From Lachlan:
“I was inspired to write this piece after Tsoof played my Saraz for the first time. One of the first things he played was this riff you will hear throughout the piece; when I tried to play the riff, however, it just didn’t sound or feel the same (I knew I had some practice to do!) Tsoof brings close to two decades of African hand drumming experience to his handpan playing and with that, you can hear some amazing subtleties in the way that he plays. Nonetheless, I thought to myself, “I’m only a few little adjustments away – I’ll practice this riff and I’ll get it!”
This experience reminded me of Tony Robbins when he explained that, in golf, the difference between a successful shot and a terrible shot literally comes down to a millimetre shift with the angle of the club and where it meets the ball. Musically speaking, Tsoof and I have taken this theme of making adjustments further by trying to get the most we can out of the one riff idea through countermelodies, layering different rhythms and walking around to the other side of the handpan so we both have a turn at playing the riff (obviously you can’t see this in the recording but you’ll hear it!). One adjustment makes all the difference!
Two years on after first hearing Tsoof play this riff, I now realise that – in many ways – it would be silly for me to try to play exactly like Tsoof. The handpan is such a unique, personal instrument and we each bring our own touch and our own musical quirks to the music. And we should embrace that!
credits from No Enemy Within, released June 26, 2018 featuring… Lachlan Hawkins & Tsoof Baras
– Saraz Handpan (C Minor)
Music written by Lachlan Hawkins & Tsoof Baras
Recorded live at The Green Owl, Brisbane as part of Lachlan’s album launch concert, “No Enemy Within”, in June 2018.
—- Handpan – 2016 Saraz C Minor 11
Videographer: Jonathan Brazil
— NO ENEMY WITHIN, studio album now available (download & physical CD): Stream and download at: http://www.lachlanhawkinsmusic.bandca…
