Drums are one of the most elite and popular musical instruments in the world. They are one of the oldest musical instruments in existence and have been a part of many different cultures throughout history. They provide the rhythm and beats, and they are straightforward to play. They have a variety of uses, including religious ceremonies and music therapy.
They are and widely appreciated and learned throughout the world. Drums are of many kinds, and each of these has its unique use. There is a specific type of drum known as the handpan drum. It was introduced as an alternative to the hang drums in 2007 by Pantheon Steel.
Its basic form consists of two metal half-shells glued together, a center tone field named Ding, that it’s surrounded by seven parts representing the notes. It is slowly gaining popularity and is used by more and more people every day. Keep reading on.
[amazon bestseller=”handpan drum” filterby=”price” filter=”150,1300″ filter_compare=”range”]
Best Handpan Drums
With the increasing popularity of the Handpan drums, many different varieties and styles have been developed. All of them have unique and impressive features. Given below is a list of the best handpan drums available in the market.
1. Best Seller: Lark Music Handpan Drum In D Minor
It is a handpan drum that features nine notes in D minor. These are D3 A Bb C D E F G A. It is 22.8 inches in diameter and 10 inches in height. It is made of steel and has a beautiful vibration sound. This drum is a great choice and will make for a great item in your collection.
It is essential to take proper care of this drum and not hit it too strongly. It will produce great music with just a light touch. It should be kept away from direct sunlight and humidity, and this drum will become a great delight to you.
We consider this as the best handpan drums in market right now.
Lark Music Handpan Drum Pros:
- It produces a unique and elite sound.
- It is of excellent quality.
- It is very efficient and cost-effective.
Lark Music Handpan Drum Cons:
- If not appropriately struck, there might be a note clash.
2. Editor’s Choice: Tzevaot Handpan Drum
We consider this as the second best handpan drums in market right now. It comes in different scales. Let’s check them out.
Aeolian Handpan Drum — (G) C D E F G Ab Bb C
Tzevaot is a handpan drum instrument. It is nitride and nitrocarburized. It enables it to produce a warm sound as well as makes it rust-resistant. It is appropriately processed and tuned. A hard case makes it appropriate for travel and storage and protects the instrument.
It is resistant to dust, water, fungus, UV, solvent, and corrosion. It features a scale that reflects a Dark VS Light for a precise balance of energies. It is very versatile and produces excellent sounds. It features the scales (G) C D E F G Ab Bb C.
Tzevaot Handpan Drum Pros:
- It has a decent quality build.
- It comes with an excellent case for protection purposes.
- It produces a beautiful and rich sound.
Tzevaot Handpan Drum Cons:
- The center note might seem a little higher.
VOYAGER Handpan Drum — (E) B D E F# G B D
The Voyager is a Handpan drum that produces mystic and enchanting sound. It creates a scale of (E) B D E F# G B D. This drum is highly rust-resistible. It has a good case that is perfect for traveling, storage, and shipping processes. This Tzevaot Voyager drum is certified for its authenticity with a register serial number.
Pros:
- It is highly authentic.
- It produces good quality and unique music.
- It is highly rusting resilient
Cons:
- It needs to be handled carefully and beaten very lightly.
Penta Handpan Drum C — (E) A C D E G A E
This Penta C Handpan drum has a very well resonating and versatile scale. It features scales (E) A C D E G A E. it is highly resistant to rust. It has a secure protective covering that is very appropriate for travel and storage purposes. It will make a great addition to your collection and will be worth it.
Pros:
- This drum is resistant to dust, rust, and almost all other types of corrosion.
- It is very authentic.
- It is convenient to be transported and stored.
Cons:
- It needs to be handled with care and used carefully.
Hijaz Hang Drum — (G) D F G A Bb C D
This handpan drum is a Middle Eastern scale. It has the scales (G) D4 F4 G4 A4 BB4 C5 D5 available. It produces a very ethnic and beautiful sound. It has a secure protective covering that is very appropriate for travel and storage purposes. It will make a great addition to your collection and will be worth it.
Pros:
- This drum is resistant to dust, rust, and almost all other types of corrosion.
- It is very authentic.
- It is convenient to be transported and stored.
Cons:
- It needs to be handled with care and used carefully.
Pygmy Handpan Drum — (G) C D Eb G Ab C D Eb
This drum has a mythical, mysterious scale. It produces sounds that make the listener reminisce.
It has a magnitude of (G) C D Eb G Ab C D Eb. It has a secure protective covering that is very appropriate for travel and storage purposes. It will make a great addition to your collection and will be worth it.
Pros:
- This drum is resistant to dust, rust, and almost all other types of corrosion.
- It is very authentic.
- It is convenient to be transported and stored.
Cons:
- It needs to be handled with care and used carefully.
