Mystical Handpan<br> D Kurd 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 : Kurd
Synonyms : Aeolian / with root note C# = Annaziska
Basic scale (8+1): D/ A Bb CDEFGA
Effect : Warm - Mysterious - Dreamy
Tone supply: Heptatonic

Mode :
Phrygian (tonal center 1st note) = major, or
Aeolian (tonal center: B) = minor

Semitones: 7 - 1 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 3 - 2 - 2
Tonal center: DING or first tone

Mood description Kurd:

The Kurd tuning is, if you will, the natural minor variant of the handpan tunings. Due to its particularly harmonious composition of notes, it is particularly suitable for beginners. With them you can play everything from calm and meditative to melancholic to powerful and happy.

Even though this mood can sound very sentimental, it can certainly create happy sound images. For example, the second and third notes produce a triad in major. Just be aware that the second and third notes are played at the same time. You can of course also use this tension consciously to spice up your playing and make the relaxation have a stronger effect afterwards.

This tuning is one of the first seven-tone tunings to be built and has become very well known through some videos on the Internet.

Basic tone sequence with 9 tone fields: D/ A Bb CDEFGA

Origin and music theory of the Kurd mood:

Kurd takes the name of the Arabic/Turkish Maqam Kurd. This tone selection also shares the arrangement of the tones with this Maqam if one assumes that the tonal center is on the first tone in the circle. This creates the complete Phrygian mode, which is characterized by a semitone step from the fundamental to the second tone of the scale and is responsible for the mysterious sound of the scale.

However, there remains an ambivalence, since the DING is a fifth below the first tone and therefore appears like a second tonal center, which allows the mode to change to Aeolian (natural minor). Depending on how you play, you can switch between natural minor and Phrygian sound characteristics. With Kurd you can play anything from calm and meditative to melancholic to powerful and happy.

Kurd shares with other minor variations (cf. Celtic Minor/Integral) the jump from a fifth from the DING to the first tone. From this fifth level, assuming that the tonal center is the THING, one has all the tonal steps of a natural minor scale (Aeolian). What is special about Kurd is the half-tone step (semitone) between the first and second tone. This step is also present in the Maqam Kurd (Arabic or Turkish scale system) of the same name (see Semai Kurd), but also in the Phrygian mode. The Phrygian mode is used in jazz, psychedelic rock, flamenco and fado but also in classical music.

Matching moods:
Very suitable for improvisational playing together:

• F Sabye (parallel key)
• F Major (parallel key)
• D Celtic Minor / Amara
• G Celtic Minor / Amara
• D Aeolian
• Bb Aegean
• D Equinox
• DMagic Voyage
• D integral
• D Pygmy

Also suitable for composing together:

• A Celtic Minor / Amara
• A Hijaz
• C Kurd
• C Celtic Minor / Amara
• F Ragadesh