How to Tune Steel Pans

Tuning steel pans is a complex process that takes a lot of training.

Despite its origins as a crude melodic instrument hammered out of a 55-gallon oil barrel, the steel pan has developed into a complex and beautiful musical instrument. Tuning a steel drum is a complicated process that often takes months or years of training to perfect, and attempting to do so without the proper training can easily result in ruining a steel pan.

Things You'll Need

• Electronic tuner
• Small hammer
• Mallet with rubber tip

Instructions

1. Hang the steel pan on its stand or set it in a secure position with padding around the skirt so nothing is touching the bowl. Turn on the electronic tuner. Hold the mallet in your left hand and the hammer in your right hand.

2. Choose a note and alternate hitting it around the edge with the hammer and tapping it a few times with the mallet to hear the pitch. The idea is to "stretch" the metal until you begin to hear the desired note and see it matched on the electronic tuner.

3. Move around the steel pan notes in a circular pattern, softening the metal and finding the general pitch with the hammer. You will most likely need to go around several times, as hitting a note on one side of the pan with the hammer will subtly change a note on the opposite side. Continue until each note is on the right pitch (although not quite in tune yet).

4. Soften the pan by turning it upside down to work with the bowl inverted. Use the hammer to knock the note upward, then flip the pan over and knock the note back downward, which loosens the metal. Repeat on each note until it has the timbre you want. This step is not so much for actual tuning as it is for overall sound; bright, dark or any stage in between.

5. Tune the notes individually, beginning in the middle of the pan and moving outward. Hit a note with the hammer on the edge from the top to set where the note is. Then hit it from beneath. Keep your eye on the electronic tuner, but you also need to have a good set of ears to hear when the pitch is nearing the right spot. Each note will have its own response, and responses also differ from steel pan to steel pan. Generally, hitting the note in the center from beneath will raise the pitch, while hitting the center from above will lower it. Hitting the note on the edge from below will lower the pitch, while hitting the note from above on the edge will raise it.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have a steel pan, but are unsure as to how to tune it, contact a professional tuner.

References

• The Pan Page: Steel Pan Tuning

Resources

• Rhythmic Steel: Steel Drum Builders and Tuners