Back in the early days of the first wave of new post-Hang Handpan-makers, when new tuners and their creations were just beginning to pop-up across the globe, from Germany, to Spain, the U.S., and Italy. Being UK based here at HPM - oh how we waited eagerly for the first home-grown maker(s) to appear.
Based in Teddington, West London and working from a rather small shed in my back garden, I picked up a hammer September 2015 ready to go to battle with the process of trying to create these amazing instruments that I fell in love with many years ago. After a few months banging my head against the wall and wondering where the hell I was going wrong, questioning if I was actually loosing my mind hammering a sheet of steel in a 6X4Ft shed.. a break through happened.. I managed to tune a rather shady note into what I would call a pan shaped object :-D I guess that event and glimmer of hope kept me going... people questioned my sanity but months later Tāla Handpans was born..
Life is to live and learn, put your mind and effort to any subject and anything is possible'.
A "Tala", literally means a "clap, tapping one's hand on one's arm, a musical measure". It is the term used in Indian classical music to refer to musical meter, that is any rhythmic beat or strike that measures musical time. The measure is typically established by hand clapping, waving, touching fingers on thigh or the other hand, verbally, striking of small cymbals, or a percussion instrument - in the South Asian traditions. Along with "raga" which forms the fabric of a melodic structure, the tala forms the time cycle and thereby constitutes one of the two foundational elements of Indian music.
For more information on Tāla Handpans you can find them over at Facebook: HERE, or via YouTube: HERE.