The Art of Fusion

header


About the Hang: The Hang (pronounced "hung") was invented in 2000 in Switzerland by Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer. In the Bernese language, the term “Hang“ refers to the human hand, as the instrument is played with the hands. It is classified as an idiophone and its construction was inspired by the Caribbean steel drum and the Indian gatham. It consists of two hemispheres of gas-nitrided steel fixed together. The notes are tuned on the upper hemisphere; in the lower hemisphere there is a hand-size hole, the so-called Gu. The instrument is played on the knees or on the floor. Seven to nine notes are harmonically tuned around a central deep note, the so-called Ding. This low note can excite the Helmholtz resonance when it is played in a specific way. The frequency of the Helmholtz resonance can be changed by varying the dimension of the hole with the knees
	The Ding side contains 8 tone fields which together form the "tone circle" (scale or mode). This circle surrounds a central dome, called the Ding, which sounds like a Gong. On the Gu side (underneath), there is a hand size hole called the Gu for sound resonance. The Gu can also be played like an udu, or used to modulate the sound of the DING. The instrument is generally held in the player's lap and played with the hands, although it can also be played with soft mallets. By changing the position of his/her knees, the player can change the deep note and vary the timbre of the instrument while playing. The Caribbean steelpan is probably the most important new acoustical instrument to develop in the 20th century. Since its invention in Trinidad some 50 years ago, improvements in the technology and design have resulted from research in Europe and the United States in addition to its home country of Trinidad and Tobago. It has also inspired the development of new steel instruments, such as the PANG family of instruments and the hand-played HANG