How do I acquire a Hang?
Zur deutschen Version dieses Artikels
Article updated June 8th, 2008
You’re probably reading this article because you would like to know how and where you can buy a Hang. Perhaps you saw a Hang player busking on the street and were fascinated by the sound of the Hang. Listening, you were moved by the desire to be able to lay your hands on such a wonderfully resounding metal instrument. Maybe you have already found that Hanghang are not available in music shops or from Internet retailers. Also you may already found that there is no website for PANArt (the Hang Makers).
Some have reacted to this situation with irritation, and are disconcerted or angered. They fear that there is no chance to find a Hang of their own and may think the Hang Makers from PANArt are elitists. But those who have had the opportunity to personally meet and get to know the Hang Makers (Sabina Schärer and Felix Rohner) know that this assumption is far from the truth.
But, why isn’t it possible to order online, from a dealer, or in a shop? In order to understand, one has to know a bit about the history of the Hang and how it has been developed and offered in the past.
In January 2000 the Hang was born from the idea to meld together the properties of the Indian Ghatam and the Trinidad Steelpan. Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer had put much time and creativity into developing, tuning, and building Steelpans with new materials and methods. The result was the use of prefabricated, deep-drawn steel sheet blanks, which were then processed using a hardening procedure in a kiln (gas-nitriding). Such hardened shells ended up also being used as raw material for the building of the Hang.
In 2001 the Hang Makers debuted their new instrument at the Frankfurt Music Fair. They also created a website where they presented and gave information about the Hang. The Hang Makers didn’t foresee so many people from all around the world being placed under the spell of the Hang. In the following years an international dealer network was developed, and the instruments were available in various regional markets worldwide. 4,300 Hanghang were sold by the end of 2005.
The winter 2005/2006 brought a change. There were only two people who faced the world-wide interest in the Hang. Only two hands able to properly wield the hammers that coax the melodious tones from each steel hemisphere, and these hands were only able to work so fast and so often. There was another pressing need to explore the sound possibilities of the Hang. The high demand and production of large numbers of instruments put them into a bit of a frantic work schedule and didn’t allow them enough free space and time to experiment and explore possibilities for the advancement of the Hang.
As in previous years the Hang Makers went into “Hangruhe”. This refers to when the Hang Makers set aside the winter season each year as a quiet regenerative time when they can research and develop their instruments. During this time they created a new generation of the Hang. They were able to create a warmer overall sound for the Hang with several changes including moving the center Ding note from F3 to D3. A new coating of brass made them less susceptible to go out of tune. These updates in quality led to a more complex production process. It was no longer possible to keep up the production numbers of the preceding years.
This put the Hang Makers in the uncomfortable position of having to adapt and change. They made the decision to give up the international dealer network and shut down their website. Another significant change was the Hang of the first generation had 45 standard scales that the buyer could order from, but the Hanghang of the new generation were not based on traditional scales. Each new Hang had the tones D3 (Ding), A3, D4 and A4. The remaining tones in the tone circle were chosen as the Hang was made and based on each individual instrument’s sound and resonance. These changes meant that from now on a Hang would only be available if one travelled to Bern and personally selected a Hang in the Hanghaus by the river, as the connection between the Hang and the player was now a more meaningful and personal process of choosing from Hanghang with individual sound patterns.
In the “Hangruhe” during the winter of 2006/2007 Sabina Schärer and Felix Rohner were able to develop further improvements of the Hang sound. By slightly changing the orientation of the tone fields on the top side of the Hang they obtained a clearer sound and a stronger radiation of the tones. They continued to refine the Hang toward an instrument which depends less on the virtuosity of the player and more on an intuitive play of the hands with the Hang’s now stronger overtones and tone resonances.
In February 2008 PANArt presented yet another chapter in the history of the Hang as well as the latest in their pursuit of the sonic potential of steel: The Integral Hang. Looking back over the various stages of Hang development one can see a focused direction. Compared to the large number of Sound Models of the first generation the second generation was a reduction and distillation of possibilities. The new Integral Hang of 2008 consists of a single Sound Model. With a D3 Ding the Tone Circle is A3, Bb3, C4, D4, E4, F4, and A4. Other changes consist of a very slightly oval shape to the instrument, an indented circular division of the now lacquered Ding and a change to the overall surface treatment of the instrument.
Since the demand continues to exceed the small production, one must mail or fax a letter to PANArt directly. Their address is: PANArt Hangbau AG, Engehaldenstr. 131, 3012 Bern, Switzerland. The fax number is: +41 31 301 33 32. The previously available e-mail address for PANArt is no longer active or functional.
Those that have an purchase agreement have the option of picking up a Hang either personally in the Hangbauhaus in Bern or to have one shipped. Since the Integral Hang no longer has different Sound Models, it is no longer required that one chooses a Hang in person. Another update to the process is that an agreement is required of all the buyers. PANArt has asked that they be given pre-emptive rights to buy back Hanghang if an owner is considering selling, and that the resale price should be no higher than the acquisition price.
It appears this agreement has been created in response to the 2007 explosion of the second hand market for Hang. There were Ebay auctions with prices between 2,500 and 6,000 Euro. This agreement allows the Hang makers to try to keep the prices from ballooning. The price of an Integral Hang has been set at 1,200 Euro. International purchases have a slightly higher cost due to shipping costs along with possible VAT and customs expense. Included in the price is a protective case made from natural fibre.
In early October 2007 there was an announcement to those who had written to PANArt in the summer of the year, that a window of March 2008 was available to purchase a Hang. Those who sent letters in late 2007 or early 2008 may have the opportunity to purchase an Integral Hang in 2008 or early 2009.
Early June of 2008 PANArt started sending response letters that all the Integral Hang they were going to produce were spoken for, and the last Integral Hang instruments would be sold in spring of 2009. They indicate they would take a ’longer break’ thereafter to rest, research, and reflect on the future of the Integral Hang. Letters written would be kept, and if there was to be a ’New Edition’ of the Hang the letter writers would be on the list.
The statements and opinions in this article are based on information found as of the above listed date of this article. While information presented in this article is from research through a number of sources by the author it should not be considered an official statement from or by PANArt Hangbau AG.
May 19th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Hello, my name is Drew Peace, I recently made a trip to Barcelona where i watch a man play the hang.
My heart and my energy was drawn. Iv always loved druming and tapping on anything a could get my hands on.
I can’t read music but i can feel it. Im an Australian living and working in London U.K. I would deeply love to hear from you guys, telling me how, when and if i can learn and buy one.
Keep smiling cheers Drew
May 19th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
Hi Drew,
if you are looking for contact with hang players in UK, I suggest the Hang Players Directory and the Hang-Music Forum.
In November 2006 Torbz organized a hang meeting near Glastonbury in South England. This year 21st - 23rd September, a weekend meeting called Hang Out UK 2007 will take place in Farnham, UK.
About purchasing a hang, all I know is explained in the article above.
August 26th, 2007 at 10:46 am
Hey Michael.
Do you know how much they charge for a Hang? It really sad that it’s so hard to get a hold of!
-Rolf
August 26th, 2007 at 11:25 am
[…] 26/08/2007: You’ll see that Michael from das hangblog has dropped by the comments section to helpfully give an updated picture of the hang-buying […]
August 26th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Hi Rolf,
in 2007 a hang costs 880 Euro (including double shell for protection). You also needs a bag for the hang. A simple bag costs 30 Euro, a backpack bag 40 Euro. Actual there are no plans to change the prices.
To take the sadness out of your mind try another view: The hang is one of the things in life, that needs time to grow and comming in your life. Every child need nine month until it is born, no house is built in one day. My whish to play the hang rises in autumn 2004. In summer 2005 I visited the former German dealer near Freiburg and ordered my hang and it was built for me by the hangmakers. It arived in December. In the beginning of 2007 I thought, it would be a great completion to have a second generation hang with another scale and the improved sound quality. I wrote to the hangmakers end of March. In May Sabina wrote I could make an appointment in June, August or October. On Monday this week I went to the Hangbauhaus for two days, choosing my new hang, meeting the hangmakers and hangplayers from the Netherlands, Spain, Great Britain, Israel, Italy, having a nice time with jamming in the Hanghaus, talking about hang, it’s history, technique and philosophy and dined a splendig vegetarien meal Felix cooked for the international hang family meeting round the table.
