The PANArt Story: How the Hang Created (and Divided) a Community

No conversation about handpans is complete without the story of PANArt and the Hang. It's a tale of innovation, philosophy, controversy, and the unstoppable force of human creativity — and it begins in a steel drum workshop in Bern, Switzerland.

The Birth of the Hang (2000–2001)

Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer had spent decades studying and building Caribbean steel pans (steelpans) at their company PANArt. Through years of metallurgical research — particularly into nitrided steel — they developed a revolutionary idea: what if you took the resonant principles of the steelpan and shaped them into something you could hold in your lap?

In the year 2000, they created the first Hang (Bernese German for "hand"). It was a convex steel instrument resembling a flying saucer, with a central dome (the "Ding") and seven or eight tone fields arranged in a circle. You played it with your hands rather than mallets.

The sound was unlike anything the world had heard: ethereal, meditative, organic. It sounded like it came from an ancient civilization, yet it was entirely new.

Going Viral Before Viral Existed (2001–2007)

The Hang spread through the most organic marketing channel imaginable: buskers. Street performers across Europe began playing Hangs in plazas and market squares, and crowds would gather, transfixed. In an era before YouTube was mainstream, the Hang's fame spread through word of mouth, travel stories, and the occasional grainy video.

PANArt never advertised. They sold directly from their workshop in Bern, initially welcoming visitors. By 2003, demand had exploded. The waiting list grew to years. Prices were deliberately kept modest ($400–$2,000 over the years), as Rohner and Schärer viewed the Hang as an art project, not a commercial product.

The Letter System (2008–2013)

As demand overwhelmed them, PANArt implemented an extraordinary sales process: you had to write a physical letter to Bern explaining why you wanted a Hang, what music meant to you, and how you would use the instrument. PANArt would then decide whether to sell to you.

This wasn't marketing theater — it was philosophical. Rohner and Schärer believed the Hang was being commodified, resold for profit, and treated as a consumer product rather than an art piece. The letter system was their attempt to maintain the instrument's integrity.

It also, predictably, created a frenzy. Second-hand Hangs sold for $5,000–$15,000. The scarcity and mystique only amplified demand.

The Name Controversy

Here's where it gets contentious. As other makers began creating similar instruments, the community needed a name for the broader category. "Hang drum" was commonly used by the public, but PANArt objected strenuously:

1. The Hang is not a drum — it's a resonant steel instrument played with the hands 2. "Hang" is PANArt's trademarked name — using it for other instruments was legally problematic

3. PANArt felt the imitations cheapened their creation

The term "handpan" emerged as a compromise, coined by Kyle Cox of Pantheon Steel around 2007. It described the broader instrument category while respecting PANArt's trademark. Today, "handpan" is the accepted generic term, while "Hang" refers specifically to PANArt's instruments.

You'll still hear people say "hang drum" — especially newcomers and the general public. Most community members gently correct to "handpan," though the debate has cooled considerably over the years.

The Handpan Explosion (2010–Present)

PANArt's refusal to scale production created an enormous vacuum. Talented metalworkers worldwide began reverse-engineering the concept, developing their own tuning techniques, steel treatments, and designs. By 2012, a dozen makers existed. By 2015, over a hundred. Today, the NISH directory tracks 600+ makers and resellers across every continent.

Key milestones:

• Pantheon Steel (USA) — Among the first alternative makers, coined "handpan"
• Ayasa (Netherlands) — Pioneered ember stainless steel, became one of the most recognized brands worldwide
• Yishama (Israel) — Luxury instruments with exceptional tuning precision
• Echo Sound Sculpture (Hungary) — Made quality instruments accessible at lower prices
• Countless small workshops — From Indonesia to Brazil, handpan making became a global craft

PANArt's Evolution

PANArt stopped producing the Hang in its original form around 2013. They evolved through several iterations:

• Hang Gubal — A simpler, more meditative instrument
• Hang Urgu — An elongated vertical design
• Hang Bal — A smaller, more portable version

Each move took them further from the mainstream handpan market and deeper into their artistic vision. Rohner and Schärer have always maintained that they are artists, not manufacturers, and their trajectory reflects this.

Today, original Hangs in good condition sell for $5,000–$15,000+ on the second-hand market, making them some of the most valuable percussion instruments in existence.

Legacy and Lessons

The PANArt story is fascinating because it challenges everything we know about markets and creativity:

• They created a new instrument category from scratch
• They deliberately limited supply in a world that demanded more
• They prioritized artistic vision over commercial success
• They watched an entire industry grow from their invention and chose not to compete

Whether you view PANArt as visionary purists or frustratingly exclusionary depends on your perspective. What's undeniable is that without Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer's decades of steel research and their leap of imagination, none of us would be playing handpans today.

The community they inadvertently created — hundreds of makers, thousands of players, festivals on every continent — is their greatest legacy, even if it's one they never intended.

Every time you play a handpan, you're participating in a tradition that began in a small Swiss workshop at the turn of the millennium. That's worth remembering.