Hang guy!

So in Barcelona, among the many odd street performers (see future blog
about chinese balancing man), we found a guy playing a strange
instrument that looked like a cross between a flying saucer and a
steel pan. Captivated by the beautiful, meditative sound coming from
the instrument, and it's similarities to the ever-popular Trinidadian
steel pan, I moved in for a closer look and listen. Jen got a picture
(thanks Jen!). I got to talk to him when he finished playing, and it
turns out, this instrument is called a "Hang" - pronounced "hung". The
guy in the picture (from then on referred to by all of us present as
"hung guy") went on to explain that this is a new instrument,
developed in Switzerland. It is a derivative of the steel pan, and is
played with the fingers, by hitting the spots on it. It's really cool.
Has a beautiful sound. Haunting and melodic. I found a website that
talks a bit about it and has a sound clip as well...
http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/om16250.html
It comes in a variety of different scales. The one that Hung Guy had
was in F Minor. In his little demonstration of how it worked, he also
turned it over, and used a cupped hand to bang percussively on the
opening, creating an eerie drumming sound. Very cool.