Musical Flying Saucers

The Hang means "hand" in the Bernese language (pronounced "hu-ng") is a young musical instrument. It was created in Bern, Switzerland in 2000 by Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer of The PANArt Company after many years of research on the steel pan and numerous other resonating percussion instruments from around the world such as Gong, Gamelan, Ghatam, drums, cowbells, and musical Saw.

This percussion instrument is comprised of 2 metal hemispheres bonded together: the top side contains 8 tone fields which together form the 'tone circle' (scale or mode). The circle surrounds the central dome, or DING, which sounds like a Gong. The bottom side has a hand sized hole, the GU, for resonance, which can be played like an udu or used to modulate the sounds of the DING (either with a hand or a wooden damper, a DUM).

The Udu-like sounds are produced with the air resonance, the sounds of the clamped shallow shells sound like bells or harmonically tuned steelpans. The inner note on the bottom dome is the bass note, and when played in a dampened way allows change in pitch like a talking drum. Seven to nine notes are tuned harmonically around a central deep note. The hemispheres are hardened by a process known as gas-nitriding (a thermal treatment process in which nascient hydrogen atoms diffuse into the steel and form nitride compounds with many of the alloys in the steel).

The Hang is typically played resting on the player's lap with the palms of the hand, thumbs and fingertips instead of mallets, so the sound is soft and warm. Depending on how it is played the notes can sound like a harp, bells, or harmonically tuned steelpans.

The PANArt Company was offering a number of Hang models and encourages each purchaser to participate in the design their own instrument since each Hangis tuned individually, which allows each person to choose their personal 'tone circle'. Word is that currently the creators are taking a break from making Hangs, so if you want to buy your own you may contact them via mail to be placed on the waiting list or hope to stumble on someone selling theirs.

PANArt Hangbau AG
Engehaldenstr. 131
3012 Bern/Switzerland
Phone international: +41 31 301 33 32
E-Mail: info@hang.ch



Hang

For more Hang vids see The Art of Fusion or Davide Swarup.