To Pan or not to Pan?

I've been mostly a wind instrument player from young, except for an interlude learning the classical guitar, and percussive stuff never caught my interest possibly due to my affinity towards more melodious music. Thanks to Youtube I was introduced to the handpan some years ago and loved its unique soundscape. Unfortunately the availability and price point was a bit high for me.

The Covid pandemic provided a window of opportunity for me to dive deeper into music and one aspect which challenges me is groove. I guess it's partly due to my more dominant left brain which influences how I feel and express music - vanilla playing I'd say. My music teacher once commented I'm weak with phrasing.

This all made sense after reading a highly recommended text, The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search For Growth Through Music, by Victor L Wooten. I knew it was time to venture further.

So why pick the handpan? Its timbre is unique and captivating as it was created based on the Caribbean steel drum, which has a bright and I'd say shiny sound to it. Watching a player wave his hands about in a blur is almost magical. It's also an instrument that can be free of theory since the notes are limited to a specific scale where any note combination will usually sound nice, and thus easy to improvise on. Essentially the rhythms or groove patterns carry the music. And there's little to study about grooves other than to practise and embody it.

Still, I went ahead and signed up for an online course just to get some structured learning. One can possibly learn from lots of free and good quality online material but it can get messy not knowing how far one has progressed. The additional advantage of the course I'm in is that there's an active online community of students and professionals built around it.

Timing was perfect as I had earlier stumbled across a local shop that sells a China made version. That eliminated the risk of online buying and shipping worries given how expensive and heavy a handpan is. Despite all the online criticism about cheap handpans, I'd say this version is good enough to get someone started. It sounds good, pitch is accurate, and plays well. This one is made of stainless steel and comes in a nice reflective copper colour.

The early obstacles in handpan playing are mainly about accurate and swift hand movements, followed by balancing of agility and strength between both hands and the fingers used in striking. However compared to instruments such as the Xiao and Shakuhachi, it takes less time to get a consistent good sound. It's easier to start making music albeit at a slow tempo. The challenge for me is more about getting into a relaxed mind-body state and not fumbling on the groove patterns.

In the world of handpans, there are many makers with their own designs but essentially the tones are produced through the vibration of the metal when struck, similar to how a bell works. Different tone fields (those dimple shapes) are either hammered or hydro-formed by water pressure. Even though made of steel (usually stainless or nitrided) they are susceptible to going out of tune if played too harshly for prolonged periods. This brings me to the next type of pan, which falls into a category called tongue pan.

Tongue pans are similar to tongue drums. Drums are smaller than pans which are typically 20 inch or more in diameter. Mallets are often used to play the drums. Regardless of size, notes are produced by the vibration of the "tongues" (cut outs) of metal. The advantage is that the tuning remains stable because the pitch is determined by the mass of the tongue rather than the tension or shape of the metal.

Among tongue pans, the Rav Vast stands out as it evolved out of the maker's desire for an affordable alternative to the expensive Hang (the very first brand of handpan) that was limited in production. I've done a mini comparison between the Hluru stainless steel handpan and the Rav Vast 2 (thicker version with 2mm steel).

Comparison Table of Handpan and Rav Vast 2

Attribute	Handpan	Rav Vast
Dynamics	Loudest note at 89 dBA	Loudest note at 89 dBA
Attack and decay	More percussive	Gentle, smooth rise and fall
Sustain	Some sustain that's around 10 sec	Much longer sustain at more than 20 sec, reverb feel
Tactile feel	Light touch brings up sound. Conversely can't hit too hard as the tone quality becomes rough	Requires more force and can take harder hits without degradation of tone quality
Harmonics	Have to explore and figure out specific spots to press and strike to activate harmonics	Each tongue has standardised spots to press and strike for activating harmonics

However, comparing the Rav Vast to a handpan is not quite appropriate. The two types of pans share many similarities in terms of playing techniques and materials used, but the timbre are distinct and really depends on what one is more attracted to.

The sound of the handpan is more lively and energising due to its brightness. For me, it dazzles without overpowering. The sound of the Rav Vast is more soothing and ethereal, more spacious. The longer sustain allows greater freedom for expression outside of a rhythm structure. 

I played the handpan for a few weeks before getting my hands on a second hand Rav Vast. I'd say almost anyone can enjoy the Rav Vast immediately even if one is tone deaf and has no sense of rhythm. It's a most forgiving instrument. 

Book review: Playing a Shakuhachi with 5 Tones by Daisuke Kaminaga

The book's cover shows the author in a dynamic mid-air pose. The other items are unrelated: they're a DVD (Ishikawa Method Daily Practice of Shakuhachi) and CD (Fukuda Rando's Excellent Pieces for Shakuhachi) which I may review in future.

The original name of the book is 尺八を 五つの音だけで 吹く本 and the author is 神永大輔 Daisuke Kaminaga. So what attracted me to the book was the artiste himself who's a member of the WagakkiBand.  The book is fully in Japanese so be prepared. I took the plunge with some basic knowledge of kana and kanji input method (similar to Chinese pinyin), and much help from Google.

