hangforum.com - The Archive

After reading all the posts about what is a "Hang" not a "Hang" is a "Hangpan" not a "Hangpan" and everyone's motives, secret motives and "darkness"... I have a suggestion. Let's stop worrying about who is "dark" and unspiritual. Let's stop deciding who is "listening" to their "Hang" and who is not.

Despite how all of us look at the Hang and other steel pans as gateways to the soul... there is a real and legitimate concern for what is being said for public consumption and PANart has a right to protect their brand, as long as free speech can continue in a reasonable way.

We need real definitions for words so we can communicate with each other and the outside world. I know that in the US, no one knows what a Hang is or a Halo or anything similar. So, I tell people that a Hang is a steel pan melodic drum. I know that is not totally correct, but people know what a steel pan is and that is looks like a drum. I would love a better definition if there is one.

We need a committee of PANart and Bellart and the rest of them to make definitions that all of us can use. We need a word to describe a certain class of instruments like (Hangpan o Steelpan or something). I don't care what the words are, but we need agreement.

I think if we all demanded it, this could be done.
How can we make this happen?

Wow Red. You really know how to through a Hangrenade. This should get things stirred up again.

My suggestion only works if everyone can be "reasonable." If Panart doesn't want people to use the word "Hang" in any titles or heading or names...and at the same time doesn't accept any classification of a Hang as a Handpan or Steelpan or something...then to me that is not reasonable... We need words to describe what we are doing.

I just don't like the whole discussion that are getting judgmental and religious sounding. I love religion but when it starts sounding like we are talking about who is worthy of the Hang... I find that irrelevant.

Amen

Seems to me language evolves via popular usage and not because one individual has certain preferences. I like calling the hang a sound sculpture. I like seeing myself as a sound sculptor. But I doubt that anyone hearing me play my hanghang will do the same. Maybe I will one day be known as a Wokman here in the USA. The Sony Walkman has a place in American cultural history and so many my listeners comment that the hang looks like two woks joined together. Hmmm, PanArt Wokman, not bad...

LOL... I love that one! Wokman