While these may not be actual Handpan, it has to be said, that sometimes, carrying a full-size Handpan around with you, can be a bit of a pain in the bum. And should you be heading to a location where the idea of carrying your Handpan with you is unbearable, or for other reasons, impractical, or impossible, but you might still like to play a little melodic steel once you’re there - the following teeny-tiny pocket-sized steel tongue drum, just might present one (if only temporary quick-fix) solution to the problem. Or perhaps they'll find merit with you as a complimentary or standalone instrument in their own right.
WuYou 3" Steel Tongue Drums
We've been curious as to what these tiny little steel tongue drum listed for sale at ETSY (pictured above-right) sound like for a little while, but could find no video/audio samples listed on the site. And while a good rummage around the internet failed to turn up much, we did discover a couple of (very) short sound sample videos over at YouTube that demo their sound...
The World’s Smallest Steel Tongue Drum?
Back in 2012 we discovered the Micro6 steel tongue drum from Japanese maker, Cimantone (video below)...
Which until now, to our knowledge, reigned supreme as the world’s smallest functional singing-steel UFO. But with its width of 3.5 inches, it looks like the even smaller WuYou mini, with a width of just 3 inches, has the Micro6 beat - in terms of pocket-friendliness. While even managing to squeeze in one additional note. And while the sounds of both of these miniature honorary-family-members might sound quite distinct from those of an actual Handpan - they are not without their own charms. And to conclude this post, you can listen to one final short video of what are seemingly now the new record holders of the title of "The World's Smallest Steel Tongue Drum", below...
Before moving on over to ETSY for more information, and/or to make a purchase, should you so wish to do so.
