Reto Weber · PANArt · Bern
The story of the Hang
Reto Weber, PANArt and the origins of an extraordinary instrument.
1999 · The musical impulse
The beginning
A musician’s question. A new possibility in steel.
In 1999, Swiss percussionist Reto Weber brought a musical idea to PANArt in Bern: an instrument inspired by the Indian ghatam, played with the hands, but made from steel. The historical account reproduced on Weber’s original website places this visit in November 1999.
“A sounding pot in steel with some notes to play with the hands.”
His request provided a key impulse. The development and creation of the Hang were the work of Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer at PANArt. Weber’s role was that of a musician inspiring a new direction—not the inventor or manufacturer of the instrument.
The makers · Switzerland
PANArt in Bern
Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer brought years of experience in steelpan building, tuning and material research to the new instrument. At PANArt, craft and acoustic experimentation turned a musical possibility into a distinctive sound sculpture.
The birth of the Hang
Their 2007 paper dates the creation of the Hang to January 2000. Its form, tuned tone fields and resonating body gave hand-played steel percussion a new musical voice.
A historical connection
Reto Weber × PANArt
The story of a musical impulse that helped shape the creation of the Hang.
1999
The impulse
Reto Weber asks PANArt for a hand-played, tuned steel instrument inspired by the ghatam.
Bern
The development
Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer develop the instrument through their work at PANArt.
2000
A new musical voice
The Hang is created in January 2000, according to the makers’ historical account.
Historical context; no current partnership or endorsement is implied. Hang® is a PANArt trademark.
A new musical voice
The Hang brings melody, rhythm and resonance together. Its tuned steel surface responds to touch, making space for both percussive patterns and sustained tones. For a musician whose work moves between cultures and instruments, it offers a distinctive language of its own.
PANArt Hang: the proper name
The Hang is the instrument developed by PANArt in Bern. Hang® is a PANArt trademark; PANArt describes its work as sound sculpture. The instrument’s proper name is Hang.
Reto Weber & the Hang
The instrument remains part of Weber’s musical world. His Hang performances, including collaborations with Chico Freeman documented on his original website, connect this history to a living practice of improvisation.