hangforum.com - The Archive

On April 5, 2012 I had my first Hang encounter. Love at first hang.

While on vacation from Connecticut, USA to Granada, Spain walking up the Carrera Del Darro in the shadow of The Alhambra my senses detect a mystical, musical, intricate tapestry of sound. Soft, round, undulating, pulsing, flowing, colorful magic carpet of melodic tones propelled atop unbridled percussive passion.

I come to see Ruben Tracatra seated with the mystical dome. I see the dome pulling his hands and fingers to it rapidly, slowly, here, there, everywhere.

My spirit is strong, recognizing itself in the beautiful energies of life's boundless vibrations first known as sound, tone. But patterns, expressions, visions, colors, shameless emotional presence. Not demanding, not asking the pedestrian to leave oneself but rather singing his own song as a flower displays it's beauty in the sun without pride or vanity.

Being without companion for the moment, I honor my spirit's direction and stop to listen, observe, bond with the moment.

And thus, my soul has been touched. Joyful with the meeting of a freed kindred spirit and grieved by the disconnection of 4,000 miles.

Is it possible Hang is the medicine, the Great Healing I've been searching for?

I ask of you have come before me, did you find the healing? How has your quest been? Can you help me acquire the cosmic filter to cleanse my spirit and know my deeper truth?

Mowgli

hello,
I think you would enjoy reading Matt Venutti's wonderful story - there is a link in the topic 'Instrument of our time'.
Enjoy!

Maia,

I read it once before my post, and once again at your suggestion. I appreciate your suggestion. You are right, I enjoyed it. I think that I understand Matt Venutti's article and his underlying experiences and efforts to synthesis feelings, perceptions, intuitions, and other intangibles with the anylitical, logical, problem seeking/solving monkey mind.

Please, give me more suggestions and direction. I am panless and hungry!

What is pan?

Let's have two looks at Trinidad's Panorama 2012 to get an idea about what pan is:

"Yuh Know Ah Like It" - Invaders (2012 Panorama Large Band FINALS)

"Gie Dem Tempo" - Silver Stars (2012 Panorama Large Band FINALS)

Thank you for the links. That is a lot of steel drumming! I appreciate the nudge in the direction of the birth of Pang, then Hang. Just two weeks ago, I did not know.

While I've always enjoyed the steel drums, I feel entranced by Hang. The call, both auditorily and psychically to HangHang is quite strong, deep, and certain.

I must write my letter. Must get out of my head and write from the heart, but so much desire for Hang invites mental gymnastics which left unchecked could sabotage the purity of a letter written from a place of serenity.

Mowgli

Ooh! Maybe I was missing your point? Were you pointing out my misuse of the word pan? That must be it. Hanghang are unique unto themselves. Pan for steel pans. When I said I was panless and hungry, I both expose my ignorance and disrespect the distinctness of the very thing I am seeking!

Hang lexicon, history, and philosophy are new to me. Please, if I offended anyone I apologize. I may be further from enlightenment than I thought.

Thank you Michael Paschko for providing the education I requested.

Be Well,

Mowgli

Hi Mowgli,

the answer from Michael was short, but very demonstrative. Watch the video and what is going on there.
Yes, this is PAN !

The history of PAN is very interesting. PAN belongs to the culture of Trinidad and Tobago and has a important role in the society of Trinidad.
On the video you could find ecstasy. Steelpan is an instrument for the community. Only a few days a year they are playing in this way the steelpan.
This has a reason. It is a kind of battle what you see on the video. There are rules and at the end one Steelband is the winner of the event.
This has deep and serious roots. Before they do it this way, people must die.

Hang goes excact in the opposite direction.

The Hangmakers dont make a PAN anymore. And they also dont make a Handpan.

On widipedia you could found a good insight about the term "Handpan".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handpan

I was from the beginning not happy with this term.
It was clear for me, that sooner or later the people will use an acronym.
First they call it "Handpan", short time later "Hand Pan" and now they speak only about PAN.

This is respectless against the Hangmakers, because people are confused and thought the Hang is an Handpan, but it is also absolute
respectless on the culture of the people in Trinidad and Tobago.

