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Can you briefly introduce yourself? Who is Robin?
My name is Robin Scott Fleming, I am a music composer, producer and performer based in Belgium. Sound explorer and creator, my life evolves around the power of sound and personal well-being. I also teach and practice energetic healing technics and I have found a way to combine those two arts.I consider myself to be a kind of sound healer, using music as a vessel.
How did you start exploring music and why handpand?
I started exploring sounds during my childhood. I was fascinated by all the sounds that one person could hear at the same time. I would close my eyes and let myself be transported to another world. Sound is like magic to me!
I started playing piano when I was 10 years old but it’s the guitar that came to me as a revolution. I am a self-taught musician; I play several instruments and sing. I consider vocals to be like an instrument and therefore it remains one of my principal instruments alongwith guitar and percussions. The handpan came much later in my career but it was like living a true love story! I immediately felt the therapeutic potential of the instrument. The magical vibrations and sounds it can produce are amazing. As a multi-instrumentalist, I love all kinds of instruments but this one has a special vibration to it!
Do you think music is a way of life or just art?
I think that music is an art of life
Did you know that music represents only 10% of the general sound spectrum (all the sounds that the human ear is able to perceive)?
Sound is much more than auditive information, it’s an energy source that communicates with every life form on a cellular level. You can heal with sound as you can damage! Music is a way to communicate through emotions and feelings, musical notes are specific sound frequencies that a musician uses to express or create unique emotions. As a music composer and healing sound practitioner, I know in which order these specific sound frequencies will affect the listener.
Can you give us information about the handpan, we are quite curious, what kind of musical instrument, when did it appear, where is it used?
The handpan was invented by a Swiss couple, Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer in 2000. It is a melodic percussion made out of steel. Its general concept and design come from the fusion of two instruments, the Steel drum originated in Trinidad and the Gatham from India. The creators of the handpan were already making Steel drums in the 90s and came up with the idea and design of the first Handpan drum named “The Hang”. Today, there are several hundred makers all around the world and more and more players are sharing the beautiful and mysterious sound of the handpan.
What made you choose Handpan?
I play several percussions but when I first heard the handpan, I immediately wanted to discover the instrument. It was extremely difficult to find a handpan in 2010 but I had the chance to meet a musician friend who had 4 handpans and who let me use one in 2015 that later became my first.I felt a special connection with the instrument, something more spiritual! Every time I would play it, I would feel relaxed and peaceful. It felt righteous!
What would you be like if you didn't have music in your life? What kind of connection do you have with music?
Music completes me, everything I experience in my personal life is transformed into sound and music. I could not imagine a life without music.
We see that you also play the guitar, which one is closest to you when you compare it with other musical instruments and why?
I don’t have a favorite, my love for music is a hole, therefore when I play an instrument, I have the same feeling of gratitude and joy.
With what emotions do you focus on making your music? Do you think this is soul work?
I believe that when I play an instrument and start creating a melody or theme, the vibration sounds and feels right. Like when you tune your guitar, at one point, everything comes together and sounds complete and harmonious. I don’t focus on a particular emotion or feeling, I feel the calling and start to play!
We see that the handpan is quite popular in yoga teaching. Does it sound like a Tibetan bowl?
Not really but the effect on the body can be similar. The Tibetan Bowl generates one tone but the handpan is polytonal, therefore you can create melodies and chords which will then affect the emotions differently.
Do you have compositions and can you also write lyrics? We think that anyone can write lyrics, what do you think about it? Do you think these feelings aggrandize people?
I also compose songs and write lyrics. I think that anyone can express and write their emotions and feelings on paper but writing lyrics is like writing poetry, it has rhythm and rhymes, therefore not anyone can put their words into rhythm and melody. There are a lot of songwriters in the world but unfortunately, not all of them are capable of touching hearts. Most successful songs you hear on the radio are spiritually and intellectually empty. Most lyrics are about entertainment and sentimental relationships. I’m not saying that it is a bad thing but personally, I don’t connect with these songs, they don’t make me vibrate!
You have a YouTube channel; do you think people care about handpan? Or is it only adopted by a certain group?
Yes, I have a YouTube channel where I expose my artistic works with the handpan and all the recordings I made during my travels.
The handpan is becoming more and more popular but the handpan music style is currently listened to by a small community of people. Everyone who listens to the handpan for the first time appreciates the mysterious and soothing sound but not all of them will listen to it on a regular basis… Not yet but maybe soon…
Finally, what would you like to add?
I believe that the Handpan is an extraordinary piece of art! I wish to travel with it all over the world and share its incredible vibrations. I am currently working on a handpan solo album project that I hope to produce and release in 2022! Stay tuned & Well!!
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