- HANG : BIRTH OF THE NEW SOUND -
11 февраля 2014
People say that everything
new is something old and forgotten. In our case the new is the result of
combination of ancient music experience with the demand to find unique sound
that could broaden horizons of musical perception.
Hang, also recognized as
"hang drum", is a new musical instrument. This time our story will be
about this hang.
_________________
Hang was born in 2000 in
Bern (Switzerland city). It was created by Felix Rohner and Sabina Scharer. They
were inspired by the idea to turn into reality their long-term researches in
vibrant percussive instruments: gong, drums, singing bowls, bells, gamelans and
other instruments that were found in different parts of the world.
Hang (hang means "hand"
translated from Bern dialect of German language) primarily was used to be sold in
internet-shops, but later on free sale was stopped because of high demand.
During approximately last 10 years hang was available only for a narrow circle of
people because of high prices and difficulties in purchasing. Only over the last
years situation has changed. New alternatives are appearing, so called “hang
analogs” that are produced in more than10 countries. Such instruments have received
general name - hand pan. Popularity of such instruments is increasing: thousand
people are excited by unique sound, they go to great lengths to touch the magic
metal pan.
So, what really attracts
people? What are hidden capabilities of this specific instrument?
More than just a musical instrument.
It is common knowledge
that sound is a wave and everything surrounding us is full of vibrations. In old
time doctors in Tibet, India and China noticed that sound with different frequencies can affect our body in
a different way. For example, there exists the system in India – the system of correspondence
of particular sounds with energy centers (chakras) and this system lets to
harmonize organ functioning . Gong and singing bowls (primarily they were
intended for shamanistic practices) were used as curative instruments. Sound massage
was very popular in Tibet: several bowls of different sizes were put next to
chakras or on human body (depending of charka position). This is very popular, still
now exists all over the world.
Hang has inherited the
sound and traditions of ancient instruments and it also affects human body. Sound
is coming more softly and liquid out of the
whole body of hang and vibrations passed to human body spread along the whole
body more integrally. We see that hang can
become modern alternative of time-proved curative practices.
Hang: teaching and space for joint creativity.
In spite of the fact that hang
still now isn’t widespread, gradually special places are being created in the world
where people can touch the instrument, learn to play it and create musical
groups. Now in Russia exists only one such place that opened its doors in
August 2013 - "SUNSET class"(http://hang-drum.org/sunset/) – that was founded by Yuri Rubin (Morpheus).
Yuri is a percussionist, he
owns large collection of ethnic musical instruments. For many years he has been
searching “his ideal sound” via studying instruments, cultures and world
traditional rhythms.
Finally, he has discovered
hang.
We asked Yura to tell about history of the project "SUNSET class" and possibilities that open the door to its participants.
There
is
a
place
in
North
GOA
where
world
hang
players
get
together. The beautiful
tradition- to accompany setting sun with music on the ocean beach - has given
incentive to choose exactly this place for our project.
This is the symbol of approach towards musical process
based on meditation practice. At the same time this is allegory and aiming for
creative light.
Primarily the goal to create a music school didn’t exist,
it was just a musical process, just solo play within the group "Algambra"
(www.algambra.org ) where
we used music sounds in combination with more traditional instruments: guitar,
harp, percussion.
However, quite often after concerts people came up to
me and asked if it was possible to study to play this instrument apart from
just listening to it. It is fantastic feeling! And we decided to work out
particular concept of study that differs a lot from common musical schools. An interesting
fact: actually, “school” specialized on teaching to play this instrument
doesn’t exist. Many performers master it alone. What we do is more close to
meditative practice based on performance of different patterns typical for
rhythms and melodies of East, Asia and Africa. By playing on several
instruments simultaneously we create particular patterns that are combined into
polirhythms and beautiful matchless compositions. This type of cooperative music
play on “hang-kind- instruments” is not widely spread because of lack of its
availability. So, this is the first Russian project and of the few projects
existing in the world. We use pans of different origin, with different tones,
different “colors” – and it all allow to achieve exciting effects while
performing.
Although our team is quite new, we have already taken parts
in different events: concerts in Moscow and outside of Moscow, in other Russian
cities and CIS countries. Apart from that, we arrange cultural and training
trips to many countries: India, Morocco, Bali and etc. Music of hang and other
related instruments that have ethnic roots sound in a different way in
different places (for example, in a tropic nature and on squares of old cities)
– that allows to discover sound space again and again.
Who do normally come to your classes?
What kind of people? What they achieve/receive in this classes?
Mostly, these are people that like music, that
practice spiritual development. But, on the other hand, these are people that want
to relax after working hours, they want to get into pacified environment, to
find “air-grating” and to try something new.
Each person has creativity motivation. What we do is kind
of intuitive music, and you don’t have to have special music education for it. We
all have many creative talents and collective music play gives the chance to discover
and develop what is sleeping now, and especially do it in the space full of joy
with new friends and like-minded persons.
We live in 21st
century where new ways of perception and unique solutions are substituting traditional
attitude towards creativity. Almost all melodies are already played. New
musical styles are appearing now, they are aimed at combination of something incomplete and separated into
integrity and intuitive. We are living in the century of integrity where search
of own Sound has become a motivation of all musicians. That is why origin
of hang looks more symbolical and more
fascinating.
© GAYANAT project, 2014
