Frequently Asked Questions
Shipping / Returns:
- How long does it take to get a HAPI Drum?
- What if I am buying a gift for someone?
- I live outside the United States (for example: Canada, Europe). Will there be customs tax/duty charges?
- What shipping carriers do you use?
- What is your return policy?
- How long does it take for me to get a refund?
Payment Info:
- What forms of payment do you accept?
- Do you charge sales tax?
- Is it safe to use my credit or debit card on your site?
- What do you do with my personal information, do you share it?
Drum Questions:
- What does HAPI stand for?
- What age is recommended for the HAPI Drums?
- Do I need to know anything about music to play the HAPI Drum?
- What hertz are the drums tuned in?
- Can the HAPI Drums be played by hand?
- What scale should I choose and what scales sound good together?
- Does the drum need to be plugged in or amplified in any way to sound good?
- Can I only play the drum in my lap?
- Can my HAPI Drum drift out of tune?
- What if my drum happens to go out of tune?
- How do I clean my drum?
- Do you have a printed catalog?
Q: I live outside the United States (for example: Canada, Europe). Will there be customs tax/duty charges?
A: We are currently unable to deliver outside the United States. We only have one way to deliver and that is via our USPS Postal service, which delivers to your countries customs department. The package then gets transferred to your Post, where you receive your regular mail. We have had too many shipments delayed for very long times in customs (for months), arrive damaged to customers or are lost. As a small business, we can no longer afford to take the risk of loss or damage.
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Q: What shipping carriers do you use?
A: We use UPS and USPS as our carriers.
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Q: What is your return policy?
A: You have a 7 day evaluation period. If not satisfied, return product(s) within 7 days of receiving your order. If this is a gift, the evaluation period will begin once the gift is opened by the recipient. Item(s) must be in new condition for an exchange or refund (less shipping costs incurred). Item(s) must be returned with all original packaging and accessories. We'll pay any return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item).
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Q: How long does it take for me to get a refund?
A: In the event of a return, you will receive your refund within three weeks of returning your package. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 business days), the time it takes us to process and evaluate your return once we receive it (5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).
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Q: What forms of payment do you accept?
A: We accept all major Credit/Debit Cards with a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover seal, and we also accept PayPal.
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Q: Do you charge sales tax?
A: California residents will have an added 7.75% sales tax.
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Q: Is it safe to use my credit or debit card on your site?
A: Our website features secure ordering. We adhere to strict industry standards for payment processing, including: 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology for secure Internet Protocol (IP) transactions. Industry leading encryption hardware and software methods and security protocols to protect customer information. Compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). If you are not comfortable ordering online, give us a call at (559) 642-6248 to order over the phone.
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Q: What do you do with my personal information, do you share it?
A: No, we do not, nor will we ever share any of your personal information with outside sources.
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Q: What does HAPI stand for?
A: HAPI stands for Hand Activated Percussion Instrument.
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Q: What age is recommended for the HAPI Drums?
A: HAPI Drums are not suitable for children under 3 years of age due to choking hazards. There are small parts on the the drum, mallets, and travel bags.
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Q: Do I need to know anything about music to play the HAPI Drum?
A: No, the
Mini, Bell, Slim, and Origin Drums come in pentatonic scales. The word
"pentatonic" comes from the Greek word pente meaning five and
tonic meaning tone. It is a musical scale that consists of five notes
within one octave. Because of their simplicity, pentatonic scales are
often used to introduce beginners to music. You can play any note in any order and the drum will sound great! There are no wrong notes!
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Q: What hertz are the drums tuned in?
A: Our HAPI Drums in fixed tuning are tuned to A4 = 440 hz which is
standard Western tuning. HAPI Drums sold in other countries may be tuned
to A4 = 432 hz, check with your local supplier if outside the U.S.
HAPI Tuneable Drums will do both A4 = 440 hz and/or 432 hz in the same drum.
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Q: Can the HAPI Drums be played by hand?
A: Yes, but it does take practice to learn this
technique. One finger is used, to get a clean sound it takes what is
called a "percussive stroke or slap". The drum comes with a booklet
that explains this technique. It takes most people a few days of
practice to master.
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Q: What scale should I choose and what scales sound good together?
A: We
have narrowed down the scale choices in each drum model to the most
popular and best sounding. Our scales are compatible with other
instruments and with other HAPI Drums. It just comes down to your
personal preference and which scale "speaks to you" the most.
Click here to listen to the drum scales. Click here to see the scale list and which HAPI Drums are compatible with one another.
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Q: Does the drum need to be plugged in or amplified in any way to sound good?
A: No, these are a true acoustic instrument with a strong, powerful sound. We
do offer a
microphone for some models, for people who perform on stage.
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Q: Can I only play the drum in my lap?
A: Most
steel tongue drums on the market can only be played in your lap. This
is because if you set the drum on a table or hard surface it will dampen
the sound severely. We have added isolating rubber feet to our drums.
Our rubber
feet solve this problem and give you the perfect sound in your lap or on
any playing
surface.
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Q: How long does it take to get a HAPI Drum?
A: Once you place your order, it ships out within 1-3 working days from Oakhurst, California via UPS or USPS delivery. If you are in the United States you will have your drum within 5-8 days. If you live outside the United States, you will have your drum within 15-45 days.
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Q: What if I am buying a gift for someone?
A: We don't include pricing paperwork in the box or put our
full company name on the return shipping label. The receiver of your
gift won't know what is in the box when it arrives. (This does not apply
to our International customers who are shipping OUTSIDE the United
States, we cannot ship your drum as a gift).
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Q: Can my HAPI Drum drift out of tune?
A: Since 2008 we have had a handful of reports of drums drifting out of tune. The cause is always from playing the drum too hard at a loud drum circle, or using drum mallets that are not designed for our drums. Our drums all come with a players guide with complete instructions on how to care for your drum for years of enjoyment. Never use too much force when playing and please do not use different (hard) mallets that are designed for other types of instruments. If the drum is used with our guidelines it will not go out of tune.
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Q: What if my drum happens to go out of tune?
A: Contact us to arrange for it to be re-tuned. (minus shipping costs incurred).
Use a chromatic tuner to check the tuning of each note. Let us know the
values so we can see what your retuning options are. If you need a good
app for checking the tuning we recommend
iStroboSoft.
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Q: How do I clean my drum?
A: Your drum is powder coated which provides a hard protective coating. Simply use a damp cloth and mild soap and water to clean.
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Q: Do you have a printed catalog?
A: All products are available via our website, we do not have a printed catalog.
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Don't see your question answered here? Click here to send us an e-mail.