September 1st, 2007 at 7:00 am
I have a question I couldn’t find the answer to on this page. I would absolutely love to get a hang for a dear friend of mine. Trouble is I live in America and don’t have the cash for a trip to Switzerland. I noticed a mention of North America. Are there appointments available somewhere on my continent? That would be so much more convenient. Thanks for your help!
-Kristen
September 1st, 2007 at 9:55 am
Hi Kristen,
in the last years and also in 2007 Ron Kravitz (USA) and David Kaetz (Canada) helped musicans in their countries to purchase a hang. I don’t know wether they are able to in the next year. This year’s production of hanghang is already spoken for. For contact information look at the comments number 132 and 149 to the hang article in the weblog “Richard’s Notes”.
December, 30th 2007: Ron Kravitz told me, that they aren’t able to help purchasing a Hang at present.
September 8th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
I recently took a trip to Barcelona where I first encountered the hanghang. A skilled musician was playing one at Park Guell and the sound was so perfect for the atmosphere there. After running into another person playing one later that day, I knew I wanted to learn how to play this instrument. I live in the U.S. and definitely can’t make another trip out of the country right now but I hope to get my hands on a hanghang soon.
October 4th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
Hi!! i am Taku from Japan. I have a question. Probably, Germany is spoken in Switzerland. So do I have to write to them in Germany? English is not acceptable in the communication?
October 4th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
Hi Taku, language isn’t a problem, you can write in German, English, French, Spanish or Italien.
October 15th, 2007 at 3:59 am
Hello world of Hang. i just saw a video of one being played at burning man. They really are magical. email me if there is ever anyway to purchase one in the US. If not i’ll have to journey to Switzerland someday.
peace everybody
October 16th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Hola, estoy interesado en comprar un Hang Drum estoy actualmente en Irlanda y me gustaria comprarlo por internet, sera posible la compra?
October 17th, 2007 at 7:24 am
i’m fascinated with the hang drum. sadly, i can’t afford it. living in a third world country, like the phillipines, 900 euros means a lot. i play some indigenous musical instruments like didgeridoo, jaw harp, djembe, kudyapi etc..
thanks.
October 17th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
Hi Michael McCarthy,
it isn’t possible to buy a Hang by the internet.
No es posible comprar una Hang por el Internet.
October 26th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
[…] incredibil, parca invers proportional cu (cel putin) aparenta usurinta de a cinta la el. Inteleg de aici ca rezervarile se fac la Berna si ca aceia care s-au inscris pe lista in septembrie, vor putea fi […]
October 31st, 2007 at 12:10 pm
I don’t really understand why this is the only way hang drums are sold. it’s quite difficult to get one yourself this way. they could make a lot more efford if they sold them via some percussion shops all over the world, so people won’t have to come all the way to bern (which a lot of people arn’t really up to)
Greetz
November 1st, 2007 at 1:26 am
Hi Marten, in the actual German article I tell some of the backgrounds for the decision not to sell via shops any longer. (November 16th, 2007: The German article is translated now. It is the article on this page) They build only about 400 Hanghang a year. They canceled the collaboration with their dealers, when the demand increases so much, that there must do something to decrease it. There is another reason: When you travel to Berne, you are able to choose your Hang from a number of 20 to 30 instruments. A dealer would only have a few. In 2006 and 2007 Ron Kravitz and Daniel Kaetz picked up a number of Hanghang to the US and Canada, so Northamericans had not to travel to Europe to purchase a hang.
November 5th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
G’day Michael
I wonder if the Faxnumber +41 31 301 33 32 for PANart is still valid?
You do a fantastic job with this site,mate!
November 5th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Hi Floatilla,
thank you for the commendation. Why do you wonder? A friend of mine sent a fax to PANArt three weeks ago concerning a problem with his Hang, and got an answer immediately.
November 6th, 2007 at 9:09 am
you have to GO TO BERNE??? why can’t they at least send it in the mail considering the price. that’s absolutely ridiculous and over-the-top pretentious. ;p
outrageous price as well.
November 6th, 2007 at 9:17 am
ok sorry for the pissy comment i wrote before. i just read the comment by ron in the ‘richard’s notes’ page and i completely appreciate the artistry, patience, time and skill involved with creating the hang.
however, i rather think they could still mail one out to me. i don’t need to go to berne. there is no reason to. just make me a hang. i’ll pay you via paypal or w/e you want and then here’s my address. simple as pie.
November 6th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
Hi chirs,
this is not the hangmaker’s website. I can’t sell you a hang. I’m a hangplayer providing information about the hang. In the detailed German article about how to buy a hang I tell about some backgrounds of the hangmaker’s decision for not shipping hanghang. I hope the English translation will be ready soon (November 16th, 2007: The translation is done now).
November 11th, 2007 at 5:39 am
The first time I saw a hang was when I saw a couple hippies who called themselves Barnakustica playing one and a soprano saxaphone in the street outside the Picasso museum in Barcelona. Bought a CD of their music. Great stuff.
Agree with the other comments on here about the difficulty in purchasing a hang. They should just license the thing to other manufacturers, get rich, go live on an island somewhere playing hang. It’s nice they care about their art and all that but seriously that’s kind of ridiculous.
Cheers,
mark
November 11th, 2007 at 11:13 am
Hi Mark,
it isn’t the hangmaker’s choice, that nobody else builds the Hang. By now other tuners didn’t care or didn’t succeed. A new article written by Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer for the ISMA 2007 in Barcelona can explain some backgrounds of this situation: History, Developement and Tuning of the HANG.
November 13th, 2007 at 12:11 am
Hi,
I am a musician from India.
have ability to play 13 instruments..
today, I was introduced to a Hang Drum.
I fell in love with this instrument. Can anyone suggest me how to procure one in this part of the world?
Any help would be sooo awesome!
Thanks a ton !
Sumit
November 14th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Hello,
My name is Adam and I am from the USA. I like others here that have seen this magnificent instrument played can not afford to fly overseas. I am very interested in buying a hang drum. If there is any place in the USA that I could go for an appointment that information would be very helpfull. I have loved all forms of wordly drums for as long as I can remember. I am drawn to this instrument because of its unique sound. Please help me so I can play one myself someday. Thank and hope to hear from you soon.
Adam
November 15th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Hi Adam,
please read comment numbered 6 .
Hi Sumit,
there are only two possibilities for you: Write to PANArt and ask them (but in all probability they won’t ship a Hang to you) or look for an used Hang (but offers are rare and prices high). I’m sorry, but I have no better news for you.
March 3rd, 2008 Michael says: Since 2008 shipping is possible again.
November 15th, 2007 at 10:24 am
Seriously, can you people not read? How many requests for “how can I buy a hang drum?” are there, when the post is after the article “How To Buy A Hang Drum”. Sheesh.
December 30th, 2007 Michael says: When Dave wrote this comment, there were a lot of comments as he described. I deleted all these comments today in order to make the comment list shorter.
November 15th, 2007 at 11:28 pm
Great article, and thanks for providing all the information that anyone needs to find and buy a Hang drum. Its the lack of instant gratification that makes people mad.
As the makers say,
The HANG is a new musical instrument. Individuals around the world
appreciate it. There are two hangmakers worldwide. It is impossible to satisfy the growing demand. Further collaboration between art and science is needed to make it possible that other hangmakers may exist in the future.
And the art of tuning this drum seems totally unique, and not something to be learnt in one day. This is what takes so long to do.
Yours, Sonia
November 16th, 2007 at 12:50 am
Hi Sonia,
thank you for your comment. I agree with your opinion. You wrote it just before I updated this article with the English translation of the German article I wrote some weeks ago. I hope it shows the background behind the present situation.
November 17th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Hi Michael
Thank you for your time,effort and patience. I appreciate you explaining the history of the current situation. May others follow the HANG makers sentiments. Yes it is a lot of cash, however if the love is strong the cost will be met,somehow. Just my opinion, yet am grateful having an opportunity to unite my rhythmic energy flow with a sound that can match. regards from Perth Australia.
November 18th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
I just came across a video on youtube by chance? maybe not… My fiance is from Trinidad and I love the steel drum just as a side note, none the less, I heard this drum and had to aquire one.
Ive oddly enough been to Bern, Switzerland…through the big clock arch on those long narrowed streets leading down to the bear pit. Yea, I spent good time in Bern. What is HILARIOUS is that if I wish to acquire a drum I must write a letter and then see if Im invited to FLY TO SWITZERLAND and pick out a drum.
