About Steel Pans
The steel pan, also known as steed drum, is an instrument native to the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago and is often associated with socas, calypsos and other musical genres of the Caribbean. The steel pan began as a crude melodic instrument and has developed into a complex drum that is used in a wide variety of settings, from sharing the stage with a symphony orchestra to being integrated as a member of the traditional jazz combo.
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History
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The neighborhood of Laventille in Trinidad, east of the capital Port of Spain, is credited as being the birthplace of the steel pan. The area was largely made up of freed African slaves in the mid to late 19th century, who had a tradition of parading and celebrating with crudely made drums in the streets. These instruments were outlawed, and so the merrymakers turned to the discarded 55-gallon oil barrels washed up on the shore, which they discovered that, when heated and hammered, would yield various pitches or notes. Trinidadian Ellie Mannette is known as the first man to create a true steel pan from an oil barrel in the mid 1940s.
Features
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The steel pan is an acoustic instrument made of metal and played with wooden or metal mallets with rubber tips. The inside, concave part of a steel pan is known as the "bowl," while the shell outside the bowl is known as the "skirt." Inside the bowl are notes, which appear as bubbles in the metal. The number of notes in one pan depend on the type of pan, and can range from just three to over twenty. The larger the note, the lower the pitch. The sound of the steel pan is bright and often associated with Caribbean music, such as calypsos and reggae.
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Types
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There are a few different types of steel pans, each of which plays a different role in the steel band. The tenor or lead steel pan is a single drum with higher notes that usually plays the melody. Double seconds and double tenors are two drums played together--they may play the melody, harmony or a strumming pattern similar to a guitar. The cello and quad pans are three or four drums and play a lower part that usually harmonizes or complements the bass line, and the bass pans are made up of six full-sized 55 gallon oil barrels, each with three low notes. The lower the notes, the longer the skirt, so the tenor pan has the shortest skirt while the bass pans have the full skirt or shell.
Music
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The steel pans were originally used (and are stil today) in calypso and soca arrangements of Trinidad that are particularly popular during Carnival. However, the instrument is also fairly popular in reggae music, and in more recent years has even appeared in Broadway musicals, orchestras, percussion ensembles and jazz bands. Much like other mallet percussion instruments such as the vibraphone or marimba, the steel pan is incredibly versatile and can be used in nearly any musical setting.
Tuning
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Building and tuning the steel pan is a complex process that takes years of training to perfect. The process involves heating the metal with fire, then using a selection of weighted hammers to stretch, shape and soften the individual notes. While electronic tuners are used and are very helpful, being a steel pan tuner requires a good ear for hearing the subtle nuances in pitch, timbre and tone.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit drum image by Byron Moore from Fotolia.com
