Battiloro Handpan - An Italy-Made Handpan Labor-of-Love

Seemingly meaning “beater” (as a translation from Italian), Battiloro Handpan were formed in 2016, following a love-affair with the Handpan that began much earlier, in 2007. These Italian Handpan-makers pride themselves on being small-scale artisan producers. With each instrument being a labor-of-love, giving each instrument the time needed to be sculpted, forged, tuned, polished and turned into a unique piece.

And having discovered them over at ETSY, it has to be said, that these guys are doing good work. With rather sexy, dark and brooding aesthetics, and unique astrological special-editions, like their “Deneb” model - named after the brilliant white star of the Swan Constellation, in 432Hz tuning (pictured above-right). That is said to “enchant with a crystalline, almost silvery major accordion. Aerial and soulfully serene, its voice emanates a shimmering joy thanks to it rare Chinese scale, resembling the gentle flickering of the evening stars.” - which you can listen to below...



"Stupendo!" one customer describes their received Battiloro Handpan over at ETSY (which we understand to mean "Wonderful!"). And in addition to being available for sale online, the Battiloro makers also welcome those residing within, or able to visit Rome, the chance to go try them out in person, as another option for those who prefer to play-before-they-pay. 

While additionally offering Handpan tuition courses via the Battiloro academy, held at their headquarters... 



Though alternatively, you'll find plenty of videos over at their YouTube channel to aid you in deciding if these are the Handpan for you, should you be unable to make the journey. 



For more information, and/or to make a purchase, you can find Battiloro over at ETSY HERE, at Facebook HERE, or over at their website HERE.


And as a side-note, in addition to Handpan, they also produce and offer for sale an interesting range of Handpan-esque steel-tongue-drum (which you can hear below)... 



Rithvik Dhanjani Joins the Celebrity Handpan-Musicians Hall-of-Fame

From noted spiritual-leader’s like Sadhguru, through to actresses such as Golshifteh Farahani, the Handpan, and the Hang in particular, have attracted the attention of a number of “high-profile” fans of the instrument-type. With the latest addition to the celebrity HandPan-musicians hall-of-fame being Indian dancer and television star, Rithvik Dhanjani. Who after falling in love with our favorite musical metal-turtle, began a pilgrimage to obtain a Handpan of his own...

In an article in TimesofIndia.com Rithvik Dhanjani spoke of how he discovered the Handpan while vacationing in Berlin. Deciding there and then that he needed to add one to his instrument collection.

“I attended a street music festival in Berlin, where I befriended a man who was playing the hang drum and it was magical. That’s when I decided I would own the instrument someday... “

And while two years passed since first discovering the Hang in Berlin, another recent article explains how Rithvik Dhanjani never forgot that sound - and of how he recently, finally, acquired his own Handpan - which can be seen / heard in the following video...



With Rithvik Dhanjani further stating that he believes it's important to have a hobby for your wellbeing, 'I'd read this, you must pick 3 hobbies, one to make you money, one to keep you in shape & one to keep you creative. I guess I already found 3. I always make a point to do something I've never done before to keep me going.'


For more information on Rithvik Dhanjani, you can find him over at Facebook: HERE.

A Growing Secondary Market for Original PANArt Hang Accessories


As we draw towards the end of 2018, a new market for increasingly rare and hard-to-find original PANArt Hang accessories seems to be opening up. As can be seen with two separate auctions for PANArt-made “Dum” appearing for sale over at eBay in parallel. The first we’ve seen offered for sale in the secondary-markets to date…

Made from turned pearwood, Dum, were an accessory PANArt offered around 2004-2007, and reportedly, only around 200 were ever made.

A wooden tube-like accessory intended primarily for use with PANArt’s Gudu-Hang model, the Dum is used to alter the sound of the Hang, lowering the Helmholtz resonance of the Hang, by narrowing and extending the neck of the Gu.

And while originally priced at around 25 Euro as an accessory back in the day when purchased directly from PANArt, sellers over at eBay are currently asking between $350, and $3000. Whether they sell or not however, remains to be seen, at time of writing. But it does suggest that the market for original PANArt accessories such as Dum, and original bags and cases, could become more lively in the future, as Hang-fans seek out authentic accessories for their instruments, and especially those that remain in great condition, despite the passing years…



Which seems to be confirmed by a message (above) we recently received on this site via our other post on the PANArt Dum

[Update] the cheaper of the two did indeed sell...



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