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  • We're going to 🌸SUPER BLOOM: A Women's Handpan Gathering in May!
    April 13, 2022

    We're going to 🌸SUPER BLOOM: A Women's Handpan Gathering in May!

    Join us next month at SUPER BLOOM: a Women’s Handpan Gathering taking place May 13th-15th located at Peace Temple in the Catskills Mountains near Hancock, New York.

    Super Bloom: A Women's Handpan Gathering

    “We aim to bring women handpan players and enthusiasts together for a relaxing weekend in the woods. Steeped in nature, with the handpan as our guide, we invite women looking to awaken, explore and expand their divine inner-compass. We are grateful for this opportunity to Super Bloom inner abundance into life … together.”
    🌸
    WE PLAY WELL TOGETHER will be providing Metal Sounds Spacedrums to try out and we’ll be giving away a Zenko Drum, Hokema Kalimba Sansula and other goodies to some lucky participants. We're looking forward to getting to know our handpan community up-close and personal at this gorgeous location for their inaugural gathering! (And wow, this is the first in-person event we'll be attending in 2 years! It's been a looong pandemic...) 

    LEARN MORE + REGISTER FOR SUPER BLOOM HERE

    Super Bloom Interview

    We chat together with the team behind

    🌷🌷🌷 Super Bloom...

    Last week, We Play Well Together's Joule L'Adara hosted an Instagram Live session with the creative team behind Super Bloom. The women share why they were drawn to work with the handpan, how this gathering came into being, and why time in nature with music and sisterhood is so nourishing and especially needed at this time.  You can check out the YouTube version of this long-form IG interview on our channel...

    Read now
  • How to create mesmerizing sound compositions on handpan and tongue drum 🎶
    February 15, 2022

    How to create mesmerizing sound compositions on handpan and tongue drum 🎶

    Are you curious about handpans and tongue drums? Perhaps you've seen them on our website but aren't sure what the differences in tonal quality are and how they might each be used separately or together? And what about singing with these instruments?

    Kalani Das of World Drum Club

    We're excited to bring you this long-form interview featuring our long-time friend Kalani Das of World Drum Club - a YouTube Channel with with over 200K subscribers that features hundreds of tutorials and reviews of percussion instruments. Kalani takes us on an in-depth exploration of our Metal Sounds instruments, offering a beautiful demonstration featuring the Spacedrum Evolution and Zenko Drum. 

    Metal Sounds Spacedrum Evolution and Zenko Drum

    Kalani also shares with us how he creates mesmerizing sound textures using live looping to layer the sounds and play both drums together - even as a solo performer. This is a showcase for how We Play Well Together instruments truly play well together! 

    Watch our interview with Kalani Das...

    Read now
  • We're back for the NAMM Show's 2022 Believe in Music Week!
    January 19, 2022

    We're back for the NAMM Show's 2022 Believe in Music Week!

    Founded in 1901, NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) has a mission to strengthen the music products industry and promote the pleasures and benefits of making music.

    What is Believe in Music?

    Believe in Music

    Believe in Music is the global gathering to unify and support the people who bring music to the world.

    Building on the success of last year’s Believe in Music Week, this online event will feature a mix of comprehensive programming and professional education as well as an interactive brand pages to connect buyers and sellers – all designed to elevate the innovation and inspiration found across the industry, kick-off the New Year, and look ahead to reuniting in-person at The 2022 NAMM Show (which is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles this June - we hope to attend!)

    The online celebration will be held on Thursday, January 20, 2022 and Friday, January 21, featuring a global livestream, interactive brand pages and unique content. Select content will be available on-demand Saturday, January 22 – Sunday, January 23, 2022.

    Sign up for free at: registration.namm.org

     We Play Well Together

    Then check out our latest video montage featuring our favorite handcrafted musical instruments ranging from pocket-sized kalimbas to handpans, to Sound Furniture from feeltone, Hokema & Metal Sounds.

    Read now
  • Music Therapists on utilizing our instruments for Music Therapy
    October 8, 2021

    Music Therapists on utilizing our instruments for Music Therapy

    The We Play Well Together family of instruments - which include monochords, tongue drums, handpans, kalimbas and hanging chimes - have all been utilized in a variety of different music therapy applications. 
    According to Music Therapist Katie Down (LCAT, MT-BC, MMT, MM):
    "possible clinical uses of our instruments include: 
    • Bedside for Hospice Care
    • Ameliorate somatic symptoms associated with emotional stress
    • Recreative and Receptive Methods
    • Clinical Improvisation
    • Song Writing
    • Self-Soothing Methods
    • Supporting Children and Adults with Special Needs
    • Early Childhood Development
    • Therapeutic Group and Relational Work
    • Supporting Vocal Exploration and Breath Work" 
    We created a 15-minute highlight video just for music therapists to get an idea of the many different instruments and possible applications for their use, featuring instruments built by Hokema Kalimbas, feeltone and Metal Sounds.
    (Click "READ MORE" below to access the video..) 
    ...
    And be sure to join us in our digital booth this week at the American Music Therapy Association 2021 Conference October 14th -17th! 
     
