A Brief History of the Handpan.
The origin of the handpan starts with the steel pan which was created in the 1930s in Trinidad and Tobago. The steel pan was created as a result of a deep love for music and resilience to oppression. Click below for more info.
In 2001, a company called PANArt developed a new relative instrument of the steel pan. This instrument was similar, yet the intention was to sit it on your lap and play it with your hands. They called this instrument the Hang, meaning “hand”.
The sound of the Hang, inspiring many all around the world, quickly evolved into handpans. “Handpan” is now the common name for this steel instrument we play with our hands. Around 2010, knowledge of handpans started growing rapidly and more makers appeared. Today, hundreds of people are building handpans. Handpans are quite young and are still history in the making.