3. Runner Up: Meinl Sonic Energy Steel Hang Drum
This drum produces a tone that is soothing, pleasing, and very relaxing to the listeners. It can be used for a variety of purposes, including therapy and performance.
It is made from top-grade German steel. After all we already know Meinl for its Best Cymbals. It includes scale D, a, C, D, E, F, G, a. It is durable and is built to be very long-lasting. It produces clear notes when played by the hand. It is tuned with a center note and with an additional seven notes. It allows the player to work as a solo instrumentalist as well as in a group.
We consider this as the third best handpan drums in the market. Let’s see how it sounds.
Meinl Sonic Energy Handpan Drum Pros:
- This drum is durable. It is built to last a lifetime.
- It is versatile in its use and very helpful to the user
- It produces a charming and soothing sound.
Meinl Sonic Energy Handpan Drum Cons
- It needs to be played carefully and struck lightly.
4. Tongue Rav Vast HandPan Drum D Celtic Minor
This Handpan is revolutionary. Its main feature is its exceptional tuning accuracy and incredible sound. It has a unique and beautiful sound filling harmony and the presence of a protective hard rubber rim.
It features a fine-tuning of the scales D Celtic minor D3, A3, C4, D4, E4, F4, G4, A4, C5. It is made of 2 mm of patented hardened steel, handcrafted by the Russian master. It has a diameter of 52 cm and a height of 18 cm, including the case.
We consider this as the thirdfourth best handpan drums in the market. Let’s check the sounds.
Tongue Rav Vast Hang Drum Pros:
- It is effortless to play.
- It is well-tuned.
- It is versatile to the player
Tongue Rav Vast Hang Drum Cons:
- This handpan drum might rust a little.
5. Idiopan Dominus Steel Tongue Handpan Drum
This drum comes pre-tuned to G major pentatonic (E3 G3 A3 B3 D4 E4 G4 A4 B4 D5). It features warm deep tones and crisp highs that are tunable in 4 different octaves.
It has an optional advanced magnet pack that allows the user to tune to 432 Hz. It also includes a pair of mallets and a display ring.
The magnets, however, need to be handled very carefully. Safety precautions must be taken to use them.
Idiopan Dominus Steel Pros:
- It has a lovely quality.
- It is easy to use the magnets and get them back into place.
- The magnets are strong.
Idiopan Dominus Steel Cons:
- The attractions may present safety hazards and thus need to be dealt with carefully.
6. Guda Handpan Drum 2.0
This model is unique in the fact that it comes with a central bass tongue (Ding). In this way, it bears a similarity to the classic handpan drum.
The soundhole for this drum is located at the bottom. It is closed with a removable wooden plug decorated with the logo. With the cap installed in the drum, it produces a more accurate and precise sound, whereas with the plug removed creates a more diffused and atmospheric sound. It has a dual tongue design that is the main tone, as well as the octave overtone.
This design increases the volume as well as enhances the sound. It makes it more voluminous and right. Both sounds can be played at the same time or alternatively. It expands the versatility of the drum. It is made of high quality thick stainless steel.
Guda Handpan Drum 2.0 Pros:
- This drum is of high premium quality.
- It is very versatile to the user.
- It has a unique design
Guda Handpan Drum 2.0 Cons:
- Alteration of any kind on the drum might change its sound and quality
Best Handpan Drum On A Budget
The hang drum is a recently developed drug that is made from two half-shells deep drawn, nitride steel sheet, glued together at the rim, leaving the inside hollow and creating the shape of a convex lens. The top side has a center note hammered into it, and seven or eight tone fields struck around the center.
The bottom is an unattractive surface with a rolled hole in the center. The hang drum uses the basic physical principles of a steelpan drum. The best hang drums on a budget are listed below:
Rakumi 12 Inch 13 Note Steel Drum
This drum is handmade by professional craftsmen. It is an entirely upgraded 13 tone lotus drum. The sound it produces is more ethereal. It has a total of 13 sounds in C major. Thus it can play a broader range of tones as required by the user.
It is used in spiritual healing and yoga meditation. It is beneficial in calming down people’s emotions. It can be played with hands or mallets. Playing it with hands requires a more powerful tapping and precise tapping position. The perfect sound can be produced by holding the hammer at 1/3rd location and tapping the center of the drum.
It is a better option for beginners to use mallets. It is made of steel. It is hand spray painted and provides an artistic feel. It has a diameter of twelve inches and a height of 7 inches. It weighs about 5 pounds. It has a retro design.
Rakumi 12 Inch Steel Drum Pros:
- It has a beautiful retro design.
- It comes with an instrument on how to adjust tuning.
- It has a lovely tone.
Rakumi 12 Inch Steel Drum Cons:
- The user has to careful while playing the drum because inaccurate tapping may cause it to produce off-tune noises.
