Lumar D Celtic Minor/Amara | Titan Steel

Lumar Handpans

Sound art from the Basque Country

At the beginning of 2015, the small workshop from which we get our Lumar's began its journey to create that magical instrument, the handpan.
They are made in the picturesque Basque Country in Spain, a place known for its rich musical tradition and craftsmanship. Each Lumar handpan is made by hand, with hundreds of hammer blows necessary to bring it to life.

What makes their handpans so unique is their harmonious, particularly long sound and their very light touch. You practically only need to stroke them and they produce a warm, overtone-rich sound carpet.
You can feel that each Lumar is unique and a work of art in itself.

With a Lumar you immerse yourself in the world of sound art and experience the magic that arises in the symbiosis with a masterfully crafted musical instrument. Every instrument that is created is an expression of their love for music and craftsmanship.
Just what you need to extend the sound of your heart.

Diameter: 53 cm
Height approx: 26.5cm
Weight: approx. 4kg
Material: Titan Steel (very similar to Embersteel)

Tuning : Celtic Minor
Synonym : Amara
Basic note sequence: D/ ACDEFGAC
Atmosphere : Melancholic- Archaic- Medieval
Mode : Minor - Aeolian
Tone range : Hexatonic

Semitones: 7-3-2-2-1-2-2-3

Tonal Center: DING

Tuning description Celtic Minor / Amara:

With this timeless selection of tones (Amara) you can easily conjure up sounds that recall times gone by through 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 level is not present, which makes this tuning a little 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 jump from DING to the first note in the interval of a perfect fifth (example DA). This fifth jump 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 series. From here there are two whole tone steps, a half tone step, two whole tone steps and the jump of the minor third to the highest note of the tuning, which results from the absence of the sixth degree (example D Celtic Minor: note Bb).

This tuning sounds particularly archaic because it allows the play of many pure intervals (fifth, fourth, octave) that were already used in the Middle Ages.

Another special feature arises from the arrangement of the notes: In the example of D Celtic Minor, the notes on the right side form the triad of the fundamental note, in this case D minor (ADFA). On the left side, however, all the notes of the major triad are one note below the fundamental note, i.e. C major (CEGC). When playing harmoniously, the sound impression of major can easily be reproduced. It is not for nothing that this is probably the most common handpan tuning.

Possible tone sequences:

• Sequence with 9 notes: D/ ACDEFGAC
• Sequence of 10 notes: D/ ACDEFGACD
• Sequence with 11 notes: D/ ACDEFGACD {E}
• 12 note sequence: D/ ACDEFGACD {EF}
• Sequence with 13 notes: D/ (EFG) ACDEFGACD
• 14 note sequence: D/ (EFG) ACDEFGACD {E}
• 15 note sequence: D/ (EFG) ACDEFGACD {EF}
• 16 note tone sequence: D/ (EFG) ACDEFGACD {EF} (G)
  

* Bottom notes are additional tone fields on the bottom of the handpan and are written in round brackets e.g. (DE).

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

→ You can read a detailed article about Mutant & Bottom Note Handpans here: Blog post

→ Discover our full range of Mutant & Bottom Note Handpans here

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

Suitable moods:

Very suitable for collaborative, improvisational playing:

• F Major (Parallel Tuning)
• F Sabye (parallel tuning)
• E Aeolian
• A Celtic Minor / Amara
• D Kurd
• G Ragadesh

Also good for composing together:

• B Celtic Minor / Amara
• C Aegean
• E Celtic Minor
• E Kurd
• C Celtic Minor / Amara
• C Kurd
• G Sabye