Mystical Handpan<br> D Kurd 9 made of Ember Steel

Both their appearance and their sound have something truly mystical that draws us in. Mystical Handpans are characterized by their long sustain and balanced richness of overtones. Even with more intense playing, the notes sound clean. With their pronounced crosstalk of the sympathetic and desired kind, the entire instrument seems to sing. A versatile soundscape is created, which is particularly inviting for spherical and melodic playing.
A striking feature of the Mystical Handpans is the particularly pronounced oval shape of the tone fields, which makes striking the notes easier due to their size. The fifth and third notes of each tone field are also precise and particularly pleasant to highlight.
The Mystical Handpans are made in the stainless steel version from the popular Ember-Steel alloy, which is additionally hardened in an intensive heating process and is characterized by a particularly soft tone color, balanced sustain, and long-lasting tuning stability.

Tuning designation: Kurd
Synonyms: Aeolian / with root note C# = Annaziska
Basic scale (8+1): D/ A Bb C D E F G A
Effect: Warm - Mysterious - Dreamy
Tone inventory: Heptatonic

Mode:
phrygian (tonal center 1st note ) = major, or
aeolian (tonal center : B) = minor

Semitones : 7- 1 - 2 - 2 - 2- 3 - 2 - 2
Tonal center : DING or first note

Description of the Kurd tuning:

The Kurd tuning is, if you will, the natural minor variant of the handpan tunings. Due to its particularly harmonious arrangement of the notes, it is particularly suitable for beginners. With it, you can play everything from calm and meditative to melancholic, powerful, and joyful.

Even though this tuning can sound very sentimental, you can also create joyful soundscapes with it. For example, a major triad is formed on the second and third notes respectively. Just be aware that the second and third notes will rub when played simultaneously; of course, you can also deliberately use this tension to add spice to your playing and make the subsequent relaxation feel even stronger. 

This tuning is one of the first heptatonic tunings to be built, and has become very well known through several videos on the internet.

Basic note sequence with 9 tone fields: D/ A Bb C D E F G A

Origin and music theory of the Kurd tuning:

Kurd takes the name of the Arabic / Turkish Maqam Kurd. This Maqam also shares the arrangement of the notes with this tone selection, assuming that the tonal center is on the first note in the circle. This creates the full Phrygian mode, which is characterized by a semitone step (semitone) from the root note to the second note of the scale and is responsible for the mysterious sound of the scale.

However, an ambivalence remains, as the DING is a fifth below the first note and thus acts as a second tonal center, which changes the mode to Aeolian (natural minor). Depending on the playing style, you can thus switch between a natural minor and Phrygian sound character. With Kurd you can play everything from calm and meditative to melancholic, powerful, and joyful.

Kurd shares with other minor variations (cf. Celtic Minor/ Integral) the jump of a fifth from the DING to the first note. From this fifth step, assuming that the tonal center is the DING, you have all the steps of a natural minor scale (aeolian). Particularly striking about Kurd is the semitone step (semitone) between the first and second notes. This step is also present in the eponymous Maqam Kurd (Arabic or Turkish scale system) (cf. Semai Kurd), but also in the Phrygian mode. The Phrygian mode is used in jazz, psychedelic rock, flamenco, and fado, but also in classical music. 

Matching tunings:
Very suitable for playing together and improvising:

• F Sabye (Relative major)
• F Major (Relative major)
• D Celtic Minor / Amara
• G Celtic Minor / Amara
• D Aeolian
• Bb Aegean
• D Equinox
• D Magic Voyage
• D Integral
• D Pygmy

Also suitable for composing together:

• A Celtic Minor / Amara
• A Hijaz
• C Kurd
• C Celtic Minor / Amara
• F Ragadesh