For those rushing to know my conclusion, here's a brief:

The book is suited for intermediate students who wish to expand their repertoire of playing techniques for contemporary music. There's an assumption that the reader has sufficient knowledge of basic music theory, e.g., reading staff notation. The gem of this book is the inclusion of some original pieces by the artiste, both the audio tracks and scores. The book is geared towards Tozan-ryu techniques so do not expect coverage of traditional Kinko styles. It's obvious he is advocating the continuation of shakuhachi as a versatile modern instrument.

Let's start off with the print quality. It's a large format book that's slightly bigger than A4. Thick paper is used and the binding allows the book to lay flat, which is great for propping up on a stand. It comes with a CD that provides demo clips of exercises, and also the performance of Daisuke's compositions.

Chapter 1 serves as a refresher on the basics such as posture and embouchure. However he has deployed some metaphors to help illustrate breathing methods which I found refreshing, as I had not encountered these elsewhere whether online or in books. 

In Chapter 2, we're given a broad stroke introduction to the pentatonic notes of various Japanese scales. Consolidating and comparing them gives greater clarity.

Chapter 3 covers ornamentation techniques for articulation and accentuation of notes. He advisee on how to integrate these into performance.

Further on in Chapter 4, there is elaboration on application of ornaments, including trills and vibrato that are unique to the shakuhachi. Some of these ornaments are specific to Sankyoku ensemble playing and come from the Tozan-ryu tradition. There's even a section on imitation of Celtic style music.

The gems are in Chapter 5 where eight original pieces in staff and Tozan-ryu notation are presented. They are all meant for the 1.8 shakuhachi so it's more accessible for beginners with only one flute on hand.

Overall I'm satisfied with the content of this book even though most material are not new to me after having had regular lessons for 1.5 years. The audio demos are a useful reference for verifying that one can reproduce the same tone patterns described. Personally the focus on Tozan-ryu methods and inclusion of Tozan scores are a bonus, but that may not appeal to those learning other styles. The vibrant, exciting book cover reflects the content well, this is not a book for traditional/classical honkyoku enthusiasts. The objective of the book is clearly to encourage players to experiment and evolve the culture of shakuhachi performance.

  

Breaking Habits - Beginner's Mind

I found this piece of advice from Master Winson Liao thought provoking and inspiring. Here's my interpretation on his sharing (speech starts at 1 min 27 sec):

Today let's talk about habits. It is an important concept when we consider how we wish to grow in our perspectives, creativity, and approach to life.

It was decades ago that I attended a class on leadership. It was taught by a professor of behavioural sciences who spoke on how habits tend to limit our potential. I experienced this in the realm of Xiao performance. 

Many friends face a plateau and get stuck because of habits. They are unable to find a breakthrough. When we choose an instrument or choose our choice of pieces to perform based on our personal habits, then we constrain ourselves. It is very important that we can let go of these fixations. These fixations are formless and subconscious to us.

For example, we may get stuck while learning certain embouchures such as U or V shaped. We tend to hold certain unchanged views or habits, so we need to reset to start from zero, to have a beginner's mind, so as to be able to open up to what is unfamiliar, to explore and try differently. 

Just like mirrors, we have examples we can look to for lessons. Some people when they get their hands on a good Xiao, they trust their instrument and thus put in effort to practice and adapt to the instrument. They learn to fully exploit and open up new avenues of expression with the instrument on hand.

On the other hand, there are those who stick to their personal habits and preferences and thus pick instruments that conform to these habits. Therefore they limit their own growth due to this approach of thinking.

I personally experienced the importance of the need to go beyond our habits. Whether it was in my development of the Xiao or in my work life developing systems, I realised how significant was the professor's lessons. We need to expand our horizons by letting go of our habits. Such habits can hold us back perhaps for a life time. 

When you reset to zero and explore new horizons, you'll have new discoveries and insights that lead to breakthroughs. Whether in performing or crafting of Xiao, we should let go of our fixations. In the face of doubt and uncertainty, it can lead to infinite new possibilities. The human potential is infinite. 

Let me share a story. Since primary school age I played the Xiao and till my college days I had become quite seasoned with opportunities to perform on stage. I felt I was a good performer. I did some recordings and others advised I could even produce an album. I thought I was really good until I encountered a wider realm of music and was awed by the realisation that there was much more room for growth. To date, I still feel I can improve further, whether as a performer or as a craftsman. Continuously practising and refining to progress on the journey of life. 

This is a process of learning. I firmly believe that letting go of habits will aid in breaking through. Don't get stuck with thoughts such as "what is the best ...", "what should be the case ..."; there is no absolute as all things are relative. When you've gone through such a journey, you can look back and appreciate that we should sustain such a spirit of learning. This applies to many aspects such as career, and family relationships too. Past habits and ways of thinking need to be reset so that we can welcome what is in the present. My sharing ends here, thank you.