The ‘Sonobe HandPan’ - A Japan-Made HandPan

(!) This post may now be out of date - but has been left published for archive purposes.  It may still prove to be of interest, but some (or all) details may now be out of date (!).

As with some of the other recently discovered HandPan being produced, there really isn’t a whole lot to tell at this point in time (at time of writing). But with the 'demand far exceeding supply' issue that surrounds the world of HandPan, it’s always worth following these things from the start, if you’re hoping to one day get your hands on a Hang-style instrument, giving you the opportunity, should these newer pans evolve to fruition, to get in early, before the massive waiting lists begin to grow.
Created by ‘Ryo Sonobe’ of ‘Sonobe SteelPan’, located in Japan. This HandPan is still very much in its experimental stage, but, however, shows real signs of promise. Looking (to my eyes) similar to the Bali Steel Pan, the Sonobe HandPan certainly looks the part, and for such an early version, the sound is far from unpleasant, although, it’s certainly less refined than some of the more established HandPan (at time of writing). But having listened to some of the traditional steel pan created by Ryo Sonobe, it’s obvious that this is a man with the necessary skills, and with a little more development, and experimentation, it seems to be a certainty, that in time, we can expect to see something very special from Sonobe Steelpan, hopefully in the form of another ‘solid’ member, of the HandPan family.
As always, probably the best way to keep up with developments of these newer HandPan is to subscribe to the makers YouTube channel, and you can subscribe to the Sonobe SteelPan YouTube channel: HERE.
Or alternatively, you can visit the Sonobe SteelPan website: HERE.

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