Getting the Hang of ‘the Hang'

A Unique Drum and its Drummer

- SHAURYA SINGH THAPA

In 2000, a new millennium was born as well as a unique music instrument called the Hang. It was a drum that was played by hand, placed on the player’s lap. The people behind its creation were two individuals from Switzerland, Felix Rohner and Sabina Scharer. After introducing this percussive instrument in a German trade fair in the next year, the Hang began to draw quite some attention.

In terms of anatomy, the Hang comprises of two metallic shells glued to each other in a concave fashion, wit the inside of the instrument being hollow. The creators have acknowledged the fact that steel drums from various countries Trinidad and Tobago, and India, have been a large influence on the Hang, but it differs from its predecessors in terms of sound. The Hang has buttery, raindrop-like sounds, rather than metallic notes.