Steel Tongue Handpan Drum
This hang drum is made of high-quality steel material. It is strictly hand-tuned and precisely hand-cut so that every pitch it produces is perfect. It is straightforward to play. Anyone can play it, even people without a musical background. It provides a very nice and relaxing effect.
It can be played with the drum mallets that have been included or even with the hands. It also has an added note that helps beginners to learn. It is excellent for personal meditation, yoga practice, zazen, music therapists, and performances as well as for religious activities.
It is available in a carry bag, and that is convenient for traveling and storage.
Pros:
- It produces excellent quality and soothing music.
- It is versatile in its use.
- It is straightforward to play and an excellent option for beginners.
Cons:
- One of the notes is slightly sharp on this drum.
Richday Mini Tongue Drum Steel
This drum has a beautiful finish. It is made of hardened steel. It has a diameter of 10 inches. This steel tongue drum emits pure, soothing notes. It can relieve stress and bring peaceful energy. It has 11 tongues that are laser cut for precise tuning. It can be played with the mallets that come with it or even with the fingers.
It has a protective lacquer finish that guards it against tarnishing, scuffs, and scratches. The three rubber feet it has isolated it sonically for unfettered tone. It is well priced and is an excellent option for any player.
Richday Mini Handpan Drum Pros:
- This drum is very versatile in its use.
- It produces soothing, relaxing music.
- It is easy to play and well priced.
Richday Mini Handpan Drum Cons:
- All labels on the songbook of this drum are in an Asian language
Luvay Steel Tongue Drum
This drum has a diameter of 12 inches. It is of modest size. It is portable and comes in a lotus flower style. It has 11 tongues that are tuned. It produces lovely music with hand, mallets, or even picks.
The whole package includes a steel drum, mallets, music book, bag, notes sticker, and picks. It is handmade with steel titanium alloy. It is coated by green spraying paint and is corrosion resistant. It is tuned to D major.
Luvay Handpan Drum Pros:
- It is fun and easy to play.
- It has a very pleasant and soothing sound.
- It is very nicely constructed and attractive to look at.
Luvay Handpand Drum Cons:
- It requires some practice to get the best out of this drum
Being a recently developed instrument, there is still a lot of uncertainty and confusion regarding it. The following are a few commonly asked queries about this class of drums.
How Much Does A Handpan Drum Cost?
When the hang drums were first created in 2001, their cost was about $400. But as the popularity of this instrument grew, its price rose as well. The last known price of this drum before being discontinued was $2600. A genuine hang drum can range anywhere from $4000 to $12000 and even more.
The original sound sculpture price, which is now available, costs about $2588. Other variations and manufacturers of this instrument cost about $1500 to $3000.
Why Are Handpan Drums So Expensive?
A good quality hang drum is always made very similar to the original design. It makes it authentic. Hang drums are not mass-produced in a factory. They are handmade. The labor hours and hard work make it worth the high price.
It requires skills, materials, expensive machines and tools, and other expenses such as building rentals, labor wages, business expenses, etc. They also go through several processes to be rust free. Thus because of this authenticity and uniqueness of these drums, they are so expensive.
What is the difference between a Handpan and a hang drum?
The hang drum was first created in 2000 by Felix Rohner and Sabin Scharer. The tuning of these instruments is not developed sturdy enough to be maintained when hit aggressively like a drum. As the term hang drum gained popularity, it became more and more difficult to purchase.
Buyers were required to travel to different distant places like Bern and Switzerland to buy directly from the makers.
Thus with limited supply, other people began exploring their options with the hang drum. They began using tuned steel to create their instruments. Around this time in 2007, Kyle Cox from Pantheon Steel started to using the term handpan to describe a type of steel tuned drum that can be played by hands. It became popular and began to be used as an alternative to the hang drums.
Is it hard to play the handpan?
It is not very hard to play the handpan. It is relatively easy to play. Every handpan is unique and different in such a way that its tuning ranges from 7 to 15 notes. The notes are arranged around the drum from lowest to highest from left to the right side of the instrument.
It happens when the lowest note is placed directly in front of the player. It makes it challenging to play a note that does not go along with the previous note. But apart from that, this drum is relatively straightforward to play.
Final Thoughts On The Best Handpan Drum
The handpan and hang drums are a particular type of drums that have been developed recently.
These drums are delicate and precise when performed with care and precision and produce beautifully soft and soothing music. These drums have a variety of uses, including performances by contemporary bands as well as meditation, music therapy, and religious occasions.
The handpan drum was developed as an alternative to the hang drums and is mostly played with the hand.
These drums are handmade and thus are very beautifully tuned and have a unique and authentic feel to them. It is what makes them so desirable and accessible. The drums produce excellent music quality and are one of the best choices for a drummer or anyone with a passion for music.