    AMTA 2021
    Read now
  • The Metal Sounds Story!
    June 18, 2021

    The Metal Sounds Story!

    Metal Sounds:

    Handpans Handmade in France

     

    SPACEDRUM®, the intuitive handpan, is a metal melodic instrument inspired by the original steel drum (aka the steelpan) and by the Hang® invented by PANArt® in 2000. Metal Sounds' handpans have been designed and handcrafted since 2006, and were the first handpan producer in France.

    As requirements, tastes, and desires vary, Metal Sounds offers two different lines of handpans:

    Spacedrum Evolution

    Read now
  • How do you MAKE a handpan??
    March 15, 2021

    How do you MAKE a handpan??

    How DO you make a handpan?

    We got to go behind the scenes with our friends at Metal Sounds the South of France to find out!

    ...turns out the answer is a LOT of care, craftsmanship, heaps of hammering, laser-cutting, patience, and good ears (along with high-precision tuners!)

    We put together this video showcase for Metal Sounds and can't wait to share it with you...

    Metal Sounds:

    A Showcase of Passion, integrity & quality!

    In this video you will get to:

     

    -GO behind the curtain at the Metal Sounds workshop in the South of France to see how they build the Spacedrum handpans and Zenko tongue drums 
    ...
    METAL Sounds

    Read now
  • Spacedrum: Nitro vs. Evolution (+Handpan Recording Techniques!)
    February 18, 2021

    Spacedrum: Nitro vs. Evolution (+Handpan Recording Techniques!)

    "This particular handpan by Metal Sounds is one of the most beautiful that I've personally played before!" - Todd Boston, January 2021

    In this 7-minute video, acclaimed Producer and Composer Todd Boston talks about the the differences between the Metal Sounds Spacedrum Nitro and Spacedrum Evolution - offering his impressions on what makes each model possess a unique sound quality.
    Todd Boston - Handpan Recording Techniques

    Want to know how to record a handpan?

    Towards the end of the video, Todd offers tips on how to best mic the sound of handspans using the mid side mic technique. If you like to geek out on technology or are an audio engineer, read on...

     

    Read now
  • We Play Well Together at the NAMM Show 2021
    January 22, 2021

    We Play Well Together at the NAMM Show 2021

    We Play Well Together is proud to have been presented in a virtual booth at the NAMM Show 2021 "Believe in Music" Week in January! 
    We've been attending NAMM in Los Angeles every year for the past few conferences. Due to the ongoing pandemic, The 2021 NAMM Show was all online. Our team got to work building a virtual exhibitor booth and we put together a ton of great video content highlighting our instrument makers and latest products! We'll be highlighting these videos in blog posts and newsletters to our We Play Well Together community in the weeks and months ahead. 

    Be SURE to check out our 15-minute Instrument Maker highlight reel above -produced just for our NAMM 2021 virtual booth featuring the Metal Sounds Company, Hokema Kalimbas and feeltone: 

    It features portrait videos for all three European instrument makers and gives you a little bit of behind-the-scenes delight at their workshops. You'll also see an interview with the company founders that was conducted by VisionQuest Sound the last time we were able to attend the NAMM Show in person (in January of 2020.)
    Read now
  • What's the difference between the Metal Sound Evolution and Nitro Spacedrum?
    August 4, 2020

    What's the difference between the Metal Sound Evolution and Nitro Spacedrum?

    The SPACEDRUM EVOLUTION® is a Stainless steel handpan made handcrafted by Metal Sounds in the South of France 

    The stainless steel alloy combined with Metal Sounds' method of manufacture makes the Spacedrum Evolution® a truly unique handpan. Using 1.2 mm stainless steel sheets for the top shell, the note shaping is specific to this instrument's line and the shells are welded together. This combination of elements gives the Spacedrum Evolution® its unique acoustic character.

    It's is a handpan with a powerful sound and very rich in harmonics, whose shaped curves provide excellent ergonomics of play and easy transport. Its main assets: it is very easy to play, the tuning is stable, its maintenance is limited with perfect protection against rust (stainless steel) and its design is resolutely modern. The Spacedrum Evolution® line comes in 3 sizes with diameters of 48 cm, 55 cm, and 60 cm. The number of notes ranging from 6 to 13 depending on the models.

    SPACEDRUM NITRO® – Nitrided handpan
    The latest creation of Metal Sounds, the Spacedrum Nitro® is a really versatile handpan! Here the construction method is based on oval notes and dimples (buttons) shapping and the shells are glued together. Most importantly, the steel sheets of 1.2 mm are treated for better resistance to shocks and corrosion (nitriding). The Spacedrum Nitro® combines all the qualities required of a high-end handpan with a good dynamic range and a balanced sustain. The crosstalk (resonance of the notes between them) is well controlled and the harmonics are easy to play. Also, the percussive sound produced by the player on the side of the handpan (Tak) is clear while the Ding note stays deep and rather short. Musicians will be able to appreciate the full extent of its possibilities and its unique sound...
    Read now