HAPI were among the first commercially available steel tongue drum to hit the market, back in 2008, following the invention of the Hang-inspired ‘Hank drum’, by Dennis Havlena. And HAPI have since gone on to become arguably the most recognisable name in steel tongue drum, the world over. And in recent months we’ve seen something new leaking out from the HAPI workshops - HAPI-made HandPan.
Aided by a sharing of knowledge with Dave Beery, of Dave’s Island Instruments (a collaboration that can also be seen in the recently unveiled ‘Ohm HandPan / Steel Tongue Drum hybrid instrument’), HAPI HandPan are being made by, ‘Grahm Doe’, one half of the husband and wife team behind HAPI.
Grahm describes the process of learning to build and tune HandPan as being “one of the hardest things in my life I have learned to do” - reflecting sentiments that we’ve heard expressed by almost every self-taught HandPan maker we know of to date. And with early results showing great promise, and with such an accomplished mentor as Dave Beery on-hand to offer guidance, we’re sure to hear increasingly good sounds coming from the HAPI camp, with each new pan offered for sale.
Aided by a sharing of knowledge with Dave Beery, of Dave’s Island Instruments (a collaboration that can also be seen in the recently unveiled ‘Ohm HandPan / Steel Tongue Drum hybrid instrument’), HAPI HandPan are being made by, ‘Grahm Doe’, one half of the husband and wife team behind HAPI.
Grahm describes the process of learning to build and tune HandPan as being “one of the hardest things in my life I have learned to do” - reflecting sentiments that we’ve heard expressed by almost every self-taught HandPan maker we know of to date. And with early results showing great promise, and with such an accomplished mentor as Dave Beery on-hand to offer guidance, we’re sure to hear increasingly good sounds coming from the HAPI camp, with each new pan offered for sale.
Visit the HAPI website for more information: HERE
