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

There is something mystical about both their appearance and their sound that captivates us. Mystical handpans are characterized by their long resonance and balanced richness of overtones. Even when played more intensively, the tones sound clean. With their pronounced crosstalk of the pleasant and desired kind, the whole instrument seems to sing. The result is a versatile carpet of sound that is particularly inviting for spherical and melodic playing.
A distinctive feature of the Mystical Handpans is the particularly pronounced oval shape of the sound fields, which makes it easy to play due to their size. The fifth and tertiary tones of each sound field can also be emphasized precisely and particularly pleasantly.
The stainless steel version of the Mystical Handpans is made from the popular Ember-Steel alloy, which is additionally hardened in an intensive heating process and is characterized by a particularly soft tone color, a balanced sustain and long-lasting tuning stability.

Diameter: 53 cm
Height: 25cm
Weight: approx. 4kg
Material: Embersteel / stainless steel

Tuning : Celtic Minor
Synonym : Amara
Basic tone sequence (8+1) : B/ F# ABC# DEF# A
Atmosphere : Melancholic- Archaic- Medieval
Mode : Minor - Aeolian
Tone range : Hexatonic

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

Tonal Center: DING

Mood description:

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.

Suitable handpan tunings:

Very suitable for collaborative, improvisational playing:

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

Also good for composing together:

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