Finding handpan tabs and patterns is surprisingly hard. The handpan has grown massively in the last few years. Yet there is no real library of free shared tabs, unlike guitar players with their guitar tabs. Most of the knowledge still lives in random videos or forum posts. Or in the head of a friend who "just knows" how to play that groove you heard. That is why I built Handpan Club. A free web app to create, share, print and learn handpan tabs, right in your browser and phone.

In short:

• Free handpan tabs: Handpan Club is an online library of shared handpan patterns. Anyone can browse it for free.
• Create your own tabs: Write your patterns in the browser, on desktop or on iOS and Android phones. Then share or print them for free.
• Practice mode: Slow the tempo. Repeat one particular bar. Focus on the notes that give you trouble.

Unlike guitar players or pianists, handpanists never had a simple way to write down what they play. A handpan is a very personal instrument. Each scale, sometimes even each note layout, differs from one maker to the next. So patterns were rarely written down. Players often resorted to videos or homemade notation. I therefore decided to build a simple tool everyone can use.

Here is everything you need to know about Handpan Club. And more importantly: how to use it effectively!

Create and share handpan tabs

The core idea is sharing. You open the editor. You write your pattern. It immediately becomes something other players can find, learn and play.

• Create a tab directly in your browser. No install. No account hurdles.
• It works on desktop and on iOS and Android phones. So you can jot down an idea right after playing it.
• Patterns are written in a simple, readable grid. Any handpan player can follow it, whatever their handpan maker is.
• Share your tab with a simple link, for other players to learn!

Once you are happy with a pattern, you can also print it for free. A nice feature when you practice far from your screen, in the park, or at a jam session.

Tip: Even if you are a beginner, publishing your first simple pattern is valuable. The library grows because players like you share what they know.

Practice mode: learn patterns slowly

Writing and sharing a tab is one thing. Learning to play it is another. That is why Handpan Club includes a dedicated practice mode:

• Slow the tempo down as much as you need. Increase the speed only when your hands know the pattern.
• Repeat one particular bar in a loop. Very handy for that one transition that never sounds clean.
• Focus your practice on the notes, without being distracted by the rest of the pattern.

This is the same "slow it down and loop it" technique used by every serious musician. But here it is built right into the tab player, on any device you own.

Install it on your phone

Handpan Club is a web app. There is nothing to download from an app store. You can however install it on your phone's home screen. It then opens full screen and works like a regular app. Here is how:

On Android (Chrome):

• Open https://handpanclub.drolez.com in Chrome
• Tap the 3-dot menu in the top right corner
• Tap Install app (or Add to Home screen) and confirm

On iPhone or iPad (Safari):

• Open https://handpanclub.drolez.com in Safari
• Tap the Share button (the square with an arrow pointing up)
• Scroll down a little and tap Add to Home Screen, then tap Add

Tip: On iOS, it must be Safari. Chrome on iPhone cannot add web apps to the home screen.

Handpan.club

What's next

The app is at its very first version, and more is coming:

• An improved practice mode, with even more ways to focus your learning
• More handpan scales, so you can write tabs for a wider range of instruments
• New apps for electronic producers will also be released. Stay tuned!

Can techno and handpan live together?

Yes. If you do not believe me, listen to the Anna's Cosmovision track! You will hear the warm, meditative voice of the handpan blending with a driving electronic groove. It shows how far the instrument can travel. Proof that a handpan tab can be the starting point of a full electronic track 😉

Conclusion

If you play handpan, go try Handpan Club. Browse the existing patterns. Learn one in practice mode. And please share your own tabs, because that is really the idea of the whole project. You can also suggest features on my Discord. The very first version of the app is online now. Every piece of feedback is welcome: tell me in the comments what feature you would like next 😉