It indeed adds to our awe when one of the world’s best known handpan players, Daniel Waples, says there have been times when he’s performed 50 times in a two-week period. “That’s true. If I’m in Kuwait, I get booked to perform five times a day and these performances go on for 10 days. This week alone, I’m travelling from Mumbai to Goa to Bengaluru to Hyderabad and then back to Mumbai and then to Pune and later Chandigarh,” he shares. The fact that this London-born artiste handles his travel, marketing, planning and songwriting by himself is remarkable. “Though it’s extremely tiring, I enjoy it,” the 33-year-old musician adds.
Daniel first came across handpan during a music festival in England in 2005. Explaining the technicalities of the instrument, he shares, “Visually, my instrument resembles a turtle shell. The outside of it has indentations and each indentation is of a different size which yields a different note. In the centre, there is a large dome which we call the ding because it makes a sound ‘ding’. On the other side, there is a sound hole like one in a guitar. This is called the gute because when you strike it, it makes a ‘gute’ sound.”
Belonging to a family of musicians, Daniel was introduced to music at a young age, courtesy his father, a guitarist with a local rock band. His earliest memories of learning rock songs were in the car during the family trips. “At 11, I joined a military marching band. But my first achievement, I’d say, was when my band performed for the Queen of England on her birthday at the Royal Albert Hall,” he shares. Growing up, he was influenced by guitarists including Steve Vai, Jeff Back and Joe Satriani. However, he clarifies that over the years, his influences, in terms of composing music, have changed and he now tries to make it universal that can reach people of all countries and cultures. “Lately, my tunes have been influenced by nature. I try to comprehend what I see, hear and feel,” he adds.
Out of the 65 countries he’s visited, India has been one of Daniel’s favourites. Ever since his first visit in 2007, he has come back several times over the last 11 years to perform and travel across the country. Within India, he enjoys spending his time in Hampi and North Goa, apart from metros including Mumbai and Bengaluru. In fact, he says India has been quite influential in both his musical career and personal life. “My parents broke up when I was six and I’ve never felt that I have a family to go back to. I’ve never lived in a country for longer than four months. In India, the family element is so strong it makes me feel good about life. When I tell people my story, they have so much respect, and welcome me with open arms,” he shares. Moving away from the rather profound side of his life, he quickly shifts to talking about his collaboration with popular playback singer Arijit Singh. “I’m a part of his international band. We have 10 shows in India and two in South Africa this year. Personally, I enjoy listening to his songs, though I don’t know the language,” he says, adding that he has also been listening to psychedelic, electronic and some West African tribal music.
Apart from this, Daniel is also working on a crowdfunding project to finance his first solo album and also plans to launch a handpan music publishing label.
At Heart Cup Coffee. On January 21, 4.30 pm onwards.