IM a hardcore musicisn one might say, make a living doing it, run a studio and have been involved in music in many facets… so what Im leading to is that I understand the commitment to making drums right and so forth let alone the notion that there are only two people that can make these drums
apparantly.
Going to investigate after reading this intro paragraph above… seeing a drum go for nearly 9000.00 is sickening. Im trying to crack a joke here but
if I went out and bought a Weber grill and got wacking away with a hammer, I may get my HANG drum rocks off and call it a day for much cheaper.
A 9000.00 drum people, notes to be allowed to come to Bern and all the cost involved or face the open market. YOU PEOPLE ARE DRIVING THE PRICES UP TO LEVELS OF INSANITY. I really dont care if im the millionth complaint.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE EVERYTHING, and coming across this whole Hang drum situation, you guys arent GODS, so come down off your drum making cloud and figure out a way to supply the WORLD with these melodies that to begin with dont belong to you. Teach the talent, find the talent…whatever… if the two drum makers croak tomorrow where does that leave the HANG…
Hanging any more off a precarious public opinion ledge..hmmm…
As far as Im concerned.. For 9000.00 US I could go hire a steel drum band for weeks on end..
November 18th, 2007 at 11:49 pm
Hi PFFFFFFFFF,
I’m not shure wether you realized, that you don’t talk to the hangmakers when you are writing a comment in this weblog. “YOU PEOPLE” and “you guys” don’t hear you even if you are bawling in capitals. I personally can’t help you. I’m only a hangplayer and run this weblog to share information and experiences. I can’t tune hanghang.
I think it would be better to research more information before talking big. It is arrogant to challenge the hangmakers in the way you did. Do you know, what they have done in the past to find and teach talents? Do you know what is neccessary to be able to build hanghang? Why do you think, that the hangmakers regard themselfs as gods? Have you ever met them to be able to make such a statement?
And who cares, if two or three millionaires buy a Hang for 8000 or 9000 Dollars in an ebay auction, when 400-500 new ones are built in a year? It’s easier to acquire a new Hang than to buy an overpriced one in ebay.
I understand your frustration. It isn’t easy for Americans to obtain a Hang. But this doesn’t excuse such a comment.
November 19th, 2007 at 1:58 am
I been in music industry for long now, I started in India learning tabla from my Guru when I mate him first time, I offer tuition fees he looked at me and said son Music is one of the most precious gift god has given us which is far more valuable then Money and materialism and musician has very little to do with it, and then after I never dare to ask or to say anything about fees.
Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer have made most amazing instrument, now it is time to be more practical like any other invention and great instruments makers and with humble love, share it more, teach other how to make it, have more staff, there are plenty investor I am sure, after seeing this demand specially!
I wish you best and thank you Hang maker for giving us great gift.
I have one hang and i like all 30 of them if i could.
November 19th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
Hi Sandeep,
if you are interested in making hanghang, write to the hangmakers and tell them. If you personally don’t want, perhaps you know someone who does. So tell them to contact PANArt. When you don’t know anyone who is interested, your suggestion to teach others doesn’t make sense. The hangmakers never refused to share their experience.
November 19th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
Hello!!!i am impressed very much with this hang..How can i buy it if i live in Germany, please tell the better way how to do it!! may be e-bay? I ll be waiting for your answer!!!thanks a lot!!!!!
November 19th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
Hi Julia,
there is a German version of “How do I akquire a Hang?” too: “Wie erwerbe ich ein Hang?”. Living in Germany is a good starting position to obtain a Hang, because it isn’t so far to travel to Berne as from other countries. There is no better way than it is described in the articles: Write a letter, be patient, get an invitation and travel to Berne.
November 20th, 2007 at 1:59 am
thank you for the artical it was very informative.
November 20th, 2007 at 10:34 am
Thanks for such a great article. It was really facinateing and beautiful how the makers of the hang work. Although i am not interested in puchaseing one at this time, i do have a couple of questions.
Do you have to have a background/skill in music in order to play a hang?
Do you have to have a background/skill in music in order to be granted a hang?
Thanks for yout time!
November 20th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Hi David,
no, you don’t have to have any skills to begin with the Hang or to obtain a Hang. PANArt’s customers are professional musicans as well as people who never played an musical instrument before.
November 20th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Hi, Michael.
Thank you for your patience, love, knowledge and time used to keep this blog running.
And I want to say that I really appreciate the way that the “hang makers” decided to sell the hang and keep the contact: return to the basics, deep breath and forget all your fucking idea of technology and globalization. If you want it, you have to move.
I saw and heard about the hang in 2002, in the middle of a street in some small village. Since that day I dream with the idea to have one, till now the price is expensive for me, but I think that is not a reason to attack to the people who develop and create the Hang.
Long live to the hang makers, and to the Hand Makers around the world.
All heil Discordia!
love&peace.
November 20th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Thanks for this great post!
I´ve seen the folks in Barcelona and I saw another couple in Madrid playing hang.
I was captived with the sound of the instrument and it make grow on me the feeling of learning to play and having one.
Now I know the fascinating history how it was created and how it is builded and selled, I am more impressed than before. Sabina Schärer and Felix Rohner are the last alive artisans!
I want to Thank you too for your time!
PD: Have you considered to re-titled the blog? Something like: “So you want to acquire a Hang? Don´t post an answer untill your read it!” XD
November 20th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Hi Maria,
(December 30th, 2007: When Maria wrote her comment, there were a lot of comments only requesting: “How can I buy a hang?” and a lot of answers from me: “Read the article above please.” I deleted all these comments today in order to make the comment list shorter.)
to re-title the article is a good idea if you only look at the comments. But if you know that about 1000 visitors open this article per week, you realize that the vast majority of readers doesn’t need the new title.
November 21st, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Greetings from Bradford,
I am personally releasing a swarm of angry, killer pterodactyls with machine guns stapped to their heads at all the doubters and ignorant people who asuume, through sheer lack ignorance, that the difficulty in obatainning a hanghang is due to snobbery.
For anybody living in Britain, they do cheap coaches to most of Europe about £50 one way, which isn’t bad…
National Express mate.
Thats where its at.
Great sounds and a great website.
Jed
November 21st, 2007 at 10:38 pm
Patience children. If it’s worth having, it’s worth waiting for.
Good work on the blog by the way.
Eric
November 22nd, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Does the hang go out of tune?, if so what happens then.
November 22nd, 2007 at 4:48 pm
[…] my inner hippy wants to sign up and go and get one from Berne as soon as possible (there’s a long wait […]
November 22nd, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Hi feck,
a Hang can go out of tune if it is treated too rough or fallen down or something like this. You can bring or send it to PANArt and they are able to tune it.
Notice: Never take apart the two hemispheres of the Hang for tuning purposes! This would destroy the instrument irreversible.
A Hang can be tuned through the Gu opening using a little hammer in the same way as the final tuning is done at the end of the Hang building process. I watched Sabina retuning a Hang: It was done in a few minutes. If you have a tuning problem with your Hang, send a fax to PANArt. You will get an answer shortly.
November 23rd, 2007 at 1:43 am
Great instrument… the guy who learns how to build hangs will be a millionare… As well be the hangmakers with trademarks. Can’t really understand how it can’t be a large manufacture.
I mean apart from the two hangmakers… That stuff can be as popular as an acoustic guitar! Everyone will play hangs at the campfire.
November 26th, 2007 at 1:42 am
Hello,
I sent a letter in September and still did not get a reply brom the hangmakers.
Should I send another one? should I be worried?
Cheers, Eran
November 26th, 2007 at 7:04 am
This instrument sure does sound beautiful. I’m only an amateur, not a “real” musician, and I doubt I would ever be invited to one of these exclusive sales events, and I wouldn’t be able to afford to go anyway, so it’s not even worth sending a letter. And that’s ok. I just hope some of the “real” musicians who are lucky enough to have one will be willing to allow their music CDs to be mass-produced so I can at least enjoy the sound in some way
But I’d like to take a moment defend the people who are upset at the hangmakers. Granted, I don’t know the hangmakers, so I cannot be certain of their intent, but certainly their choices and actions seem to suggest certain opinions that are unfortunate. For example, their refusal to ship the instrument elsewhere or allow themselves to be contacted via internet doesn’t help give them more time to muse and study their craft. Restricting sales does that all by itself.
