Wolfgang Ohmer

Handpan is a contemporary acoustic genre centered on the handpan family of instruments (originating with the Hang in 2000). These convex, tuned steel idiophones produce bell‑like, overtone‑rich tones that lend themselves to meditative, melodic, and percussive playing. Typical handpan pieces explore modal scales (e.g., D Kurd, D Celtic, Hijaz), interlocking ostinati, and gently evolving textures. The intimate dynamic range and long sustain make it a staple of mindful listening, live looping, and acoustic fusion with global and classical timbres.