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Sorry about the strange subject but couldn't come up with a better one

I'm one of those who early this year got a letter saying that the Hang production would stop and we wouldn't be able to get one in 2009.
Well, you know the letter....

My question is, now that more beautiful hanghang are being made, should I send another letter, or assume that I'm in the list?

What's your opinion?

Hello Taxus,
welcome to the Hang Forum!

To your question:
There were two different mailings.

In June 2008 a mailing was sent out to a number of letter writers stating that all Integral Hang are already spoken for, that the last Integral Hang would leave the Hangbauhaus in spring 2009, and that the Hang makers would make a "longer break" for resting and researching.

In spring 2009 Hang makers decided not to make the announced "longer break" but to continue building the Integral Hang in the whole year 2009 because their researching and development activities obviously worked well together with continuing building the IH.

So they sent out a mailing to another number of about 1000 letter writers in march 2009, telling that they couldn't purchase a Hang in 2009 but would be informed at the end of the year about PANArt's plans for 2010.

The production of the Hang never stopped (I wrote a post about this some months ago: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=84 ). In the first half of last week I visited PANArt together with Frank and his wife. We could notice how Felix and Sabina were busy building Hanghang and welcome visitors who came to pick up their new Integral Hang or had an appointment for a tuning of their Hang. PANArt also published their latest statement on the Integral Hang in 2009. This statement also shows that PANArt continues building the IH.

One word about the "list": It is often misunderstood how the letters, sent to PANArt with a request for a Hang are managed. A number of letter writers think that writing the letter means to order a Hang and that the Hanghang are delivered in chronological order of the "list". This is a misunderstanding. Writing a letter to PANArt means that you declare your interest to acquire a Hang. It is not an order. PANArt decides whom they invite for a Hang purchase partly by the date of the letter but also by other reasons. Therefor it is possible that some persons have to wait longer than others. If you know when someone, who currently get an appointment for an IH, wrote his letter, this doesn't say nothing about when you will get a Hang.

Now back to your question: Currently Felix and Sabina are thinking about how they will manage the huge demand for Hanghang in the time after 2009. When they will have come to all decisions regarding this question, they plan to inform all letter writers about their new handling and what they will have to do if they still want a Hang.

I think it is a good idea not to let grow the "list" and waiting times longer and longer, not knowing whether all the very early letter writers still want a Hang. I also think all letter writers should think carefully what it is, that they want. The Hang was and will be developed more and more away from a percussion instrument towards a "sound sculpture", a "listening device" made not for the hands of well trained percussionists but for humans who are able and willing to listen to the Hang's sounds in concentration, let the Hang play with them and not play the Hang in order to produce rhythms and sounds they want to play. So it is possible that the current or future Hang will not satisfy the whishes of a lot of people who was interested in playing the Hang in the foretime. The Hang is a rare good and therefor it is important to give it into the right hands. It would be sad if many of these rare "listening devices" came in hands bashing them or get dusty, unplayed in a dark corner.

So - after dealing with the backgrounds - the short answer to your question is: Don't worry and wait for the upcomming information that probably will be sent out by PANArt in autumn or winter.

Ix

P.S. The information above is my point of view. My information sources are my monitoring of the "Hang purchasing szene" for several years, when I documented all important statements and informations, and what I have understood of conversations with the Hang makers I had during the last two years.

Hi Michael.

Thank you for your very detailed point of view.
Now there was the question about the guys that sent their letter in the early months of '09.
Did your visit give you some thoughts about the people that recieved the same letter like I did?
(I mean, you know my situation )

Greetz