And no, I don’t know whether they have tried to teach others the craft, or tried to find a way to mass-produce the instruments. What I do know is that a couple of their FANS are giving their point of view. The hangmakers aren’t willing to do that themselves (not even with a simple website or FAQ). These things just make it hard for me to come up with any mental picture of these people except for a pair of self-indulgent, arrogant “haut artistes”. That doesn’t mean they really are that way, and perhaps they aren’t. I hope I’m wrong about them, and I wish I could picture them some other way. It’s a shame they have chosen to be so secretive. I wonder what they look like. Do they wear the same kind of clothing as normal people?
I’m tempted to send them a letter just to ask them whether they have ever tried to find a way to mass-produce these, or whether they would be willing to show a manufacturing or engineering firm what they do and how they do it, and let the engineers try and find a way to mass-produce it. If they would be willing to demonstrate their technique, and if they haven’t tried this already, I might be able to find a company that would be interested. I live in a city that is somewhat famous for music-related business.
And by the way, I disagree that the disappointment and anger we are hearing is due to “desire for instant gratification”, and I think it’s a little insulting to imply that. Most of the complaints I’ve seen are more to the effect that obtaining one is impossible for some people even with any amount of waiting, due to the tremendous expense involved, and the numerous practical problems associated with international travel for many people (especially for those of us who live in a country run by demented, security-obsessed maniacs).
Another point I would like to make is that a desire for instant gratification would be somewhat understandable in a society like that of my country, where “free time” is a somewhat alien (maybe even “sinful”) concept, and money cannot be exchanged for time in general. Everyone can obtain money if they work hard enough and save up, but for many people here, obtaining time is an impossibility. A lot of companies here do not allow vacation under any circumstances, and expect 60 hours a week minimum for most job positions. I think you can guess where I live. My point is just that different cultures are different, and what we have here may be more of a cultural misunderstanding than anything else. So maybe everyone should just cool down and try not to insult each other over these things. If the hangmakers choose not to make many available, then that’s their choice. Those of us who are incapable of getting one should relax and find something else we can enjoy instead.
November 26th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Hi Eran,
in December, January and February PANArt doesn’t sell Hanghang. Usually Felix and Sabina use the winter time to regenerate and to research and develop the Hang. In the end of September the hangmakers invited prospective customers for March 2008. As far as I know these folks had written in June or July. There are others, who have written in August who are still waiting for an answer. So in my opinion you shouldn’t be worried.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Hi Jesse,
thank you for your differentiated point of view from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
November 29th, 2007 at 1:02 am
Hi there.
I just want to share my opinion.
I respect the work of the two instrument makers, they made a fantastic thing. But:
- I cant believe that other companies are unable to produce and tune hangs.
- The instruments that inspired the hang makers, were made by many people.
for example, the steelpans were made by very poor people from used oil barrels.
The hang, and the process it is sold -and the price- is directly the opposite approach - it is more like selling a ferrari, that is not mass produced, and therefore it is rare, expensive, and exclusive.
A ferrari is not purchased by taxi drivers, who drive the car professionally, and make a living of it, but purchased by rich people, who want to show their status with it. And sometimes drive very fast.
So when i first saw it I thought, that it could be a wonderful instument in talented hands, and can be listened by many people. But now i think, its a wonderful instrument, that can be played by rich people, who can afford to travel thousands of kilometres and buy one.
As i understand the creators of ferrari, I do understand the makers of HANG. But I cant accept their last scentence in their writing about the history and making of the HANG:
“Further collaboration between art and science is needed to make it possible that other hangmakers may exist in the future.”
The Ferrari is what it is - symbol of status, and wealth. When a HANG is sold for 9000 Euros on ebay, it is muc hike a symbol of wealth, than anything else. For much less you can buy a citroen DS for example. A car that is beautiful, unique, a symbol of the creativity of human mind, and a product, that never will be made any more.
I am sad about the hang. I will never have one.
Regards
Imre (Hungary)
November 29th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
one more thing:
“hang” in hzngarian means: “sound”
musicl instruments are called “hangszer”
good choice for the name…
November 30th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
non c’e’ nessuno che ne costruisce un clone?
December 2nd, 2007 at 11:29 pm
Hello!
Right now i’m deciding if i’ll be able to spend THIS much in order to buy this GREAT drum! - after all it’ll cost me a lot to travel to Bern from Moscow… But i still want to purchase one - it’s really great. However i have one question… If the hangmakers will reply (and after reading the article above i’m pretty sure they will) does it mean that i will be invited? I mean they don’t deal only with professionals or those who have some really serious intentions? If i’ll only write in a letter “I want a hang” will i be invited? Or i have to write the summary “Why i want a hang”? I know that this question may sound weird, but i just want to make sure before making up my mind…
P.S. Thanks a lot for the article! It really helped me a lot!
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:07 am
Hi Dmitriy,
when you achieve an invitation to visit the Hangbauhaus in Berne, you can be shure to be able to buy a Hang. The hangmakers don’t sell Hanghang only to professional musicians. When they decided to invite you, they won’t refuse to sell one to you, when you arrive in Berne. I have no suggestions for your letter. Just write what you want to write.
December 5th, 2007 at 12:26 am
its all right…the price is just ridiculous!
December 6th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
It’s so a pity !… It’s like they want Hanghang stay rare and unknow !… You need to search for a long time just to discover the name of this beautiful instrument… and when you have it, you learn that you will never buy it, because “you need to go personaly to Bern” and so on !!!!
Very strange, and blablabla to explain that is just blablabla : if you want an instrument will be know all over the world, and when people love it, you have to do your best to offer it to people !… So, for now, it’s just elitism… That’s a shame…
December 6th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Hi Olivier,
it’s neither elitism nor a shame. The problem is, that two persons are not able to meet the demand. The Hang can’t be produced industrially. Each instrument has to be artistically tuned by an experienced tuner, who is conversant with the material and the acoustical behavior of the Hang. By now, no others were interested or able to acquire these abilities. This is not the responsibility of the two existing hangmakers. They invited other tuners to join in the past. Let’s wait, what the future will bring.
December 11th, 2007 at 12:08 am
It’s an awesome instrument. It just sounds like they wanted to get into some good business, but couldn’t meet the demand and piled some spiritual stuff on top to cover up their folly.
December 11th, 2007 at 2:34 am
Hi Mike,
what you are reading in this article is me, not the hangmakers. It’s my sound
December 12th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
WOW. This is clever marketing.
I have seen it. First they give distribution to various people to get the thing popular. After their work is done one by one gets knocked out and as consequence supply is done by the maker only with full margin of course.
And these makers even got their customers so far to accept ridiculous prices.
Hopefully Chinese copies will arrive soon and inflate this hype.
Mark my words: When this day has arrived they will quickly open up their distribution again.
That said, instrument making is art and good art has a long evolution and therefore should have a solid price to make people value it.
However, in this case something smells fishy.
December 12th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
There won’t be Chinese copies soon. Even a steelpan tuner needs five to ten years of experience to tune high quality instruments. And for the Hang additional experiences with the new material and the acoustical character of the new shape is necessary. The hangmakers didn’t create a business model, they invented a new instrument. And their work isn’t done. They are developing the Hang year by year. When others will offer Hang like instruments, PANArt won’t increase their production. They can’t increase production without decreasing the quality of the Hang. And they aren’t interested in tunig low quality instruments. I can’t find any fishy smell.
December 18th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
I think it is beautiful that in this instant world there are some things that must be earned, cultivated and appreciated. Some things still need to be made by hand, carefully selected and understood with artistry.
At the end of the day there are not many things like that left that do not have some instant version, perhaps the finest wines, hand-forged swords and Hang drums remain to remind us that good things are worth waiting for.
The prices are prohibitive for many, but that is the case with many musical instruments. I think the simple appearance creates the disappointment, it looks accessible upon first glance. Basic enough to be some sort of produced item. However many beautiful, simple, perfect things are born from the effort of generations of distillation.
Thank you for your informative page!
December 20th, 2007 at 10:24 pm
Michael, I am criticising that they do make these instruments not for others but for themselves. If they have a sincere desire to please their customers, they would increase their effort to make the hang more available.
Otherwise, if it was only for the perfection of the instrument, why did they first build up the distribution and after the hang gained marketshare then pulled out of everything?
