As an active traveler, it was hard for me to decide on where to get my first handpan from. A lot of uncertainty comes from buying a handpan. When will it arrive? How will it really sound? Will it still be tuned? Sela helps clear the stress on my mind. With many cheap, half-intentionally crafted handpans coming into the market now, it was comforting to know Sela is a trusted brand that produces quality handpans. My C#minor 9 Melody Handpan arrived while I was touring through the US, which I shortly after flew with to Brazil and Spain. The handpan sounded as expected, for a reasonable price that didn’t feel like a huge investment for my first handpan. The padded bag has been really comfortable and still fits in the carry-on space above in airplanes so I don’t have to worry if the airline denies my handpan bag and check under the plane where most handpans go to get detuned instantly. Though, through my travels, the handpan did lose a half note of tuning, Sela made it easy for me to have it returned with them once I was done traveling. They have always been very communicative online and caring for my concerns.
Overall, I have been satisfied going with Sela for my first handpan and have recorded multiple tracks in the studio along with my weekly handpan collab music series on YouTube. I play my C#minor handpan almost every day and I continue to find new sounds within its 9 notes to explore. I’m also very excited for my 2nd Sela handpan soon - Harmony Handpan Phoenix Steel D Amara with more notes!
Thank you Sela for taking care of me during my journey with such an ethereal instrument.
Javier Ortiz aka Zitrovision, originally from Puerto Rico and Florida, is a handpan player and percussionist composing music while collaborating with artists worldwide for elaborate, unique, and eclectic sounds ranging from ethereal world, neo bossa nova, to contemporary jazz, electronic, and healing meditation music. Together with Sealskin, his partner and co-creator, the Spain-based music duo work on evolving the sounds of handpan music, world, synth, percussion, electronic, and neo-soul while infusing sounds of ancient times with shamanic elements, light language, and ethereal instruments. Zitrovision has collaborated with 20+ artists in his Handpan Music Sessions series on YouTube, is an official artist for Sela Percussion, and has already released a debut handpan music album [“Earth is my Home”] with multi-instrumentalists including flute, drums, piano, violin, guitar, and more – less than one year since he began playing the handpan – with more releases scheduled for 2024 + 2025 including a handpan jazz EP.
