Kita Pantam<br> F# Hijaz 9 - 16

Buy Kita F# Hijaz Handpan

Kita Pantam is suitable for both beginners and advanced handpan players . The sophisticated sound balance makes these instruments a special playing experience . The medium-long sustain enables both fast, intense and quiet melodic playing styles.

Each Kita Handpan is made with passion, dedication and perfection. All instruments are made by hand by Nima Taghavi and his team and are worked out down to the smallest detail, both visually and acoustically.

The sound of the Orient is in every KitaPantam. Made in Esfahan, in the heart of Iran, Kita is one of many civil projects of hope and peace in a politically troubled country. Kita is one of the first manufacturers outside of Europe to become part of our Handpan.World network. These instruments not only bring with them their own unique and special sound spectrum, but also expand the Handpan.World vision : a worldwide, solidarity-based association of the handpan community . We are so grateful to now be able to represent the Orient and its sounds in the Handpan.World cosmos.

Personalized designs & custom-made products:

KitaPantam is extremely creative and experienced in developing unique handpan designs . No other high-quality handpan maker can offer such a range of unusual finishes. This makes it possible to fulfill special design wishes. You can personalize your Kita handpan according to your style. We offer a large number of fascinating designs that only the Kita team can implement.

We have at least one design in stock for every classic tuning. If your desired design is not currently available, you can order it through the Handpan online shop . Since Kita has already prepared almost every tuning with nine and ten tones, a custom-made instrument takes around five weeks to be delivered to you. For special tunings - especially low scales or extended handpan instruments with many additional tones and bottom notes - the production time can take up to three months.

Mutant Handpans, Low Scales and Bottom Notes at Kita Pantam:

KitaPantam is one of the few handpan manufacturers worldwide that can produce almost all scales and tunings - even those that are considered particularly demanding, such as mutant handpans and low scales .

Mutant handpans are those that have additional notes between the ding and the tonal circle. These instruments give the player more versatility and flexibility when playing complex melodies .

Extended handpans with bottom notes are instruments with additional sound fields on the bottom. Kita Pantams can attach up to 20 sound fields to a handpan. You can find out which scale can be built with how many sound fields in the respective product.

Low scales, with the fundamental note of the scales B2 to F2, can also be made.

The process of making these special instruments is much more time-consuming and risky than with conventional handpans. Production can therefore take up to three months and is more expensive than conventional tunings.

Kita Handpan made of nitrided steel:

Nitrided steel is a heat-treated steel sheet into which nitrogen has been added. Nitrogen hardens the material and makes it more stable and resistant to attacks and touches. This increases the tuning stability of the handpan and the player can enjoy the instrument for longer before it needs to be retuned. Nitrided steel was initially used to make the first handpan drums and was later further developed by handpan, pantam and sound sculpture makers .

Although handpans are now made of both nitrided steel and stainless steel , nitrided steel - the original material of the first handpans - still seems to have the greater demand among handpan enthusiasts. This type of material offers a medium sustain range , more ceramic and clay sound and high frequencies in the tones, making it good for outdoor playing. In addition, notes have a clearer and separated sound, which optimizes the nitrided steel KitaPantams for faster and more professional playing.

Steel is known to be susceptible to rust and corrosion, and so are the nitrated Kita Pantams. To protect them from rust, they should always be cared for with appropriate oil/wax. You can find out all the know-how on how to protect your Pantam or Handpan here: -> Handpan Care

KitaPantam manufacture their raw shells themselves - unlike many other makers. Using a special pressing process, they manage to press the shells evenly so that the material thickness is evenly distributed. Other shells have the problem that they are thinner towards the middle than at the edge - which leads to less sound stability.

How do I properly care for my Kita Handpan?

Handpans made of nitrided steel require regular renewal of the protective layer on their surface. Applying a special care oil for handpans creates a patina that protects your instrument from the effects of salts, acids and moisture. This prevents rust and discoloration of the material and ensures that the original surface appearance is retained for a long time. When caring for your handpan, use a very soft microfiber cloth to avoid scratches. To ensure that your handpan is well cared for, we recommend one of our handpan care oils or care sets .