December 20th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
Hi Honesty,
the Hang Makers didn’t pull out of everything. In the first five years they built about 850 first generation hanghang per annum. In the last two years they built about 400 second generation hanghang per annum. And you have to bear in mind, that building and tuning of the second generation instruments is more time-consuming. A few years ago, Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer asked other steelpan tuners to join, but nobody was interested. In the past there were two atempts of persons, who began learning the tuning of the Hang, but they didn’t succeed. So you can’t blame the Hang Makers, that they didn’t try to increase the production capacity. The Hang is a new instrument. The Hang Makers not yet understand all the aspects of the acoustic of the Hang. Within the years they changed their view on the instrument and their understanding of what a Hang is. In winter 2005 they realized, that it would be impossible to meet the increasing demand. They had to decide wether they become slaves of demand or stick to their artistic work. We should consider, that the history of the Hang is very short. If we look 30 years forward in the future, there surely will be more artists building Hang like instruments. But in the moment we just experience the birth of the Hang.
December 21st, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Micheal wrote: “But in the moment we just experience the birth of the Hang.”
If this is true or not, the future will tell.
I wish them and you good luck as long as sanity and honesty is maintained.
In the end it is still an instrument and however refined, it will not take anyone to heaven.
Seeing the prices now, for a “not yet born” instrument by your own words, I wonder what the “real” hang, when it finally appears will cost.
Anyway, good luck with your endeveours and respect for your enthusiasm.
December 25th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Hi again!
It was said that in March 2008 hang price will be 1200 euro….so it will be more expencive later and later?
December 26th, 2007 at 1:06 am
Hi twilight,
I only know several persons, who have received word that price will be 1,200 Euro in March. This means exactly what is said and nothing else. In the last years prices didn’t change within a year. The future is of course unknown.
December 26th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Now I understand why there r more and more products “made in China” in the world… Eouropeans can’t start they own mass production and lower price.. to bad. soon we will see HangDrum made from China for 100 EUR
December 26th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
The lack of mass production isn’t caused by incompetence of the Europeans. The reason is, that the two Hang Makers don’t want mass production. They don’t want to become managers of a factory but stay to be artists. A second reason is, that it isn’t possible to produce the Hang sound industrial. The Sound has to be hammered into the steel by experienced tuners. Also the Trinidad steelpan can’t be produced industrial. The reason for more steelpans than Hanghang to buy is, that there are much more steelpan tuners than Hang tuners in the world.
December 28th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
I first heard and saw the Hang on DVD movie -The Astronaut Farmer (special features showed the instrument played).. I’m in love.. music IS an international “Babel” communication. Unique to the instrument, composer, and musician.
I don’t expect World Peace with this piece of crafted metal, however in the hands of our youth, ALL our future, and elders, TALENT to teach, possibly- just possibly the World CAN communicates harmony a bit more. Volume (loudness) of volume (quantity) is a question.. maybe God will guide the two key Hang Makers to consider the price and sacrifice of their own mentoring for others to have their special gift… A shepard boy, David long ago calmed King Saul from his rage with a unique instrument and song… what can we do today in OUR OWN mankind circle? Be patient for your OWN Hang.. use your God given tools today for harmony in your neighborhood and for His Glory… just some thoughts… now where’s my Hang?.. God give me patience, NOW!
December 30th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Michael, you are a saint for the gentleness and patience you maintain on this blog -God Bless You! Firstly I’d like to say that I READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE! (it was brilliant and answered all my questions) I too at first was upset that I could not instantly place an order online and get overnight shipping and be playing the next day! boo-hoo pout-pout
These ‘drums’ are not just intruments but really they are works of art. There are a lot of people who believe that if they like something, well, they should have it! Quickly -and of course at a reasonble price. I don’t know how you would do it, but if people could be made aware that they are seeking to own a hand made piece of art, with the soul of it’s creators within it maybe there would not be the whining and moaning (Veroca Salt-esque, ‘but Daddy, I want it NOOOWWWW’). I love Picasso’s paintings and would really really like one for my house….I’m short and cash and gas is really expensive, do you have any suggestions? lol. God Bless you again Michael I’ll be waiting for some one to offer Hang samples for my keyboard.
Love,Truth and Peace from California
December 30th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Hi Jeff,
it seems to be difficult to understand, that a Hang isn’t only two Woks with dents glued together. I think this problem results from the fact, that you can’t see, what creates the sound of the Hang. You only see the shape of the Hang. And the shape seems to be easily made. But the sound comes from the unvisible microstructure of the hammered steel sheet. Nevertheless the shape is important too. In my opinion you have to understand the Hang as a sound sculpture. Its shape dimension you can experience with your eyes and hands, but to realize the whole sound sculpture you have to experience its mircrostructure and sound dimension with fingers and ears as well.
By the way, there is a Hang sample: ( http://www.hangfan.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?id=41 ). I don’t know wether it works with your keyboard.
December 30th, 2007 at 8:15 pm
Thank you Michael.
I like your ’sound sculpture’ analogy. I can only imagine the increase in wok sales over the next couple of years, and the conterfiets that will be unknowingly bought on ebay.
Have Happy New Year!
January 7th, 2008 at 3:51 am
wow i really really want one of these.
What are the criteria to be invited? I was halfway planing a trip to the neterlands in the summer and this WOULD give me a lot mor modivation
January 7th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Hello, I’m a musician form Finland and I’ve decided to get a hang no matter what. I even planned out the whole trip to Bern already, but now I have a question about the letter to PANart…what should I write? I’m ready to travel all the way to Switzerland and buy a hang. What more do they want to know?
January 7th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Hi Matt and Taavi,
there aren’t any special criteria you have to meet to be invited (for example only professionals or only percussionists or only red haired or something else). So I cannot give you any advice what you should write in a letter to Berne. In August Felix showed me some of the letters from people they want to invite for October. The letters were different and people were different: Amateurs and professionals, people never played an musical instrument before as well as multi-instrumentalists. There were long letters and short letters. They wrote about their whish to play the hang, about their situation and what they want to do with the hang.
So my only piece of advice is: Just write, what you want to write.
The main criterion is time. There are a lot of people who have written before you. Therefor you cannot count on an appointment at a specific date. You have to be patient and look forward to what will happen.
January 16th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
The problem in this case is not the fact that not many hangs are produced. There are also Chapman Sticks and other instruments with the same (or less) productions per year. The problem is that the PanArt is making it very hard to get one. You can order other instruments on the internet, they can be posted, etc. The Hang can1t be posted or ordered that way, i dont seem to understand why…But its a good marketing trick, and Fishy indeed.
January 16th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
In my point of view it isn’t a marketing trick and not fishy. They can sell only about 400 Hanghang a year independent from the way they sell the Hanghang. A trick doesn’t make sense. From my conversation with the Hang Makers and what I heard from others who had contact with them, my understanding is, that it is their way to manage the exceptionally high demand. They want to spend their time with building and developing the Hang and not with hundreds of discussions why it is impossible to obtain a Hang immediately. The difference between the Hang and other rare musical instruments is, that most of other rare instruments are requested only by limited numbers of specialized musicans but the Hang is requested by a much higher number of people.
January 17th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Hi, I am a lucky owner of a beautiful hang. I just wondered if you could give me any advice on how to amplify it without taking away the lovely warmth of the sound. I play the hang in a band and now that we are getting bigger gigs I would like to feel confident that I can amp it up and that it will still have the lovely rich sound. I have tried attaching guitar pick-ups on the inside but this makes it sound a bit tinny. I recently bought a condenser microphone to place above the hang as I play, this is definitely better than the pick-ups but is not projecting the sound enough. Do I just need to splash out on a very expensive mic? Would really appreciate your advice, thanks.
January 17th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Hi Coley,
I haven’t any experience with amplyfying a Hang in a stage situation. Manu Delago uses two mics above / in front of the Hang, when he plays with his band Manu Delago Handmade. Steve Shehan uses one mic above the Hang, when he plays life with the Hadouk Trio.
There are several discussions about this topic in the Hang-Music Forum and in the Yahoo group “Hangdrum”. You can find both here.
January 18th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
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January 29th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Thanks for the fantastic blog/website: it took away my anguish about not being able apparantly to acquire a Hang. Now I know I ‘ll have to be patient…
Thanks again for your efforts and gentle responses and wonderfull information!
Herman
January 30th, 2008 at 3:07 am
Hey Michael,
I saw a video of a man playing a hang drum on the internet and was immediatly captivated by this new instrument. Being a young musician, i was searching and was dissapointed when i had read the news that these intruments are not sold online. Selling on Ebay for nearly 4 thousand US dollars, the hang seems extremley expensive. Is this the price that a hang would cost if i were to travel out to Switzerland and purchase one from the makers? Also, when sending a letter to Switzerland, is it possible that the Hang Makers can reject your application for a visit?
