How many notes should a handpan have?

Short answer: for a first handpan, 9 or 10 notes is enough — a complete scale, a layout you can read under your hands, and the lowest entry price. Past 13 notes you gain richer melodies but a slower learning curve. And almost every advertised number already includes the ding.

How notes are counted on a handpan

A handpan is made of two steel shells joined together. On the top shell, a raised central note — the ding — is surrounded by a circle of tuned areas, the tone fields. When a listing says "10 notes", it almost always counts the ding: 9 tone fields in the circle, plus the ding.

You will also meet the 8 + 1 or 9 + 1 notation, standard among European makers: the first figure is the circle, the "+ 1" is the ding. An "8 + 1" and a "9-note" handpan are the same instrument. This is the single most common misunderstanding when you compare two listings side by side.

Extended models add tone fields to the bottom shell, around the resonance port: these are the bottom notes. You play them blind, sliding a hand underneath, and they mostly serve as bass notes or accents. On an 18- or 20-note instrument a share of the total sits down there — always ask for the top/bottom split before you buy.

At Enixpan the figure shown on each product page includes the ding, and the full note list is given model by model — on the D Kurd 10 Notes, the D Kurd 13 Notes or the E Amara 20 Notes, for example.

9 or 10 notes: the format for a first handpan

This is what almost the whole community recommends, for a very practical reason: on a 9- or 10-note handpan, every tone field is within reach without moving your arms. You learn phrases, not geography.

Nine notes gives you a full octave of the scale plus the ding — enough to play complete melodies, back a voice, and hold twenty minutes without repeating yourself. Ten notes adds one step, usually at the top: the same simplicity with a little headroom to grow into.

• Wider, better-spaced fields: far fewer strikes bleeding onto the neighbouring note.
• A readable layout: you memorise where the notes are within a few hours of playing.
• A lighter instrument, easier to rest on your lap and easier to travel with.
• More stable tuning over time: fewer tuned fields means fewer interactions between them.
• Entry price: at Enixpan a 10-note handpan starts at €1,590 including VAT and delivery.

At this stage the real decision is not the note count — it is the scale. The D Kurd 10 Notes is melancholic and covers nearly all the tutorials you will find online; the D Ashakiran 10 Notes is far brighter; the C Low Pygmy 9 Notes is the deepest and most meditative of the three. Listen before you decide.

13 to 15 notes: when you have outgrown your scale

Moving to 13 or 15 notes makes sense the day you hit a real limit: a melody that asks for a note you do not have, the urge to play across two octaves, a need for bass notes to accompany another musician.

The extra fields either go down into the low register or complete the top of the scale. The D Kurd 13 Notes extends the Kurd 10 scale: same landmarks, more ground, and nothing to relearn if you come from the 10-note version. The D Ashakiran 15 Notes opens up genuinely two-handed playing, with chords held under the melody.

What is rarely said, and matters: on a shell of the same diameter, more notes means smaller fields set closer together. Your touch has to be more precise and lighter. A player with six months of practice adapts in a few sessions; a complete beginner loses the immediate pleasure that carries you through the first weeks.

18 to 20 notes: the format for confident players

From 18 notes upwards a handpan changes in nature: it stops being an instrument of discovery and becomes an instrument of composition. Two and a half octaves, bottom notes acting as bass, chords playable with two hands — enough to record a whole piece without stacking takes.

Three models cover this family at Enixpan: the D Aegean 18 Notes, open and luminous; the F# Low Pygmy 19 Notes, built around the low register and long ambient textures; and the E Amara 20 Notes, the most complete in the range.

The trade-off is real and worth accepting before you order: a heavier instrument, narrower fields, a larger shell to carry, and a learning time that cannot be compressed. If you are starting from scratch this is not the right first purchase — it is very often the second one.

What each note adds to the price

A note is not a button you bolt on: it is an area to hammer, heat-treat and then tune on three simultaneous frequencies — the fundamental, its octave and its compound fifth. The more notes there are, the longer tuning takes, and the higher the risk that one field pulls on its neighbour. That labour is what you pay for, not the steel.

Price therefore does not scale linearly with note count: a deep 9-note instrument can cost more than a common 10-note one, because large low fields are harder to stabilise. Here is the current Enixpan grid, VAT included, DDP delivery free (duties and taxes paid):

Every price covers the handpan, a protective bag, a padded carry case, a care guide and access to the learning platform. Lead time is around 30 days: roughly fifteen days of making and fifteen days of shipping.

Three questions to decide

1. Have you played a melodic instrument before? If not, take 9 or 10 notes. Progress comes faster and the instrument stays enjoyable from the first hour, which is the best protection against giving up.
2. Will you play alone or with others? Alone, a 9- or 10-note scale lasts for years. Backing a voice, a guitar or a didgeridoo, the bass notes of a 13- or 15-note instrument earn their keep.
3. What is your real budget, delivery included? Between a 10-note and a 20-note handpan the gap is over €1,200. A well-tuned 10-note in a scale you love beats an 18-note chosen for the number.

And a fourth question, the most useful of all: have you listened? The Nixis tester plays every scale straight in your browser, note by note, with no sign-up. The note count takes five minutes to settle; the scale is what you will hear every day.

Three common mistakes

Assuming more notes means more music. A 9-note handpan you have truly mastered makes more music than a 20-note where half the fields go untouched. Richness comes from touch — dynamics, ghost notes, rim strikes — long before it comes from the number of fields.

Comparing two listings without checking the counting convention. A "9 + 1", a "10-note" and a "10-note with 2 on the bottom" are not the same instrument. Ask for the note list, not the total.

Picking the note count before the scale. That is the wrong order. The scale decides the emotion of the instrument; the note count only decides its range. Start with our guide to handpan scales, then come back to the number.

Frequently asked questions

How many notes does a standard handpan have?

Nine or ten, ding included. It is the most common format among makers and retailers alike, and the one recommended for a first instrument.

Does the ding count as a note?

Yes in the vast majority of listings: a "10-note" handpan has 9 tone fields in the circle plus the central ding. The "9 + 1" notation describes exactly the same instrument.

Is a 9-note handpan limiting?

Not for learning and playing solo: nine notes cover a full octave of the scale. The limit shows up mainly when you want to play across two octaves or add bass under another instrument.

Can notes be added to an existing handpan?

No. Every field is hammered and tuned into the shell during making; adding one afterwards is not possible without compromising the tuning of the whole instrument.

Which handpan should a beginner choose at Enixpan?

The D Kurd 10 Notes at €1,590 including VAT and free delivery: the best-documented scale, ten notes that are easy to locate, and access to the learning platform included.

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