Handpan Retreat 2026

This handpan retreat is a five-night sound and music gathering for people who already play a little and want to go further. Led by the handpan musician and teacher Malte Marten, it takes place at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps, Germany. The level is Beginner Plus to Intermediate, and the focus is rhythm, patterns, expression, improvisation and playing together in a group, in a setting of mountains and deep quiet.

Malte describes his teaching as hands-on, heart-open and free of pressure. Technique matters, but the larger aim is helping people express something real and personal through their music.

What to Expect

The days follow a steady rhythm of focused practice, rest and shared meals. The retreat opens on the first evening with a welcome circle and a handpan concert with Malte at 20:00.

On the four full days that follow, the schedule runs like this:

- 07:30 to 09:30: breakfast
- 10:00 to 12:30: handpan morning session
- 13:00: lunch
- 14:00 to 15:30: free time for the spa, nature or personal reflection
- 15:30 to 18:00: second handpan session
- 19:00: dinner

On the final morning there is breakfast and packing, with check-out and departure at 11:30.

Across the sessions, you work with several aspects of playing:

- grooves and rhythms, finding flow and ease
- patterns and structure, and how melodies and rhythms connect
- expression, bringing more emotion and personality into the music
- improvisation and composition
- jamming and playing together
- stroke techniques, simple and effective ways to refine touch and sound

Every participant plays the same scale, E Amara 20, which makes group jamming possible. There is room for playfulness and intuition, and for the moments of shared music that come when a group plays together.

About Malte Marten

Malte Marten calls himself a handpan player at his core, and also a musician, teacher and visionary. His path began in 2014, when he saw a video of the duo Hang Massive. He sold the music equipment he owned as a beatmaker and DJ to buy his first handpan, and later played on the streets of Berlin.

From 2015 to 2020 he toured with his former duo, Yatao. Teaching became a passion alongside performing, and the duo began giving workshops and retreats. They also co-founded the YataoShop, a place for people to take their first steps with the instrument. After the duo's project ended in 2021, Malte began a solo project and funded his first solo studio album through crowdfunding. His videos on Instagram and YouTube have reached listeners around the world.

The Setting

Schloss Elmau sits in the Elmau Valley, between Bavaria and Austria, among mountains, lakes, wild forests and canyons. The castles of King Ludwig II are nearby. It is about two hours from Munich, 40 minutes from Innsbruck and 20 minutes from Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Participants stay five nights at the hotel and have full access to its spa and wellness area. Breakfast is served daily, and each person receives a nightly voucher for dinner in the hotel restaurant, valid for food only. Room options include a Single Juniorsuite Deluxe for one person and a Juniorsuite Deluxe shared by two. The single rooms are sold out.

Before You Go

This retreat suits anyone with some handpan experience, from Beginner Plus to Intermediate. You do not need to be perfect, only open to learning and exploring. Teaching is in English.

Included are:

- accommodation
- daily breakfast
- spa access
- handpan rental for the whole retreat, so you do not need your own instrument
- all sessions with Malte
- the nightly dinner voucher

Travel to the venue, alcoholic drinks and other non-food items at the restaurant, and personal spa treatments are not included.