Berno van der Wal founded Handpan School in Zwolle after completing the teacher training with Malte Marten. Today several teachers work with the school across the Netherlands. Berno gives workshops and lessons and runs the school, which, as he admits, leaves him less time to play himself than he would like. Still, the handpan is part of every single day.
From guitar to drums to handpan
Berno has played guitar and in bands since he was a child, but he always secretly wanted to play drums. During the pandemic he built his own electronic drum kit and later went looking for more organic samples for the ambient music he was making. A handpan sample pack came along, and he was enchanted by the sound.
So he bought a real handpan, a nine-note F Pygmy, and soon got stuck because he didn't know enough about the instrument. Then he learned that the D Kurd is a better scale to learn on, and he signed up for Malte's teacher training.
What beginners ask first
"How do I get a sound out of it?" and "How should I hit it?" are the two questions Berno hears most. People are nervous they won't get anything out of the instrument at all, and after the workshop they are amazed at how much they have learned in a short time.
Most students start with an introductory workshop and continue with private lessons or a group course. What Berno loves most is seeing them create completely different compositions, and discovering again and again how versatile the D Kurd is.
For some people the handpan really becomes a way to connect with themselves. Sometimes I'm simply the mirror that shows them what is coming up.
– Berno van der Wal
His favourite sounds
Berno fell for the low F#2 early on, because of its deep tones and resonance. In a handpan he looks for a character of its own. One scale surprised him recently: the YataoPan C Ashakiran 15, which is in his studio so that visitors can try it.
Outside music he likes combining electronic percussion, synthesizers and handpan, photography and video, and travelling in nature with his wife and children.
