Mystical Handpan<br> B2 Celtic Minor / Amara 9 made of Ember Steel

There is something very mystical about both their appearance and their sound that captivates us. Mystical Handpans are characterized by their long resonance and the balanced richness of overtones. Even when played more intensively, the tones sound clean. With their pronounced crosstalk of a pleasant and desirable kind, the whole instrument seems to sing. The result is a versatile soundscape that particularly invites spherical and melodic playing.
A striking feature of the Mystical Handpans is the particularly pronounced oval shape of the tone fields, which makes them easy to hit due to their size. The fifth and tertiary tones of each tone field can also be highlighted precisely and particularly pleasantly.
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 timbre, a balanced sustain and long-lasting tuning stability.

Mood name : Celtic Minor
Synonym : Amara
Basic tone sequence (8+1) : B/ F# ABC# DEF# A
Atmosphere : Melancholic-archaic-medieval
Mode : Minor - Aeolian
Tone supply : hexatonic

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

Tonal center: DING

Mood description:

With this everlasting tone selection (Amara) you can easily conjure up sounds that are reminiscent of bygone times through perfect fifths and fourths. This instrument might have found its place in spiritual ceremonies in Celtic times. Compared to the full Aeolian mode, the sixth stage is not present here, making this tuning a little more open. You can play very nice harmonies, especially in the upper range. This is one of the most popular tunings in the handpan world.

Characteristic of Amara/Celtic Minor is the jump from the DING to the first tone 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. The next tone is a minor third above the fifth, which is again 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 from the minor third to the highest tone of the tuning, which results from the absence of the sixth degree (example D Celtic Minor: tone Bb).

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

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

Matching handpan tunings:

Very suitable for improvisational playing together:

• 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