HAPI drum

HAPI Drum (Hand Activated Percussion Instrument) is one brand of a commercially produced melodic percussion instrument closely related to the centuries old African log slit drum. It uses metal tongues, rather than wood as in the log slit drum. This tank drum is among many other similar commercialised products based on the conceptual design and development of the first tank tongue drums by Dennis Havlena in early 2007.
Design
The HAPI Drum, one of many other commercially available steel tongue drums, shares its design concept with the wooden tongue drum - a tongue struck with the finger or mallet vibrates and creates sound waves. Different tones are achieved by changing the length of each of the 8 tongues during the construction process. When struck, each note sympathetically excites surrounding notes that are musically compatible with it, adding to the harmonic spectrum and compares favorably to the tone produced by singing bowls.
The drum body serves as a resonating chamber and adds depth to the overall sound. The opening in the bottom of the drum serves a number of functions:
* facilitates removal of unwanted slag and filings produced during the production phase
* allows the sound to escape, increasing the volume
* releases tone from the body so that the notes do not overlap excessively
* allows the player to choose different resonance levels for a different effect by closing or opening it with their lap
HAPI drums are typically played with the pads of the finger tips. (although felt beaters are sometimes used) and different striking techniques create a surprising range of sounds. The arrangement of notes makes traversing the scale simple and the compact size of the instrument is such that one hand can reach sufficient notes simultaneously to play chords.
The first HAPI drum was sold on May 15, 2008. The first Compact Disc released with a HAPI drum was Music from the HAPI Planet on July 29, 2008. A second CD, 'HAPI Birthday', was released on 15th May 2009, featuring HAPI drum players from around the world.

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