Drummer who loves to hang

The poster [Photo provided to Shanghai Star]

In 2007 he was touring in South America and a fellow musician brought two hangs, This was how Kuckhermann discovered the instrument.

The hang is related to the Trinidadian steel drum and the notes are produced in a similar way, he says. By extensive hammering, tone fields are formed and the tension in the metal is controlled so it can vibrate and create the note and overtone structure, which is responsible for the very characteristic sound.

Kuckhermann has enjoyed working with a wide variety of percussion instruments. "When I started playing handpans a few years ago, it completely changed my musical life and added new fields of melodic playing and composing," he says. "Another fascinating aspect of these instruments is that there is no tradition behind them and there is no established method."

He believes there are still lots of new sounds to be discovered and new instruments to be invented, though many music producers, especially in mainstream music, seem to be focusing on repeating the same formula over and over.

Kuckhermann says the hang and handpans are one of the few examples of innovative new instruments that are becoming increasingly popular and slowly also being used to create mainstream music. Like with every instrument, it is not only a new sound, it also has a rich inherent musical language.

Making music has not only brought lots of fun and excitement into his life, but also "taught me I don't have to fit in and should follow my own path," Kuckhermann says.

If you go

7:30 pm, Dec 4, Shanghai Grand Theatre – Drama Theatre, 300 Renmin Avenue, Huangpu district, 400-1068-686

人民大道300號上海大劇院

160-280 yuan