I want to learn how to play this instrument

[floridaorange]

anyone here have one? I was at a cafe recently and heard someone playing theres, it sounded incredible.

[kassios]

Re: I want to learn how to play this instrument

Great staff mate thanks for sharing, very interesting sound .

Any idea what instrument this is?

[Frankiee]

Re: I want to learn how to play this instrument

It's a hangdrum, they play them very often in the streets here. Great sound indeed. I heard that they are made by a Swiss couple, and you have to convince them to make one for you.

[floridaorange]

Re: I want to learn how to play this instrument

here in the US - About The Halo

Q - What is a Halo? What is a Genesis, Cirrus, and Stratus?
A - The Halo is a precisely tuned, resonant metal instrument made of nitrided steel, designed to be played with the hands while it sits in the player’s lap.

The Halo is intended to be subtle, responsive, and expressive. A Halo should reveal itself in proportion to a player’s growing skill. It has no "wrong notes" and lends iteself to improvisation and meditative exploration.

The Halo was created by Kyle Cox and Jim Dusin of Pantheon Steel, and evolved almost two years before its public debut. It was inspired by myriad contemporary instruments, notably the steel pans of Trinidad which were Pantheon’s first business, and by a famous evolutionary and revolutionary sound sculpture invented in Switzerland. (While we would prefer to express our gratitude and debt to its creators, they have requested we not mention them or their creation by name, and we defer to that request.)

The latter sculpture demonstrated a new instrument form, made by extending the steel pan to encompass a tuned, ported, resonant space, and carefully controlling materials, form, tone field shape and orientation, and tuning process. For lack of a better term, we call this new form (and the Halo) a "handpan." Note that we do not presume to apply this terminology ourselves to the original sound sculpture.

The Batch One Halo was Pantheon Steel’s first exploration of the possibilities of the handpan. It is an evolving expression of our own interests and capabilities in instrument making, within the possibilities revealed by the handpan form.

We intend the Halo to offer its own unique voice to a growing family of hand-played metal instruments. The Halo has a different timbre than other handpans (or sound scupture), a different feel under the hands, and a deeper range.
The Halo Stratus, introduced in February 2011 of our Batch Two offering, is a sibling instrument to the Halo made with a higher register. The Halo Stratus has center notes of F# and G.
Where the Halo was a baritone, the Stratus is an alto, a higher-voiced instrument with a similar timbre, that can be played on its own or compliment Halos with center notes of B and C respectively.
The Halo Cirrus, introduced in late 2011, is a third sibling in a middle register. The Halo Cirrus has center notes of Eb and E, adding a tenor voice to the family. ^