Have you heard a percussion instrument called a hang and if you have where was it that you came across it?

Question

Jim, I have been to Bern and I come from Trinidad. Have you played a hang and under what circumstance did you come across it or did you just research it on the web?

Answer 1

The HANG is a new steel percussion instrument, consisting of two spherical shells of steel, suitable for playing with the hands. Seven to nine notes are harmonically tuned around a central deep note which is formed by the Helmholtz (cavity) resonance of the instrument body. 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 HANG was developed by PanArt in Bern, Switzerland, a firm that has also developed the PANG family of steel instruments, based on the familiar Caribbean steelpans of Trinidad. The PANG family of steel instruments were the first to incorporate nitrided or sandwich-hardened steel. This same material gives the HANG great durability.

Seven to nine elliptical note areas are formed on the upper shell of the HANG and tuned so that the principal modes of vibration in each note area have frequencies that are in the ratios of 3:2:1 with respect to the fundamental, except in the highest notes where they are in the ratio of 2.5:2:1 or 2.4:2:1. Holographic studies show the modal shapes and also the extent of coupling between note areas.

I have a friend here in Boston that uses one... have only heard it once... very cool sound though.

Answer 2

If it's pronounced "hong", then yes I have. It kinda sounds like a steel drum, but it's played with the thumbs. I first heard it at a charity concert performed by award-winning Native American artist Jeff Ball. His drummer played it. I don't think it's widely available because I can't seem to find it anywhere online. It's a neat instrument.

Answer 3

being wound up i believe