Discover the best handpan scales for beginners, including D Kurd, Celtic Minor, Amara and Pygmy, and learn how to choose the right first scale for your sound and playing style.
# Best Handpan Scales for Beginners: How to Choose Your First Scale Choosing your first handpan scale can feel more difficult than choosing the instrument itself. You start searching online and suddenly encounter names such as: * D Kurd * Celtic Minor * Amara * Pygmy * Hijaz * Integral * Aeolian Which one should a beginner choose? There is no single handpan scale that is perfect for everyone. However, some scales are particularly beginner-friendly because they are intuitive to improvise with, versatile, widely available and supported by plenty of learning material. In this guide, we'll look at some of the best handpan scales for beginners and help you find the one that suits **your sound**, rather than simply buying whatever is most popular. --- # What Is a Handpan Scale? A handpan does not contain all the notes available on a piano. Instead, each instrument usually gives you a carefully selected collection of notes. That collection is the **scale**. For example, a common D Kurd handpan might contain: **D / A Bb C D E F G A** The first D is normally the central Ding. The remaining notes are distributed around the instrument. The scale determines much of the emotional and musical character of your handpan. [Handpan Scales Explained](/guide/handpan-scales-explained-how-to-choose-the-right-scale) --- # Is There a Best Handpan Scale for Beginners? Not really. The best scale is ultimately one that: * you enjoy listening to * inspires you to play * gives you enough musical possibil