Spirit Wave B2 Celtic Minor / Amara | Stainless Steel

The Spirit Wave Handpans stand for a particularly warm sound experience. Their gentle tones, spiced with a full-bodied timbre, penetrate under the skin into every cell. The long-lasting and well-balanced reverberation, also known as sustain, creates a spherical tapestry of sound - both with slower and faster playing styles. The full, spacious sound creates a calming, warm atmosphere.

The Spirit Wave handpans are very suitable for studio recordings due to their very clear and fine sound. For good reason, they are also particularly popular for accompanying meditation, yoga and sound journeys. The sounds open up a space of inner experience, mindfulness and sensual feeling. An aura of encounter that connects us with our deepest self and with that which is greater than us.

High-quality, specially hardened stainless steel is used in its manufacture. The visual design and tonal aesthetics of these instruments are well coordinated and form a sophisticated unit. Finely crafted tone fields make them very easy to play. Every touch produces a beautiful sound. This makes the Spirit Wave handpans easy to play, even for beginners.

Diameter: 53 cm
Height approx: 26.5cm
Weight: approx. 4kg
Material: stainless steel

Tuning name: Celtic Minor
Synonym: Amara
Basic tone sequence (8+1): B/ F# A B C# D E F# A
Atmosphere: Melancholic - Archaic - Medieval
Mode: Minor - Aeolian
Tone stock: Hexatonic
Semitones: 7-3-2-2-1-2-2-3
Tonal center: DING

Tuning description:

With this imperishable tone selection (Amara), you can conjure up sounds with ease that are reminiscent of times gone by with pure fifths and fourths. This instrument would probably have found its place in spiritual ceremonies in Celtic times. Compared to the full Aeolian mode, the sixth degree is not present here, which makes this tuning somewhat more open. You can play very beautiful harmonies, especially in the upper range. This is one of the most popular tunings in the world of handpans.

Characteristic of Amara/Celtic Minor is the leap from the DING to the first note in the interval of a pure fifth (example D-A). This fifth leap immediately opens up the tonal space and gives context to the notes above it. The next note is a minor third above the fifth, which in turn is reminiscent of the natural tone row. From here there are two whole tone steps, a semitone step, two whole tone steps and the leap of the minor third to the highest note of the tuning, which results from the absence of the sixth degree (example D Celtic Minor: tone Bb).

This tuning sounds particularly archaic, as many pure intervals (fifth, fourth, octave) can be played, which were already used in the Middle Ages.

Another special feature results from the arrangement of the notes: in the example of D Celtic Minor, the notes on the right-hand side produce the triad of the root note, in this case D minor (A-D-F-A). On the left-hand side, on the other hand, all the notes of the major triad are one tone below the root, i.e. C major (C-E-G-C). When played harmonically, the sound impression of a major key can easily be created. This is probably the most common handpan tuning for a reason.

Possible tone sequences:

Basic tone sequence with 9 notes: B/ F# A B C# D E F# A (as in the video)
Tone sequence with 10 notes: B/ F# A B C# D E F# A (B)

Tone sequence with 11 notes:
Option 1: B/ (D E) F# A B C# D E F# A
Option 2: B/ F# A B C# D E F# A (B C#)

Tone sequence with 12 notes:
Option 1: B/ (D E) F# A B C# D E F# A (B)
Option 2: B/ F# A B C# D E F# A (B C# D)

Tone sequence with 13 notes:
Option 1: B/ (D E) F# A B C# D E F# A (B C#)
Option 2: B/ F# A B C# D E F# A (B C# D E)

Tone sequence with 14 notes: B/ (D E) F# A B C# D E F# A (B C# D)
Tone sequence with 15 notes: B/ (D E) F# A B C# D E F# A (B C# D E)

*Bottom notes are additional tone fields on the underside of the handpan and are written in round brackets, e.g. (D E).

Mutant handpans have additional notes on the top shell in the second row - between the chorus and the root note. Mutant notes are written in curly brackets, e.g. {D E}.

→ You can read a detailed article on mutant & bottom-note handpans here: Blog post

→ Discover our full selection of mutant & bottom-note handpans here

We only list the standard layouts under "Possible tone sequences". On request, our handpans can also be made with other notes and in other arrangements. Simply write an email with your request to: service@handpan.world

Suitable handpan tunings:

Very suitable for playing together improvisationally:

• D Major (parallel tuning)
• D Sabye (parallel tuning)
• C# Aeolian
• F# Celtic Minor / Amara
• B Kurd
• E Ragadesh

Also suitable for composing together:

• G# Celtic Minor / Amara
• A Aegean
• C# Celtic Minor
• C# Kurd
• A Celtic Minor / Amara
• A Kurd
• E Sabye