Thanks,
Mike
January 30th, 2008 at 3:32 am
Hi Mike,
). As a completion to this read my comment numbered 80.
all I know about the price for a new Hang is said in the article. And what can I say about your question wether the Hang Makers can reject your application for a visit? Yes they can because they are free to decide whom they sell a Hang, but why should they reject especially your request? The important fact is, that you will be able to buy a hang, when you got an appointment and travel to Berne. They won’t refuse to sell you a hang, when you are there (unless you burn down their workshop or kill their grandmother or something like this
January 30th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Amazing.
I have to say, I have never seen so many people who can complain, throw stones and generally be bitter towards what they themselves are calling a “wonderful” instrument. As with most possessions, a certain demand drives people to immediately put forth an attitude of “I gotta have one”. And especially with rarer objects. But as soon as it’s not delivered conveniently into the palm of their hand, and at a cheap price, immediately accusations of “elitism” and “grandeur” are thrown at the creators. I take most hand made, precise musical intruments as works of art. I for one and extremely happy - overjoyed even that people are this dedicated to their art to restrict their craft to such levels. There are several custom guitar, bass, and drum manufacturers all over the world who hand-craft and severely limit their distribution of their crafts, so I don’t see how this is any different. If it were so easy to acquire a Rembrandt, or a Van Gogh the world would be filled with under-appreciative brats calling themselves art lovers. Instead of being grateful that someone developed a wonderful instrument, people are sad, bitter and arrogant about their desire to own one and place blame on anyone but themselves for their feelings. It seems to be true that people who genuinely love their art are willing to accept some difficulties towards obtaining a rare instrument, however for the people who don’t want to make the effort, they sulk and moan about how the creators are elitist, rather than the demanding, crybabies that certainly have been prevalent here. I have a feeling that some of these individuals themselves would like to own one because they saw a man playing it on youtube and would just use it as a piece of decoration in their apartment rather than actually play it. I agree that it is frustrating that I can’t immediately run down a local music store, or even travel 2 hours away to obtain one (I live in Canada), however I am not about to go and put the blame on the creators for my inability to own one (just yet…), when I can still dream and appreciate that such an item exists in the first place.
Thanks for running a wonderful and informative website. It’s a shame more people commenting here would rather curse the darkness than light a candle.
January 30th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Thank you, Matt, for lighting your candle here
January 30th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Hello!
After hearing the hang drum played for the first time, I was completely awe-struck and inspired to find one. My search has become sort of an obsession.
Is there an address, that you know of, that I may write to in order to contact its manufacturer?
This would be of the greatest help.
January 30th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
I apologize for the double post, but after reading Matt’s post above my own, I thought I should clarify.
I am a musician– a true musician. I wish to aquire a hang drum solely for the purpose of playing it. To play such a beautiful instrument would be an honor. I respect the makers’ wishes to preserve the hangdrum’s beauty. I believe that by limiting the number produced to very few, this prevents (as Matt implies) people ordering it online, or buying it in a Guitar Center, if you will, and putting it on the coffee table at home as a conversation starter.
It is the intensity and difficulty of the search for the hangdrum that will make me truly appreciate it, once it is finally on my knees.
Just clarifying
Sincerely,
Caitlin
January 31st, 2008 at 12:14 am
Hi Michael, My name is Cy Rathbun, I live in Southern California and was wondering if you knew of anyone who has a Hangdrum near me, so I might hear it played or better yet be allowed to touch one. I am not a musician but ssem to have a sense of tapping inside me and would like to see if this instrument would fit my 61 year age. You do a good job keeping this blog together thank you.
Cy
January 31st, 2008 at 12:46 am
Hi Caitlin,
). Just read it and your questions will be widley answered.
the article above is about how to acquire a Hang (as the title says
Hi Cy,
to meet Hang players in your area I suggest to visit the Hang-Music Forum and the Yahoo group “Hangdrum”. You find both here. You can also have a look in the Players Directory at hang-music.com.
February 1st, 2008 at 3:00 am
The drum is really amazing, BUT…who do these people think they are? They must be aliens or something. They have the most ridiculous business model that I’ve ever heard. They only sell them certain months of the year. They have no e-mail or website. You need to be invited to purchase one.
Whatever! It’s cool, but it isn’t that cool. These people seem like hypocrits. They must only care about the rich enjoying their beloved instrument.
Why do I need to go to switzerland, meet them and enjoy one of their homecooked vegetarian dinners (yuck!) to buy a freaking drum! Are you people insane???
WTF.
Unbelievable.
February 1st, 2008 at 4:22 am
See, the above post proves my point…
Why do people assume that there must be a “business model”? That the first intent of every salable product is to acquire a massive profit? How many artistic endeavours are built around profit? How about maintaining an artform? Recouping expenses? I guess I just see the bottom line being that the people who create something can do what they want and choose to sell the fruits of their labour how or when (or even IF) they wish.
And throwing in comments about only the rich being able to enjoy it is ludicrous. As a drummer myself, I can say that purchasing several drum sets over the years (please do your homework and check the costs of shells, sticks, cymbals, hardware for an acoustic drumset…), plus several hand drums, percussion equipment, etc - could have probably provided me with a handful or more of these instruments. And I am truly of average (or sometimes less than average) means.
I guess my response to the above is: You DON’T have to go to Switzerland, you DON’T have to eat a meal of any kind or connect with the creators of the instrument. In the end, you DON’T have to own one of their instruments. Merely keep enjoying the livelihood of all the others that have taken that journey and live in envy of the people that do.
Or you could bitch to people who have no control over the situation and just want to inform other individuals about the instrument.
My apologies to Michael for venting…
February 1st, 2008 at 3:13 pm
The instrument is nice and simple but could be a bit limited after an initial novelty period. But I think the whole ‘cult’ thing is avarice in disguise. I suggest some real engineers get the design, and work out a mass production process. These Swiss hippies can keep doing their backyard thing. I’d rather travel to Indonesia and spend a few weeks listening to real gamalung music and dance in Yogakarta for a fraction of cost of a pseudo pilgrimage to Swiss-ville. At the rate of public interest I’ll be able to pick one up there for a half reasonable price — tuned correctly by real Indonesian musicians who still have real sacred music traditions — and probably live on $2 a day and could appreciate some business! Yep, whatever you do, don’t teach them common folk how to fish! It clearly elitism in a humble disguise.
February 1st, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Hello
Good to read everyones comments here. Interesting to see peoples different takes on how frustrating, or not they consider the aquisition of this unique instrument. My respect to the makers for sticking to their ethics on how they wish to produce and distribute this unique instrument. I used to work with a master craftsman who made Carrom boards, things of beauty and amazing to play. He resisted the temptations of mass production and instead traded the boards personally through festivals and shows. This personal approach meant that people engaged with the concept far more than if they just bought it off the internet coz it looked cool. So my praise to the Hang makers and I bet all of you lucky people that now own and cherish one appreciate it all the more because of your journey to obtain it and your personal meeting with the people that made it. Peace to everyone and if the Hang interests you may well have sat and played Carrom at WOMAD festivals with us.
February 1st, 2008 at 6:11 pm
I got tired of reading the comments..
Is it possible to have one of the hang drum?
if it is.., where do i get it n what is the cost…
February 1st, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Hi Matt,
no apologies are necessary. Your gentle breeze vents very well and is welcome
February 1st, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Cheers Michael,
Just popping in to say thanks for the very informative information, and for diligently replying to all the questions.
I will be writing a letter shortly. I would feel lucky to have an “excuse” to travel to a new place and experience new sights and sounds.
February 2nd, 2008 at 2:39 am
i have so much respect for the makers of this fantastically brilliant instrument and i understand the need to be one with your instrument, for each has its own its own feeling and should be matched to its counterpart/owner for optimal pleasure. if there would possibly be some way i could meet someone for the introduction of the hang without going to Switzerland ( even though i’d love to ), i would very much like to know if that was possible. if not i understand and i will have to hope life will lead me to the path where at the end the magical hang “hang”. thank you, just knowing these instruments actually exist is a welcoming breath of fresh air. Again, thank you very much.
February 2nd, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Hi eric,
to meet Hang players in your area I suggest to visit the Hang-Music Forum and (if you are located in the US) the Yahoo group “Hangdrum”. You find both here. You can also have a look in the Players Directory at hang-music.com.
