Handpan

The handpan is a relatively new class of musical instruments which were inspired by the steel drum and other various instruments of the world, such as the Gudu, or "pottery drum". The term was first coined by Kyle Cox, one of the makers of this new type of instrument. The term itself is a variation on the true name of the steel drum, "steelpan". The handpan's name was born of the fact that one of its major departures from traditional steelpan is the use of the hands rather than mallets.