The hang drum is a steel drum-like instrument that employs air resonance for tonal sounds. The instrument is played with the fingers, and the sound is described by many as mystical, and very relaxing. Personally, I think it’s got a very modern electronica sound that can be incorporated into a lot of ambient music.
The only problem is that the only people that make hang drums are two guys in Switzerland. And, of course, they aren’t able to keep up with worldwide demand. The last time I looked, hang drums were going for $2000 on eBay.
In the meantime, enjoy the hang drum videos below:
And, this guy hooked up contact mikes to the hang drum and added delays to each line. The results are nothing short of amazing. If this were my first time hearing it without the video, I would have guessed the piece was painstakingly sequenced using digital software.