Svaraa Handpan F#2 Pygmy Embersteel

Rarely have we had such resonant and well-engineered handpans in our hands. The Svaraa Handpans are crafted with the pursuit of highly resonant instruments that sing poetic stories. Manufactured in Dheli, the Svaraa handpans are the highest quality handpans from India. They have a magical and mystical charisma. The sound is particularly touching and invites both players and listeners to immerse themselves in another world.

The Svaraa Handpans are extremely balanced and professional musical instruments that are ideal for studio recordings and concerts. Due to their easy and versatile playability, they are of course just as suitable for ambitious beginners as experienced handpan players.

Also read the story of Abhinav Dheodar, the tuner and developer behind the Svaraa Handpans, under "About the Manufacturer" .

Embersteel Svaraa Handpans:

Abhinav Dheodar Ayasa uses bowls made of Embersteel - a special type of stainless steel - to manufacture the Svaraa stainless steel instruments. These are particularly resonant and have a fine sound. The long aftertaste provides a strong richness of overtones and lets the whole instrument sing. This creates a versatile soundscape that is particularly inviting for melodic, meditative games. This extremely mystical, spherical sound lets the player dive into other spheres and can lead to trance-like states.

Svaraa handpans made from nitrated Ayasa shells:

Ayasa bowls are used for the nitrated Svaraa handpans. In the handpan scene, these are considered the best basic material for making instruments from nitrated steel.

Nitrided steel is a heat treated steel sheet into which nitrogen has been introduced. Nitrogen ensures that the stiffness of the material is increased to make it harder and more stable against impact. This increases the tuning stability of the handpan and the player can enjoy the instrument longer until it needs to be retuned. This type of material is first used for the manufacture of Hangs by PanArt and then further developed by the handpan, pantam and sound sculpture makers.

Although handpans today are made of both nitrided steel and stainless steel, nitrided steel, the original material of the first handpans, still seems to have the greater demand among handpan enthusiasts. This type of material offers a medium sustain range, more ceramic and clay sound and high frequencies in the tones, making it good for playing outdoors. In addition, notes have a clearer and more separated sound, which optimizes the Svaraa nitrided steel handpans for faster and more professional playing.

Pricing Svaraa Handpans:
Basic price for Classical Scales (Base-Note C3-G3), nitrated, 9 notes = 1990€
Basic price for Classical Scales (Base-Note C3-G3), Ember-Steel, 9 notes = 2190€
Basic price for low scales (base note B2, A#2 or A2), ember steel, 9 notes = 2350€
Basic price for Super Low Scales (Base-Note G#2, G2, F#2, F2 and E2), Ember-Steel, 9 notes = 2650€

Each additional sound field +150€
Polished designs on the lower shell (Only for stainless steel instruments) +120€

Custom-made Extended Handpans & Low Scales:

Abhinav Dheodar is one of the most versatile and experienced handpan makers in the world. He is one of the few instrument makers who have also perfected the construction of complex instruments with up to 21 tone fields and very low tunings with fundamental tones of E2, F#2 or F2. We cannot visualize its full range and variety of possible instruments in our online store. If you are interested in his extended handpans or very low tunings, please send us a separate request.

The process of making these special instruments is much more time consuming and risky than traditional handpans. The production can therefore take up to three months and is much more expensive than conventional tunings.

Diameter: 56cm
Height: 28cm
Weight: 4.2kg
Material: stainless steel

Mood Name: Pygmy
Default tone sequence:F2/ FGG# CD# FG
Atmosphere: Meditative - Introverted - Floating
Tonal center: DING
Mode: Aeolian minor
Pitch: Pentatonic

Semitones: 2-1-4-3-2-2-1-4

Mood Description Pygmy:

Pygmy is an extremely popular scale. Apart from the name, the only thing that this scale has in common with the music of the pygmies is the number of tones up to the octave (pentatonic scale). For our Western ears, the equi-pentatonic scale traditionally used by some African peoples would probably also be very unfamiliar. Nevertheless, both rhythmic patterns and melodic phrases can be implemented very well with this hemitonic pentatonic scale.

A special feature of both Pygmy versions is that four of the five tones are each an octave higher and the overtones can thus be amplified (cf. natural scale).

Pygmy is often referred to as the dorian pentatonic . This designation is not comprehensible for us, since there is no sixth level. The term dorian pentatonic probably arose in analogy to the church scales. This approach makes little sense in connection with pentatonic scales, since in this example the tone of the major sixth, which is absolutely essential for the Dorian mode, is not present. Other than that, Pygmy is a very cool sounding scale!

The peculiarity of this Pygmy tuning is that it is a hemitonic pentatonic scale. This means that, in contrast to a normal major or minor pentatonic scale (anhemitonic pentatonic scales), there is also a semitone step (cf. semitone). This is between the first tone and the second tone, so the first three tones of the natural minor scale (Aeolian) are present without a crack in Pygmy. In the F Pygmy example, that would be FG-Ab. From this tone there is a jump of a major third (also called a major third) to the fifth tone (in the example: tone C). This is followed by a minor third jump and a whole step, which leads to the octave. From here there is the same tone sequence up to the twelfth (fifth tone in the upper octave).

Despite the presence of a semitone and its potential for friction, Pygmy is very easy and intuitive to play. Clear recommendation also for beginners!

8-note scale: F2/ FGG# CD# FG

9-note scale: F2/ (D#) FGG# CD# FG

Scale with 10 notes: F2/ (D#) FGG# CD# FG (G#)

Scale with 11 notes: F2/ (D#) FGG# CD# FG (G# C)

Scale with 12 notes: F2/ (CD#) FGG# CD# FG (G# C)

13-note scale: F2/ (CD#) FGG# CD# FG (G# CD#)

14-note scale: F2/ (D#) FGG# CD# FG (G# CD# FG) 

On request, the bottom notes (tones in brackets) can also be arranged in other sequences / sequences of notes. Simply write an email with a request to service@handpan.world.

Hello dear handpan enthusiasts, I'm Abhinav Dheodar - tuner and developer of the Svaraa handpans. Here I want to tell you my story.

On my musical journey, the art of handpan building has chosen me and never let go. Fascinated by the simplicity of the structure and the dynamic, complex sound of the handpan/pantam, I strive to build the most resonant instruments. It's more than a passion, it's become a way of life.

I got to know the handpan in 2008. Learning to build a handpan is a long and rocky path that demands a lot. But I never gave up and kept experimenting with the craft. It took five and a half years and numerous setbacks to hold the first perfect handpan in one's hands. That was a special moment that still shapes me today and shows me that dedication, passion and perseverance can create something special.

During my apprenticeship I did extensive research to deepen my understanding of materials, tuning, metal crafting and much more. I have been fortunate to spend very valuable time with and learn from some of the best handpan/pantam makers in the world in Russia, France, the Netherlands and the USA. It was a very long learning process and every day I learn something new about steel and its sound.
Today, my ultimate goal is to create the warmest, most sonorous instruments that can deeply move a player and a listener alike.

Abhinav Deodhar - Tuner, Svaraa Handpans