I would like to see that people who call their instruments PAN go to Trinidad. Sitting in the maine capital Port of Spain, playing a Handpan and telling
the people: "I am playing PAN".
This could be a very interesting experience for those people.

But it seems a lot of people dont care about that.

Frank

Dear Frank Sturm,

Thank you. With your instruction, I now see my insult to the Trinidad Tobago heritage as well as to makers of HangHang.

I am very honored that two founding fathers (as I think I understand the history) of this forum have offered me insight.

I hope you are in good health and good spirit.

Be Well,

Mowgli

Hi Mowgli,
it was not because I thought that someone could be offended why I posted those two links. I just wanted to demonstrate Pan in order to demonstrate the difference. Therefor there isn't any reason to apologize.

Michael

Hello,

I agry with Michael. No reason for apologize.

I think it is better to know a little bit about the history. It is no wonder, that people confuse Hang with PAN, because there is a source where people speak about PAN, but they mean Handpan. And although there are many similarities between Hang and Handpan (most optical), you could find a lot of differences if you have a closer look.
So people think they are all the same. But there are also differences between all the Handpans. Some are nitridet, some not. (A big difference, but not to see with your eyes)... and so on and on...

Greetings
Frank

Thanks everyone, for this insightful thread - I didn't realise 'pan' was such a misunderstood thing and I certainly didn’t fully understand it.

Frank, I think another reason it is no wonder people confuse Hang with Pan is because of the name PanART. I am guessing it is more historical than current, and it would probably be a hassle to change it - though PangART has a good feel to it!

Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer hold the name PANArt because of continuity. Nowadays they have redefined its meaning: PAN not from steelpan but from the greek word pan. PANArt means now integral art. It reflects their approach to Integral and Free Integral Hang making and tuning.

This said the relation of Pan and Hang is a bit more complex. Felix and Sabina see themselves in tradition of the tuners of Trinidad. A Trinidadian tuner gave his hammer to Sabina as a symbol of appreciation. Both Hang makers were important members of the German Swiss steelpan community. Pang was developed in the context of the Pan. But they didn't only stay in a tradition, they followed an own path and this led them off the steelpan.

So there are strong roots referring to pan but a new path leading to Hang. Pan: ecstasy and collective - Hang: individual and harking.

We can see these roots and the development based on these roots leading to something new even in the new free Hang tuning that has roots in steelpan tuning: The master tuners of Trinidad already used the detuning of the upper partials to design their personal shape of sound. This is what distinguishes a Bertie Marshalll tenor pan from a Randolph Thomas tenor pan for example. PANArt followed this idea consequently: If detuning is a main parameter for sound shaping, so why not free oneself from the strobo tuner to get more freedom and better results when shaping the sound?

If we want to understand Hang we must see the whole story. Therefor calling Hang pan is a historical ignorant view looking at the Hang isolated from its relations. If we call the Hang pan we cannot see the differences. But we cannot see the roots as well.

Good to hear still more and understand more - it makes sense now you explain it this way - thanks Michael

hey michael , do you think the free integral is the last generation panart will make? do you know about plans for next gen? personally i found the sound of the free integral the most deep sound i heared which is amazing to my ears and heart and i wonder if it can even be any better then that , but that's what i thought also about the integral untill the fih has come to life.. oh man..i wish they will contact me already..my spirit eagers to hold one of my own in my lap

There was a continuous development of the Hang since the beginning. So I think it is unlikely that there will be no new developments in the future. This is important to know for people who are interested in a Hang. PANArt is not a manufacturer of a defined product. And because PANArt only sell their instruments of the current development status it doesn't make sense when people say: I want to buy what I have heard in the past. Buying a Hang makes sense only for those who are ready for new experiences.

Michael

i can totally relate to that.. the fih is an amazing instrument and a new approach to sound in general.. tuning with emotion kind of thing. some people might not understand why there is only one scale for the integral and fih but i guess they cant quite understand what it is to comunicate with the metal and find what it "likes" the best in terms of sound , atmosphere , and vibration. but i do