Why I built it

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There are other handpan scale builders out there, and most of them let you place any note anywhere. That sounds like freedom, but it creates a real problem: people design beautiful instruments that can't actually be built.

I was spending hours writing emails explaining why a layout wouldn't work. Too many notes for that shell. A note too low for the tone circle. High notes crowding a ring that can't hold them. It was a difficult way to start a conversation about an instrument someone was excited about.

So I built this one with a majority of my design and layout rules already inside it. The note limits, the pitch ranges, the mutant placements, the bottom shell capacity — all the physical constraints I actually work within are built into the tool. If the designer lets you place it, it's generally going to be something I can realistically build.

That means less time explaining what isn't possible, and more time talking about the instrument you actually want.

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How to use it

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Start with a scale or start from scratch. The dropdown holds nearly 100 scales I've built before, sorted by center note and note count. Load one to hear it and see the layout. Every preset stays fully editable after you load it, so it's a fine place to start even if you plan to change things.

Set the center note first. The Central Tone is the heart of the instrument and it determines everything else — how many notes the top shell can hold, whether high notes are possible, and how much room is left for the bottom. Tap the center of the top shell to choose it. The rest of the instrument unlocks once it's set.

Add notes by tapping the picker. Notes place themselves in the correct position automatically. If a note is greyed out, tap it anyway and the app will tell you why it isn't available.

Tap any placed note to hear it. Press and hold a note to remove it.

Preview Scale plays every note on both shells from low to high.

When you have something you like, hit Copy Scale to Clipboard and send it to me. That gives me everything I need to start the conversation.

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A few honest notes

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This tool gets you about 90% of the way there. Handpans are physical instruments, and things like shell size,thickness, and how particular intervals interact on a specific pan still need my hands and ears. Think of this as a strong starting point rather than a final blueprint. Whatever you design, we'll go through the details together before anything gets built.

It's also still in beta. The sounds you're hearing right now are pulled from Veritas Youtube recordings to help get a feel of the sound. I hope to get higher quality recordings in the near future.

Play around with it. If something doesn't work the way you expect, or you want a scale that the designer won't let you build, reach out — some of those are still possible, they just need a conversation.