February 2nd, 2008 at 5:05 pm
regarding ebay prices of hanghang. I have noticed a pattern of zero feedback bidders ramping up the pricing. Any experienced ebayer knows the implications there and i welcome comments on this subject.
February 3rd, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Hello. I’m the “Richard” mentioned in the post above who has hosted a Hang discussion at my blog since 2004.
I thought those of you tracking this might want to know that I’m selling my hang on eBay. I just listed it:
I’ve put my hang on eBay. Some of you may be interested in this:
1st Generation Hang by PANArt
February 4th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Hi Michael - I came across a hang drum video a while back and was intrigued by this new instrument. It didn’t take much research to find that countless others were intrigued to.
However, a little more research proved that the STORY of the hang drum is just as intriguing(if not more) than the drum itself. I am fascinated by the story of the drum’s creation and peoples reaction to it. The manner in which you have handled the interest and your commitment to retain the dignity of this new musical instrument is also very interesting.
In short, I have plans to spend some time in EU (I live in Los Angles) and if you would be willing to cooperate, would like to start work on a documentary of this unique story. Please email back.
February 4th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Hi again - Don’t worry I figured out that you have no affiliation with Felix Rohner or Sabina Schärer. I have faxed them a copy of my post. Thanks for the info!
February 5th, 2008 at 5:04 am
I can’t believe no one on this site mentioned the ‘Hank Drum’. I’m totally going to buy a new, EMPTY PROPANE TANK and give it a go. I expect it won’t sound as pristine as the Hanghangs that the master craftsmen in Switzerland are making, but I do expect it will be a wicked musical toy to pacify me until I eventually get my hands on a real Hang drum, (which may never happen).
Google ‘Hank-Drum’ and make your own, rather than belly-aching about how hard it is to buy the Swiss deal. - Thanks Hank! And Peace out everyone!
February 5th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Hi schamandala,
of course the Hangblog noticed Dennis Havlena’s “Hank Drum” and linked it here.
February 5th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Oh my god. My whole body is tingling. I am so absolutely in love with this instrument. I wish I could lay my hands on one. I have got a new purpose in life now. I am going to do anything it takes to get me one of these.
February 6th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
I’ve seen a couple of those propane tank drums pop up on ebay each time a panart hang does. I don’t think one has sold yet. It’s five dollars of parts and $50 dollars of labor? And folks want like four to six hundred bucks for one without an audio sample either.Tribal thunder sells a cajon that’s like $99 bucks and probably took them longer to build then their propane drum. I totally agree that the original Hang is a work of art and the price is the price that people are willing to pay for it. But now look at all these views on this blog that the knowledge of how to build one should be up for grabs like the PC and the first ones out of the gate are fueled by band wagon greed. Exluding of course the public domain build your own … Listen if your going to sell a propane tank on ebay start it at $75 and see what people really want for them, I guarantee you’ll make a profit
February 6th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
I am a student doing a degree in music technology in the UK. I am especially interested in new music instruments, and the evolution of experimental sounds. I feel like I would really put one of these hangs to good use. I am willing to travel to Switzerland to get one, but how long would I have to wait before they are available? Are they still going up in price? Is the address listed above still valid?
Backy
February 6th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Hi Backy,
in my opinion the price will not change within this year. This never happened in the last years (one year - one price). But this is only my opinion. The adress listed above is still valid. How long you have to wait I don’t know. There are people who wrote a letter in summer 2007 and got an appointment for March this year. In this moment Felix and Sabina are working to manage the March sales season. I think afterwards they will contact the next prospective customers for later dates in the year. But I don’t know how many people have contacted PANArt in the last half year.
February 7th, 2008 at 4:20 am
I live in Mexico, I would like very much to buy a Hang,
Please let me know how and when.
Thank You, Miguel
February 7th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Nice one Michael. Thanks for your help
February 7th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Oh and also, how may different tunings are available? Do you get to choose?
should that be included in the letter to them?
February 9th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
Hi Miguel Bosch,
read the article, this is all I can say about your question.
Hi Backy,
To learn more about the sound models of the Hang read the Hang Lexicon. It doesn’t make sense to call for a special scale in the letter because the Hang Makers don’t tune Hanghang personally for customers.
March 3rd, 2008 Michael says: The new Integral Hang from 2008 has only one scale as it is told in the updated article above.
February 11th, 2008 at 8:06 am
After seeing a busker playing the instrument in Amsterdam I have to say I was mesmerised not only by the sheer number of notes he was able to get out of it but also the possibilities, I’m thinking anything you could use on a drum you could also use on one of these. It’s almost like a Harp and a steel drum, the sounds it generates are so very peaceful and melodic.
February 11th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Guys first of all I would like to thank everyone who wrote something useful on this site. Thanks to you i’ll be sending my one letter this week.
Does anyone know if it is better to send by mail or by fax?? Or do they look at all the dates before they start responding..??
It’s sad that I’ve only found it now… but it’s better late then never! The Hang brought new meaning to my life!
Thanks again michael, and all of you who help us true seekers in finding our goals!
p.s. What should I say on the letter? simply that I request or would like to receive an invitation to their workshop in Bernin, in order to get my own Hang..?!?
February 11th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
I understand the fact that the hang shouldn’t be mass produced in any way, and that is why i’m submitting this comment. I know what it was like the first time i heard a hang i was at a festival and i heard something that stopped me in my tracks, i had to find out what and where the sound was. There a few people standing around this kid was he was playing. Afterwards they were asking him lots of questions . I stood back and observed since then i have wanted to own my own. I’ve played hand drums for several years but there is nothing like a hang. I don’t feel that they are for everyone but i know that i would cheerish the hang forever. The sound to me is sacred! please feel free to give me any feedback possible. Thank you very much
February 12th, 2008 at 4:46 am
Hey,
I too have fallen in love with the hang drum. Lucky me, my dad is a pilot and sometimes flies to Switzeland so getting there isn’t an issue. My only question is how strict are the requirements to recieve an invitation to be allowed to pick out a hang? I am a skilled percussionist in high school but I obviously haven’t majored in music. Are they only looking for professionals?
Thanks
February 13th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Dustin Mathews I don’t know what kind of feedback you are looking for, but I can tell you that everything you need to know is already on this blog..!
And Jake, I believe they sell hanghang to any one… just look at posts no 57 & 58..! I’m no professional or musician but I’ll still give it a go..!
And Michael, sorry for asking stuff that were already here… I’ll just write what I want to write, and hopefully get an invitation in return…!
And to all who think that the hangmakers should mass produce or or change their way of production, for those who think that only rich people can buy it…
i’m not rich I can tell you that for sure, nor are my parents (nor do I still live with them…!) but what I do have, is a goal, an objective, a dream…! and nothing will stop me until either I get it, or until I’m sure I never will…!
This is kind of like Trance Festivals (even the sound…!) I’m from Portugal, where every 2 years we have Boom Festival… the ticket is not cheap, and it’s one of the biggest gaderings of the kind! there are people who spend the whole 2 years making money just to be able to be in Portugal again when the next boom comes..! and this is for every boom festival… people from every where in the world… Japan, China, Indonesia, India, all of Europe, America (N & S), Canada, even Australia that is directly opposite to Portugal in the Globe… so has you can see, it’s not a matter of money, but a matter of priorities…!
February 14th, 2008 at 12:27 am
Hi Lost, Sam, Jake and Dustin,
thank you for your comments. I was away on business the last days. I think your questions are answered in the meantime.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Welcome back Michael, I sent my fax yesterday… I chose to write wattever came to my head, so hopefully it seamed honest, because thats all it was honest and spontaneous. I’m affraid it might seem to honest… but what’s done is done! I’m sure that if i wrote that letter for a portuguese e would think I was trying to fool him but… lool
but from the moment I got to know the Hang my djembe started missing some notes..! lool
So for now all i can do is wait and play my djembe..
February 14th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
[…] in delving deeper in to all of its mysteries o_O (and I think you will be lol ) Info h a n g b l o g » Blog Archive » How do I acquire a Hang? I personally thing this thing rocks and […]
February 16th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Salve sono un percussionista italiano vorrei comprare hang come posso fare mi potete auitare?
February 17th, 2008 at 2:15 am
Hi alex,
sorry, I don’t understand your question. Google Translate and Babel Fish delivered no understandable translations.
February 17th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Hi there,
I’ve just put my hang up on eBay.de
No. 330212786708
Feel free to post me questions on eBay.de
Worldwide shipment
Thanks a lot.
