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The Iskra Handpan
Inspired by the PANArt Hang®, the ISKRA Handpan is the most refined version of the original sound sculpture.
The PANArt Hang (also known as the “Hang Drum”) was the starting point for a hand-played tuned steel instrument. Gaining its roots from the steel pan from Trinidad and Tobago, it combined the beautiful sound of singing steel with a direct touch of the hands. The original instrument, consisting of 7 to 9 notes, was simple enough to not be intimidating to the novice, but allowed for nearly anyone to start down the path of playing and enjoying music for themselves.
My name is Sean, and I have been producing some of the world’s best handpans since 2013. I’ve spent years perfecting my instruments through extensive metallurgical research, all thanks to my own engineering background.
Many people are familiar with the original sound sculpture design from PANArt in the early 2000s (known as the Hang®). The Iskra has built upon those same techniques and principles to create an even more amazing handpan.
To this day, I still work alone. I am proud to say that every Iskra handpan is built entirely by me!
The Original Sound… Refined.
The Iskra’s successful ‘back to the basics’ design is proven by the original sound sculptures conceived in Bern, Switzerland over 20 years ago. Many people know these original sound sculptures as a “hang drum”. To learn more about why I don’t call my handpans “hang drums” instead, check out this article.
In the vast world of handpans, the Iskra offers simplicity coupled with sonic excellence. Handpan masters and novices alike can create beautiful music at the tips of their fingers with the Iskra Handpan.
Each Iskra handpan is hand-crafted and tuned by me, Sean Beever, a master steel tuner with more than 18 years of experience (starting when I was just 12 years old).
With over 750 handpans individually crafted and sold world-wide since 2013, I am proud to be considered one of the top handpan makers in the world.
The Iskra handpan has recently been performed with by the talented Dan Mulqueen in the last live performance of Shpongle at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado!
Place an Order
As mentioned elsewhere, I build all handpans to order. To get your handpan order started, check out the order page below. Select your sound model, and then simply checkout! Your handpan will take me 2 to 4 weeks to craft.
$1799.00 – $1999.00
Sean Beever
Owner, Master Tuner
I have been tuning steel since the age of 12. Read more!
Why Are Handpans So Expensive, you ask?
After all, handpans are just metal bowls with dents, right? Wrong!
The cost of a quality hand-crafted handpan today can cost upwards of $3000. This usually surprises the uninitiated, to say the least! But why are they so expensive???
It’s true, you can find cheap knockoffs manufactured overseas. However, the tonal quality and tuning stability will simply not be there. A quality handpan instrument takes countless hours to build by a skilled artisan.
While they appear to be very simple in architecture, handpans are actually extremely complex. The unique sound you hear from them is created by the coupling of many frequencies that have all been tuned into each note or tone field. This complicated process of handpan tuning takes years, even decades, to master. Even with experience, the tuning process for each handpan requires a significant amount of time.
This process also can’t be done by machinery as many would like to believe. It is certainly possible to make something that looks like a handpan with machines, but it won’t ever sound like one! A talented handpan tuner simply must bring the magical sound of tuned steel into the instrument themselves.
Like many things in today’s world, you will get what you pay for, and the handpan world is no different. With handpans copies being made in large factories in China, many of us established steel tuners are seeing the handpan instrument tainted by low-quality tuning, and non-existent customer service. Such is the way of the world, but many of us encourage a prospective buyer to do their due diligence before purchasing any handpan.
The Iskra Handpan on Instagram!
What is a Handpan ‘Sound Model’?
Many musical instruments people have heard of are “fully chromatic”. This means that they can play any musical note in the western musical scale, A through G. A piano would be the most classical example of this.
Handpans, on the other hand, are not fully chromatic. Instead, they have a specific and defined selection of notes. This selection of notes has been coined as a ‘sound model’ in the handpan world. There are many, many handpan sound models in existence. Each sound model will invoke a certain ‘mood’; some are happy, some are sad, and some are quite exotic.
Since the selection of notes is fewer than a ‘fully chromatic’ musical instrument, it is much easier for anyone, regardless of their musical knowledge, to pick up a handpan and create beautiful music on it.
To read more on the handpan sound models that are offered on the Iskra handpan, click here.