I will teach you handpan at any level, in any way you prefer! From beginner to advanced, from meditation to rhythmic play, let's get some fresh melodies, rhythms and ideas =]

Find out more about Finn

• When did you first develop a passion for music and your favorite instrument?

  My journey into the world of handpan kicked off when I heard videos from Daniel Waples, Dante Bucci and Hang Massive. I instantly fell in love with the sound of the Hang and then started investigating how to acquire one. Eventually I was able to purchase my first Orbipan in the UK in 2013 and played constantly, by myself and wither other musicians. Not only jam sessions but also concerts here in Spain. In 2017 I was able to buy my 2nd handpan from Zephyr and then took my playing to another level. I have a long history in music and started playing guitar when I was 8, then going on to became interested in DJing (scratching, mixing, etc) and other world music instruments (kalimba, kora, cas cas, djembe, etc). In short; music is my passion in life! I'm so delighted to have the opportunity to share it!

• Is there a particular type of music or artist that you listen to on a loop without it driving you crazy?

  Of course, handpan music from my favourite players (Malte Marten, Kabecao, Mandakini, Hang Massive, Amy Naylor, Vertal Kolesikov, Adrian Portia and more - I put a playlist together in fact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_pIFu4u9I4&list=PLJAhO5ObeaNrN5B0yBrKrTCd6LPyl4yNh. "I listen to a bit of everything" is a classic response we hear, but for me I prefer to try everything and find some good music in every genre. I especially love drum & bass, reggae, dub, crossover jazz, classical (well, mostly romantic era and neoclassical) as well also fi house, trip hop and rap, to name just a few of my favourite genres.

• Explain to us the most difficult or riveting course you could personally give to a student of music.

  The key is that my students have fun during our classes and can take away at least one tool (tip/technique/etc) that they can incorporate into their playing. Even if we learn a simple song like "Pirates of the Caribbean" with a nice clean melody, we'll focus on the different subtle feelings that it can be played with. We'll also study complex polyrhythms, which I'll break down into easy to understand chunks, eventually developing them into complex rhythms and songs such as "Once Again" by Hang Massive or "Urban" by Kate Stone. I love giving a demo of a complex song or rhythm and then pulling it apart and building it up again with my students - They also find it rewarding!

• What do you think is the most complicated instrument to master and why?

  You can take almost every single instrument to crazy levels of complexity, it doesn't have to be a hard instrument to pick up. Violin is hard to make sound good at first, but can be taken to extreme levels of complexity and beauty when studied over the course of a lifetime. What makes the handpan interesting is that it seems very easy to play - But that's not to say that it's not complex. It combines percussive, melodic and harmonic elements in a novel way. Moreover, given the scale is fixed, it intentionally limits the player, providing them with a creative challenge. Sometimes, couterintuitively, the more one is limited, the more creativity has to shine through. I show my students new techniques and ways of obtaining sounds from the handpan, while encouraging them to take these tools and use them to explore their creativity.

• What are your keys to success?

  As I said before, if you're not having fun, you're not going to stick with it long term. So firstly it's all about enjoyment. That being said, there has to be an appropriate level of challenge: too easy and it's boring, too hard and it's offputting. If you can set aside time for a class per week or two, plus some time on your own to go over material from our classes, you'll get the best out of our lessons. I also encourage my students to record themselves playing, not to post online (though if you want to and it motivates you, crack on!) but so they have a log of their success. At the time you take the video, you might feel it was great, but looking back in only a matter or weeks or months, you'll be able to hear things that you didn't notice before. That means that you're developing as a musician and seeing (as well as hearing) your progress is key. Finally, success is whatever you want it to be. When it comes to handpan, it could be playing gigs, learning a particular song, playing for meditation or just to get out of a loop you're stuck in. Together we'll reach your goals!

• Name three musicians you dream of meeting in your favourite bar in the early hours of the morning. Explain why.

  I reckon it'd have to be Hang Massive, Malte Marten and Kabecao. They'd all bring their own unique style and the jams would probably last till sunrise! Hang Massive have a really mystical and trance-like flow and lush harmonics. Malte plays some really meditative melodies and Kabecao is simply a master of rhythms. They encapsulate all the key elements of handpan playing, it would be a sight to behold! I'd definitely try and record the session ;)

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to music or your days at music school.

  Failure is a big topic in music. Here's my view; you HAVE to fail; to learn, improve, overcome, develop... If you never failed you'd never learn anything or progress in any way. Plus it would be boring! So please fail, many times. Over and over. A wise person once said that "the difference between a beginner and a master is that the master has tried more times than the beginner has failed". Basically, fail and retry - You'll see progress. Also what is there to fear? When I was studying guitar I learned the Star Wars theme, adapted for guitar. It was a difficult piece but I didn't practice as much as I could have. When I performed the piece to an audience of 200 people at my school, I started to struggle and make mistakes, making a mess of the song. I stopped, said "Sorry, I'll start again" and calmly restarted a little more slowly and carefully and delivered the song fairly well. It's easy to become overwhelmed but really what's the worst that can happen? I learned that failure, even in the worst possible setting, isn't actually all that bad. These days I've come to realise that it's the most fundamental key to learning and improving.

• What are the little touches that make you a Superprof in music?

  I use Google docs to keep track of all of the material in our classes so that you don't need to worry about keeping notes! I have a specialist camera setup, so that you can see my handpan from above and also me on another camera. This allows me to break things down nice and slow and you can easily follow along. I've developed my own system of notation for handpan songs, which is super easy to follow along. I also can send you videos of songs/techniques that we're working on if that's more your thing. I essentially adapt to the needs of each of my students. If you have a favourite handpan song, we can work it out together =]