Handpans were first introduced approximately 20 years ago by steel pan makers from Switzerland. They are classified as idiophones, and are related to the steel pan from Trinidad and Tobago. For almost the first decade of their existence, there was only one handpan maker in the world! Over the years as interest has grown exponentially for the instrument, makers such as myself have pursued learning the craft of tuning steel. They are immensely popular for a few reasons: The first is that they blend percussion and melody together beautifully. It doesn’t take anyone who sits down with one very long to make nice sounds with it. The second reason is that every handpan is tuned to a diatonic scale. This basically means that you can’t hit a wrong note! The handpan invites people of all musical backgrounds (or none!) to play it. It lends the player a very personal, meditative and even worshipful experience.