RAV Vast D Major

The RAV Vast tongue drum should preferably be played while seated and simply placed on the thighs or knees. A wide range of different sounds can be coaxed out of a RAV Vast with different striking techniques, using the fingertips, thumbs, etc. and also by varying the striking point on the tongues: Sometimes bassy and voluminous, sometimes bright and rich in overtones, but always with a very clean, long decay. Moreover, the areas between the sound fields can be used for percussive accents, just like they can with a handpan. Thanks to its wide dynamic range, the RAV Vast reacts to the lightest of touches with clean intonation, but can also really get going with the right playing style. As mentioned at the beginning, the sonic spectrum of this tongue drum can be further exploited by playing with felt and rubber mallets.

The story of RAV Labs begins in 2013, when Russian engineer Andrey Remyannikov stumbled across handpan videos on the internet and was so fascinated by their sound that he was determined to buy one himself. However, handpans were extremely expensive at the time and difficult to get hold of, with waiting times lasting over two years. So, without further ado, Remyannikov set about developing his own model. However, the tuning of handpans is a well-kept secret and, after a few initial failed prototypes, he decided to develop a tongue drum that would sound like a handpan instead, resulting in the birth of the RAV Vast. The concept was successful, global demand grew quickly, and the team grew considerably – and so the company RAV Labs was founded in Perm, Russia. Today, RAV Labs produces tongue drums in over 20 scales as well as classic hand pans (RAV Pans), as well as various accessories.