February 29th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Michael, Alex wrote in Italian. I’m from Italy and I can help him directly.
Thank you for this site and for all the information.
I’ve just received the letter from PanArt and I think I will have an hang for the end of the year. I’m very happy!!
I will let you know, if you are interested!
Thanks,
Cristina
February 29th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Michael, saludos desde Valdivia Chile, quisiera saber como poder obtener un Hang, ya que vivo al otro extremo del mundo, ademas de saber su precio.
Espero puedas entender mi comentario, estoy muy interesado.
Cariñosos saludos desde estas tierras lejanas.
Jorge Lezana
Valdivia
Chile
Translate:
Michael, greetings from Valdivia Chile, I would like to know how to get a Hang, and I live across the world, as well as knowing its price.
I hope you can understand my comment, because I do not speak English.
Greetings from these distant lands.
Jorge Lezana
Valdivia
Chile
February 29th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Hola Jorge,
aquí hay una traducción al español:
¿Cómo puedo adquirir una Hang? (Google Translate)
Saludos de Alemania
February 29th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Gracias Michael
March 1st, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Cristina, please let us know when you have your hang, so that we all can share the happiness and dream some more.
Can you please tell me how long it took for them to answer your letter?
March 2nd, 2008 at 1:56 am
hey it’s me dustin again i just wanted to correct my spelling on the word sacred. i said that i felt that the hang was a sacred sound. i love the sound it puts me in a different state of mind…..more on a spiritual level. anyways i just wanted to correct my spelling. thanks a lot and god bless all of u!
March 2nd, 2008 at 2:39 am
Hi Dustin,
I’ve just corrected the wrong spelling in your first post.
Myself I call it sound - touch - move. But perhaps it is the same you call spiritual.
March 2nd, 2008 at 1:34 pm
No doubt Michael, ist sound ,its touch, its movement, its all that, but for some that is spiritual! When you can feel on a different level of awareness… and the Hang has that, and much more I’m sure…! I haven’t even seen one live, with my own eyes..! lol
I for example would consider it a more primitive state of mind… when nothing comes between you and your instrument, and when during that time nothing else matters, nothing else exists…
That’s what’s so good about the Hang, its so personal that even when it comes to defining it in words, its allows everyone to have their own view, or idea, or whattever they feel like… its abstract, its indefinable..!
March 2nd, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Hi Lost,
“…when nothing comes between you and your instrument…”
Well said! Some people call it “spiritual”. Because it is the result of the interaction of a biological being with structured material and I’m so close to the material (my fingers close to the vibration of the steel sheet and the air resonance) I wouldn’t call this “spiritual”. But as you and I said, others may use other words to express similar experiences.
March 3rd, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Michael, thank you again for this invaluable information. You have tremendous patience. I’ll make a link to this page from my site.
Randy
March 4th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
What is the world coming to? “I want a hang drum now, and I want it to be cheap!” Some of the posts here are disgusting and I’m sure the hang makers are glad to not have to sell one to every whiny little prick who gets mad they aren’t being sold at Walmart. Is anyone really that upset that these guys haven’t totally sold out to some manufacturer that will start making crappy drums in Indonesia by means of child labor? Spoiled brats!
March 4th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
lllooolll well said Seth. People should be glad that there are still things on this world that remain unique… but maybe its just frustration speaking…
I think all the process is just has it should be, and i’ll wait as long as I have to to get my own! and when I say my own, I really mean it, plain and simple, because it will be the one that chooses me, and it will sound different from any other Hang in the world! and for that i’ll put my self through any challenge! just like everyone should be doing instead of just comming to and complain…!
March 6th, 2008 at 5:01 am
Hey Michael,
I’ve spent the last hour or so reading through the comments to answer any questions that I had. Most have been answered. You mentioned in an earlier comment that if an out of tune hang drum is brought back to the makers, it can be re-tuned. Would this come at a price? Would it have to be schedualled just like when first buying the hang drum? Also, how often would it go out of tune? Not by a bang or rough handling but general wear and tear…
Hope to hear from you soon,
Dave
March 6th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Hi Dave,
if a Hang isn’t treated roughly it generally doesn’t go out of tune. When I bought my second generation Hang I had my older Hang with me. After one and a half year of playing it wasn’t really out of tune, but Sabina tuned it and made some very slight perfectings. And the second generation and Integral Hanghang stay in tune better than the first generation instruments. Hang owners who need a tuning can reach PANArt via fax or email and will get an immediate answer. They can come to the Hangbauhaus or send their Hang to the Hang Makers. The current price for tuning I don’t know. What I have heard from others in the past was that the price wasn’t high.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:42 am
Cool, thanks
March 8th, 2008 at 5:39 am
I have so much respect for the makers of the Hang. Possibly the sweetest instrument of all time and developed by the sweat of their brows and hands.
That being said, I have a hang, and i got it for free. My boy, Will, gave it to me when he heard me play it. I fell in love and he loved the sounds i could make. I have been playing tabla, djembe, and kit since i could move my fingers. Sabina has retuned my drum and fixed damage to this the most precious of things. The company was easy to deal with and great to provide reasonably priced repair through the mail. The moment Will gave me this instrument was truly one of the only moments of true joy in my life.
For a video of I playing this instrument, just Youtube “hang burningman”.
I apologize in advance for the drunken storytelling that immediately follows my playing.
Thanks for the amazingly informative site, it gave me all kinds of things to think about……
Garrett Terminus
March 9th, 2008 at 1:55 am
Hi Michael, thank you so much for all the information on this blog, and for helping those connect with one of the most extraordinary instruments available today. I have just faxed Felix and Sabine my letter, how long could one wait for some sort of response, and what method do they use to do so (email, regular mail, fax, etc.)??
I have read most of the posts on here, but not all, so I apologize if you answered this already.
thanks again!
- David
March 9th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Hi David,
Felix and Sabina are very busy in the moment. They have sent answers to many people who had sent their letters or faxes between August 2007 and January 2008. I don’t know when they will answer to you. It may be immediately or in a few weeks or in a few months. So don’t worry. All people who got an answer this year received a letter containing a booklet about the Hang and the agreement. People signed the agreement and sent it back to PANArt. After this they received an email or letter telling when the Hang will be shipped or when a visit in the Hangbauhaus will be possible and how the payment will be done.
March 10th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Hi Michael
Thank you so much for all your work here, it is very helpful!
Love and Light
March 11th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Micheal, I just recently became aware of the Hangdrum from a performance by Manu Delago. What a beautiful instrument and a talented performance! This unique instrument needs to stay unique. In our Instant Coffee-microwave dinner-instant download-text message world; people have become impatient and spoiled.
I am a magician, and i learned magic by being mentored by other living magicians, by reading books, and by performing magic for real people. Unfortunately, many so-called magicians today want to learn magic “instantly” by download. They want to learn by DVD. And so their magic is devoid of originality and spirit (literally monkey see, monkey do). They often don’t even perform for live people, but post their self videoed “magic” on the web, often exposing the secret.
Music, like magic, requires not only practice, but patience. I think of the Hang drum as a musical version of the Zen bow for Zen archery. The bow, the ability to shoot an arrow using almost a sixth sense, and learning the Zen approach to life cannot be purchased or downloaded. One must walk the path first. That people aim their impatience and anger toward you and the inventors is understandible, given the current state of society, but please take it all with a grain of salt.
I had to give up playing the Trap set due to stresses on my wrists, but I have always drummed with my hands (since grade school), on desktops, bongos, and even empty water jugs. Someday I will play the Hang. I send that thought out, and I know it will happen: when the time is right.
Peace
March 11th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
hello there,
the hang is just amazing***
i’m a percussionist playing indian traditional drums,
and thought i ve seen most of “weird drums” but i guess i was wrong…
i see its really dificult bying one quickly!!???
i’m in paris and i’m ready to buy atleast one as soon as possible
please let me know anything helpfull,
if anyone from paris has got one i kindly ask him to contact me as i would love to feel this drums in my hands…
thank you all,
may peace and harmony be with you…
daniel
March 11th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Hi Douglas,
thank you for your thougts. Because there are only a little number of hang players in the world (I guess between 3500 and 4500) the internet is a great chance to get in contact with others who love this musical instrument. But the internet is also the medium of instant communication and instant satisfaction. So we have to tolerate the expressions of impatience and incomprehension.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
Hi daniel,
visit the Hang-Music Forum to meet hang players in your area.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
by the way i would love