Emanuele Brunazzetto lives near Padua and has made music for more than 30 years. He is a handpan teacher, sound coach and certified Malte Marten Method teacher, and he founded Vibrasonic, a centre for vibrational sound instruments such as handpan and gong. For him, playing is more than making music: it connects people, creates a space for listening and becomes a way to discover yourself.
Discovered by accident
Emanuele first heard a handpan on a TV talent show. The sound caught his attention immediately, a connection he still can't quite put into words. When he played one for the first time, he remembers feeling as if he became one with the vibrations, feeling them through his whole body.
A first visit at Vibrasonic
Many people arrive saying, "I have no sense of rhythm" or "I've never studied music." Emanuele's first step is to help them relax, to quiet the mind and let the heart lead. Then, step by step and without rushing, they learn their first notes and melodies. The moment he loves most is the first simple melody, when excitement and amazement grow on people's faces.
How to find the right handpan
Emanuele starts by listening: what someone is looking for, how they relate to music, what they feel. Then he guides them to put the mind aside for a moment and not let technical details make the choice. Everyone has their own sensitivity to sound.
When the right handpan arrives, people feel it before they can explain why.
– Emanuele Brunazzetto
He teaches on the D Kurd. The D Aegean, he says, is made for dreaming: he plays it at home with his eyes closed and is taken on a journey.
What he wishes he had known
Don't rush, and don't use the mind too much. Learn the note layout, then let go and stop thinking too structurally. The handpan is still teaching him the same lesson outside music: to slow down and give himself more space.
For the handpan community he wishes for more sharing and openness, less ego and less competition. You don't need to be the best player, Emanuele says. The handpan is a way to connect with others and with yourself.
