RAV Pan D Hijaz

We have once been captivated by the music of maqams and created the Humayun RAV Vast. Now we decided to create a new RAV Pan inspired by Hijaz maqam.

The D Hijaz scale offers a bit more “spice” to the Rav Pan lineup. Hijaz is an unusual scale in the RAV Pan collection as our pan drums that are mostly tuned in traditional European or classic music scales. And that’s what makes this RAV Pan so unique and peculiar.

This handpan has Arabic origins. Being named after one of the Arabian provinces, Hijaz is one of the most common middle eastern maqams. It has this very specific middle-eastern kind of feel to it to Western ears due to a bigger (1,5 tone) intervals from the second to the third degree.

The original Hijaz scale itself is actually a harmonic minor scale. It is considered as a Phrygian dominant scale that is very popular in traditional Arabian music. It can also be considered as a Myxolidian scale that is widely used in flamenco musical tradition (also called the Gypsy scale).

Hijaz is also known as the Persian scale. It’s also widely used in Jewish music. The relative mode The Ahavah Rabbah is the main mode of famous Hava Nagila – tradition Jewish folk song often sung at celebrations.

Thus, the D Hijaz RAV Pan is a major version of the Phrygian scale.  The Ding is tuned in D3. The tongues are tuned in 3rd, 4th and 5th octaves. There are two halftones in the note layout. One between the notes D4 – D#4, and another between F#4-G4. Due to many half steps, this scale can be tricky for beginner players but is likely more quickly learned than the Arabian Nights or the B Onoleo RAV Vast steel tongue drums that are also based on Middle-Eastern scales.

Similar to the harmonic minor scale, the progression resolves well on the bottom and center note, allowing players the freedom to create both tension and release in the compositions. The augmented intervals provide a sense of conclusion.

Being tuned in a major scale, the D Hijaz RAV Pan provides the energizing and motivating feel.  This RAV Pan accentuates the mystical sound of the handpan and is just a perfect drum for musical expression and story-telling.

Made of high-quality steel, this RAV handpan has a dark bronze color with shining golden dimples.

To enhance the sound of the instrument, we’ve added the Heartbeats air diffusor. When staying in the opened positions, the Heartbeats redirects the sound waves and makes the sound of the drum stronger and deeper. It also stabilizes the frequencies to provide a cleaner sound. Always make sure you open the Heartbeats before you start playing and pull it back to a closed position when storing or transporting the RAV Pan.

For whom this drum will work

This RAV Pan is definitely the one for sophisticated players who are looking for a very specific handpans for sale. This scale is on a high trend. Once being introduced in the handpan world, the Hijaz scale has become popular with both melodic and percussive players. This is a high-quality professional handpan for a good price that can become a real pearl in your handpan collection, especially if you’ve been looking to buy something specific and unusual.

The D Hijaz RAV Pan has common cultural origins with the B Onoleo, Arabian Nights and the G Humayun. However, it will be a real challenge to pair these drums.

The D Hijaz will sound well with the D Major RAV Pan, the D Major RAV Vast, B Minor RAV Vasts and the B Kurd. As for the other instruments, this RAV Pan will sound particularly well with the Middle-Eastern percussions like darbuka or doumbek. These instruments can complement the peculiar voice of the D Hijaz.