of scenario (however it is extremely tempting given my situation!).

not sure exactly what iam expecting from this, but any advice and wisdom is very welcome! thanks

will

Hello Will, and welcome to the forum.

So where are you in the world then, UK? wherever you are inspiration is only ever a few yards away from you i'm sure, it's just reconnecting you with it & that's probably all we need to do here.

There are a lot of players in the UK, not just Hang but handpans in the shape of the Halo, Bell and SPB all that compliment each other and all that would probably like to meet up with likeminded folk to get inspiration as well, if you can connect to some of those guys I think you'll find your passion in playing again.

After the journey you made getting your Hang, it would be a shame to part with it now.

Ever seen the Tim Burton film Charlie and Chocolate factory? I know it's a film, fiction and make believe but something the Granddad said has always stuck with... and it's when Charlie comes back from finding the last golden ticket.

Charlie talks of selling his ticket because someone had offered him $500 for it, he says someone else will probably offer more, granddad says "There's plenty of money out there. They print more every day. But this ticket— There are only five of them in the whole world, and that's all there's ever going to be. Only a dummy would give this up for something as common as money. Are you a dummy?".

For most people this is the same for Hang ownership, chances are once you've sold it.... you'll never get to own another one.

Not to put you off selling it of course, your situation may well warrant the decision anyway. But just think about it long and hard before you commit.... £3-5K for a Hang on eBay, that money will be a short term fix to a problem where as the Hang could and probably will give you many, many years of pleasure once you reconnect with it and the scene.

Do you know about the HangOut http://www.hangoutuk.co.uk we’re sold out for this year but if you want to reconnect to your Hang there is no better place in my opinion to meet passionate, enthusiastic and friendly people. We do usually get people that drop out nearer the time due to personal circumstances, if you want I can add you to the reserve ticket list and let you know if and when a ticket comes available?

Personally speaking though, I would never sell my Hang unless I absolutely matter of life and death needed too…. And even then it would be a very hard decision to make.

Not that I want my opinions to sway you of course, I don’t know your circumstances and maybe making music with your Hang is something you’re just no longer into doing. If that’s the case then passing it on to someone who will love, cherish and play it will be the best thing to do. Nothing worse than a Hang that sings no more

Hallo William,

your letter in the forum moved my emotions.
You say, that it is your beloved hang, that means, you are still in love with it, well if you were in good relationship with a beloved person, you would probably not think about leaving her. So why leave your hang ?


You wrote, that you bought the hang in 2007 after a pilgrimage to switzerland, carried it all the way home in its double flight case with a broken wrist, so you put an enourmous amount of physical pain and a long journey to get it. So why leave the hang ?

You wrote, you love getting lost in playing it and having some eye opening almost out of body meditative experiences with the instrument, experiences which invoke a strong attachment. So why you should leave the chances to this experience?

Since you have building debt, alongside starting your own business, please think, if there are other possibilities to sell something or work something.
You would sell a lifetime opportunity having a hang to play

I suppose a Hang is a way to experience and also to express very deep personal feelings, its a mirror, a reflektor of the inner self. When you sell it, all that would be gone.


Kind regards and good luck for your future

Martin

Hi Will,
if you need not to sell your hang for the money, why don´t you just leave it where it is?

And one day in the future you maybe like to start playing again. Maybe at the moment there is no time for the hang but one day you will take the time for it.

I am sure that your hang will never let you go.

Take care what ever you decide to do

Dörthe