Before you apply the handpan oil , you should definitely remove any accumulated dirt, such as grease, salts and acids, with a high-percent cleaning alcohol. This will prevent the care oil from mixing with substances that are harmful to the steel and having a negative effect on the material despite the supposed protective layer. You can get cleaning alcohol such as isopropanol in any drugstore and many supermarkets, or you can easily order it here from the Handpan.World online shop.

Neglected care can lead to flying rust and even deep rust formation, especially in nitrided handpans. Weekly care of your Kita handpan is therefore essential.

Important instructions:

1. Never store your handpan in a bag.
   

2. Wash your hands before each game.
   

3. Clean and care for your handpan every 1-2 weeks

-> Click here for detailed Handpan care instructions

Diameter: 53 cm
Height: 26.5cm
Weight: approx. 4kg
Material: nitrided steel

Including special handpan care oil

Mood designation: Hijaz
Standard tone sequence: F#/ C# EF# GA# BC# E
Atmosphere : Exotic - Oriental - Far
Tonal center : DING or 1st or 2nd tone
Mode : Phrygian dominant /HMV
Tone range : Heptatonic

Semitones: - 7 - 3 - 2 - 1 - 3 - 1 - 2
from tonal center 1st tone: 1 -3-1-2-3 …

Mood description:

The Hijaz scale takes its name from the Arabic/Turkish Maqam Hijaz. Imagine how the caravan rides away in old oriental films. This is what the Hijaz scale sounds like. This Maqam is characterized by a minor second from the root note (tonal center) to the next higher note (cf. Phrygian), but this is followed by a minor third (3 semitones), which makes the third note a major third in relation to the root note (hence Phrygian dominant). The scale can also be explained by taking a harmonic minor scale and starting it from the fifth note of the scale.

Example G minor harmonic: G - A - Bb - C - D - Eb - F# - G

Played from D results in D Hijaz :D - Eb -F# - G - A - Bb - C- D

There are different versions in the handpan world of how this scale is transferred to the handpan. One of the most common is the following:

DING is the fundamental tone (tonal center), to the first tone it is a fifth, then a minor third. The third tone is an octave above the DING. From here it goes in whole tone steps up to the 9th tone, which forms a fifth to the 3rd tone (octave plus fifth from the DING).

In jazz, this mode is also called HMV , which means Harmonic Minor played on the Vth degree.

Hijaz is often used to add an oriental touch. It is also played in flamenco music and in many Turkish and Arabic art and folk music styles.

A very exciting scale to explore enchanting melodies and develop some harmonic ideas. Well suited as an extension to Kurd Scale.

Possible tone sequences:

Basic 9-note sequence: F#/ BCD# EF# GAB (as in the video)

Sequence with 10 notes: F#/ C# EF# GA# BC# EF#

Sequence with 11 notes: F#/ (G) C# EF# GA# BC# EF#

Tone sequence with 12 notes: F#/ (GA#) C# EF# GA# BC# EF#

Tone sequence with 13 notes: F#/ (GA#) C# EF# GA# BC# EF# (G)

Tone sequence with 14 notes: F#/ (GA#) C# EF# GA# BC# EF# (GA#)

*Notes in brackets are bottom notes. These can be arranged differently on request. Simply send an email with your request to: service@handpan.world

Suitable moods:
Very suitable for collaborative, improvised playing:

• B Romanian Hijaz
• B Harmonic Minor
• F# Raga Desh
• E Syamalam
• B Kurd

Also good for composing together:

• Annaziska
• B Sabye
• B Celtic Minor/ Amara
• B Mystic
• C# Hijazkiar

Nima Taghavi started building handpans in 2015 and founded KitaDrums - now KitaPantam - at the end of the year. Initially, Nima Taghavi built 12-inch steel tongue drums and at the same time explored the art of handpan construction. As the workflow and manufacturing processes developed, the steel tongue drums were replaced by stainless steel instruments and soon tongue pans were added to the portfolio.

At the end of 2017, KitaPantam succeeded in building the first handpans, or pantams, as they call their instruments. Since then, the range of different instruments has been continually expanded and improved. The maker team, which now has 20 members, is now probably the highest quality manufacturer of handpans from Iran. All instruments are handmade by Nima and his team. KitaPantam is made with passion, dedication and perfection.

We at Handpan.World are grateful for the very close cooperation and have the honor of offering these unique instruments exclusively in Europe.