Buy Kita D Kurd Handpan

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

Every Kita handpan is made with passion, dedication and perfection. All instruments are handcrafted by Nima Taghavi and his team and elaborated down to the smallest detail, both optically and tonally.

The sound of the Orient is in every KitaPantam. Manufactured in Esfahan, in the heart of Iran, Kita is one of many civilian 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 their very own and special sound spectrum with them, but also expand the Handpan.World Vision : A worldwide, solidary association of the handpan community . We are so grateful to be able to represent the Orient and its sounds in the Handpan.World cosmos.

Personalized Designs & Custom Orders:

KitaPantam is extremely creative and experienced in developing unique handpan designs . No other high-quality handpan maker has such a range of unusual finishes to offer. 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 in this way.

We have at least one design in stock for each classic tuning. If your desired design is not included, you can order it via the Handpan Online Shop . Since Kita has already prepared almost every mood with nine and ten tone fields, a custom-made product takes about 5 weeks before it can be delivered to you. For special tunings - especially low scales or extended handpan instruments with many additional sound fields 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 in the world 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 extra notes between the thing and the pitch circle. These instruments give the player more versatility and flexibility when playing complex melodies .

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

Low scales, with the root 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 traditional handpans. The 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 introduced. Nitrogen hardens the material and makes it more stable and resistant to impacts and touches. This increases the tuning stability of the handpan and the player can enjoy the instrument longer until it needs to be retuned. Nitrided steel was first used to make PanArt 's Hang and was later further developed by the handpan, pantam and sound sculpting makers .

Although handpans today are made from 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 playing outdoors. In addition, notes have a clearer and more separated sound, which optimizes the KitaPantams made of nitrided steel for faster and more professional playing.

It is well known that steel is always susceptible to rust and corrosion, including the nitrated kita pantams. To protect them from rust, they should always be treated with appropriate oil/wax. You can find out all the know-how on how to protect your pantam or handpan here: -> Handpan care

Unlike many other makers, KitaPantam make their raw shells themselves. In a special pressing process, they succeed in pressing 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?

Nitrided steel handpans 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 salt, acids and moisture. This prevents rusting and discoloration of the material and ensures long-lasting preservation of the original surface appearance. 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 the accumulated dirt, such as fats, salts and acids, with a high-percentage cleaning alcohol. In this way you avoid the maintenance oil mixing with substances that are harmful to the steel and having a negative effect on the material despite the supposed protective layer. Rubbing alcohol such as isopropanol is available in every drugstore and many supermarkets, or you can order it here in the Handpan.World online shop.

Neglected care can lead to surface rust and even deep rust formation, especially in the case of nitrated handpans. A weekly care of your Kita Handpan is therefore essential.

Important instructions:

1. Never store your handpan in a bag.
   

2. Wash your hands before every game.
   

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

-> Click here for detailed handpan care instructions

Mood designation : Kurd
Synonyms : Aeolian / with root C# = Annaziska
Basic tone sequence (8+1): D/ A Bb CDEFGA
Effect : Warm - Mysterious - Dreamy
Tone Stock: Heptatonic

Mode : Phrygian (tonal center 1st note ) = major
or Aeolian (tonal center: Bb) = minor

Tonal center : DING or first tone
Semitones : 7 - 1 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 3 - 2 - 2

Mood description Kurd:

The Kurd tuning is, if you will, the natural minor variant of the handpan tuning. Due to its particularly harmonious combination of notes, it is particularly suitable for beginners. With them you can play everything from calm and meditative to melancholic to powerful and cheerful.

Even if this mood can sound very sentimental, you can create happy sound patterns with it. For example, there is a major triad on the second and third notes. Just be aware that the second and third notes played at the same time will be rubbing, you can of course also use this tension consciously to spice up your playing so that the relaxation can have a stronger effect afterwards.

This tuning is one of the first seven-note tunings that were built and has become very popular through some videos on the internet.

Possible tone sequences:

Basic tone sequence with 9 notes (as in the video): D/ A Bb CDEFGA

Tone sequence with 10 notes: D/ A Bb CDEFGAC

Tone sequence with 11 notes:
- Variant 1 (expansion in depth, video 2): D/ (FG) A Bb CDEFGA
- Variant 2 (extension in height) D/ A Bb CDEFGA (CD)

Tone sequence with 12 notes: D/ (G) A Bb CDEFGAC (D)

13-note tone sequence: D/ (FG) A Bb CDEFGAC (D)

Tone sequence with 14 notes: D/ (FG) A Bb CDEFGAC (DE)

15-note tone sequence: D/ (FG) A Bb CDEFGAC (DEF)

16-note tone sequence: D/ (FG) A Bb CDEFGAC (DEFG)

Tone sequence with 17 notes: D/ (EFG) A Bb CDEFGA C (DEFG)

*Notes in brackets are "Bottomnotes" (notes on the bottom of the handpan)
On request, these can also be built with other grades than specified. Simply write an email with your request to: service@handpan.world

Origin and music theory of the Kurd tuning:

Kurd adopts the name of the Arabic/Turkish maqam Kurd. This selection of tones also shares the arrangement of the tones with this maqam, assuming that the tonal center is on the first tone in the circle. This is how the full Phrygian mode is created, which is characterized by a semitone step from the root to the second tone of the scale and is responsible for the mysterious sound of the scale.

However, an ambivalence remains, as the DING is a fifth below the first tone and thus appears as a second tonal center, which allows the mode to change to Aeolian (natural minor). Depending on how you play, you can switch between natural minor and Phrygian sound character. With Kurd , everything can be played in a variety of ways, from calm and meditative to melancholic to powerful and happy.

Kurd shares with other minor variations (cf. Celtic Minor/ Integral) the jump from a fifth from DING to the first note. From this fifth degree, assuming that the tonal center is the THING, one has all the steps of a natural minor scale (Aeolian). What is special about Kurd is the semitone step between the first and second tone. This step is also present in the Maqam Kurd (Arabic or Turkish scale system) of the same name (cf. Semai Kurd), but also in the Phrygian mode. The Phrygian mode is used in jazz, psychedelic rock, flamenco and fado, but also in classical music.

Matching Moods:
Very well suited for playing together, improvisatively:

• F Sabye (parallel key)
• F major (parallel key)
• D Celtic Minor / Amara
• G Celtic Minor / Amara
• D Aeolian
• Bb Aegean
• D equinox
• D Magic Voyage
• D integral
• D Pygmy

Also good for composing together:

• A Celtic Minor / Amara
• A Hijaz
• C Kurd
• C Celtic Minor / Amara
• F Ragadesh

Nima Taghavi started building handpans in 2015 and founded KitaDrums - now KitaPantam - at the end of the year. Initially, Nima Taghavi still built 12-inch steel tongue drums and at the same time researched the art of handpan construction. As workflow and manufacturing processes evolved, steel tongue drums were replaced by stainless steel instruments and tongue pans were soon 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 continuously expanded and improved. The now 20-strong Maker team is probably the highest-quality manufacturer of handpans from Iran today. 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.