hangforum.com - The Archive

Hello everyone,

During HangOut last year we had some interesting and exciting discussions with Rusty James and Imani White about a possible handpan event across the pond in the good ole USA.

Those discussions have continued long after HangOut finished and we’re very pleased to announce an association between HangOut UK and what will be the first HangOut USA next year.

As most of you will know HangOut was started here in the UK by Kelly Hutchinson and Rob Watkins a little over 7 years ago now and the event has gained worldwide support, with visitors coming from literally all over the world.

The name HangOut was an obvious play on words in the early days but in literal terms it means just that, to HangOut with your friends. This was why we decided to capture that name and use it for the UK based handpan event.

With the ever growing community of Handpan owners/players out there it made perfect sense to expand the HangOut community and join up with our American friends and gift them the name HangOut USA and create an association with HangOut UK.

Rusty and Imani will be communicating in due course the details of HangOut USA, but please join us in supporting them and welcoming this event to the annual handpan gathering calendar.

And if you’re going, we’ll see you guys there coz we’ve been invited as honourable guests… I wonder if we’ll get to cut a ribbon!

We’re coming to America people!!!

Kelly & Rob

www.hangoutuk.co.uk

Great news!

Hi Guys.
That's great news for you both.
I have found the world of Hang has grown very much since attending your HANGOUT 3 years ago. I came along as your guest as i am the person to whom was given a Hang from Marianne who lives in the same village as Felix. If you can remember me coming along. Since inquiring mine i have been performing in lots of venues, for obvious reasons ( amazing sound ).
But now very much need a tune up, but where do you go for such a thing. Am thinking of learning and doing it myself for future Hang players. At least i would be English based.
Any way take care.
Bewell.
Steve
( cloudsong )

Where to go indeed... the burning question for many Hang owners seeing as PANArt will no long look at instruments that require a retune, unless it's been damaged.

Even then you have to have bought it directly from them or can prove you never paid a penny more than what it was orginally bought for in a second hand sale that didn't involve eBay or alike.

Tough times for Hang owners....

For me, I wonder if by having your Hang put back in tune by another tuner out there like Kyle Cox from Pantheon Steel... does the Hang remain a Hang? it is of course now only a Hang by name but the tuning is of course that or a different person altogether, integrity is lost.

Alas this is not something that i can really help you with though. We do have Kyle come to HangOut each year, he does offer a retune service but the spaces available are limited.

Others here or over at handpan.org forum could probably help you more.

Good luck

Can I just add in case there is any confusion, you'll get a great retune by Kyle, I just noticed that by use of "integrity lost" it was probably a poor choice of words as I didn't mean the tuning integrity would be lost, far from it!!

Just musing on the question of whether a Hang remains a Hang if its tuned by another person and not PANArt.

Not that it even matters, because chances are if your Hang does need tuning you'll need to get it done by someone other than pANArt anyway.

Hi Kelly,
you are right. Difficult times for those who need a retuning and have to look for someone who can do it.

I think it is important to take into consideration that the tuning quality of different tuners are quite different. When a tuner offers Hang tuning it doesn't mean that he really is able to do it. It only means that he is willing to take your money.

Perhaps there is one control question that could help with the decision:

"Would I be satisfied with one of the instruments built by this tuner himself?" If you are not satisfied with his own instruments you should never let him hammer on your Hang.

But it is also true: While this is a necessary condition it is not a sufficient condition! It is possible, that you are satisfied with his own instrument and he is still not able to tune a Hang in an appropriate quality.

So I think another condition for your choice is, that you have played a few Hanghang tuned by this tuner.

Michael

P.S. Integral and Free Integral Hanghang I would never let tune someone else than a PANArt tuner.
And the best is: Care for your Hang to avoid the need of a tuning. If you play it with appropriate forces you don't need a tuning.

Well I trust Kyle completely, his work is excellent - no debate in my mind.

"P.S. Integral and Free Integral Hanghang I would never let tune someone else than a PANArt tuner.
And the best is: Care for your Hang to avoid the need of a tuning. If you play it with appropriate forces you don't need a tuning."

Which I imagine is not very helpful or satisfying to the thousands of first and second generation Hang owners who abided by all guidelines and agreements yet still need a rebalance or retune. Because, despite the maker's and many players best efforts, not every Hang remains stable indefinitely.

I've had an idea just now as I write this....What if PANArt offered a training and certification to the world's elite tuners?

I think I understand PANArt's desire to protect the integrity of their art and how that concern is manifested in their legal attentions to makers of derivatives. But, a tuning certification program for the select few who are already superior tuners AND are interested in participating, might help bridge the multiple concerns of PANArt and their previous customers.

Of course, I also imaging most of the best tuners are so busy making their own instruments they wouldn't be interested. Faster than I can type I am thinking of the many pro's and con's from the viewpoint of PANArt and potential Tuner Graduates or Tuner Franchisee. More problems to overcome than the capable few are willing to overcome, I suppose.

Anyway, just throwing out an idea knowing full well it is likely to be ripped to shreds and discarded as misguided, unrealistic, naive, etc., etc., etc...

Well said Mowgli.