How to Learn to Play the Steel Drum

The steel drum characterizes Caribbean calypso music.

The steel drum, one of the few acoustic instruments invented in the 20th century, is a type of drum that can play more than one pitch. The steel drum features a bowl shape with hammered sections, each tuned to a different pitch. Some drums can play a chromatic scale in multiple octaves, while others have only a few notes.

Things You'll Need

• Steel drum
• Rubber mallets

Instructions

1. Stand behind your steel drum, approximately four or five inches from the side of the drum. Stand with your feet at a comfortable width.

2. Grab a mallet in each hand. The mallet grip is a typical percussion stick grip; hold the stick between your thumb and index finger and allow your other fingers to wrap loosely around the stick. Do not grip the mallet too high—there should be less than a half inch of the stick below your pinkie finger.

3. Raise your arms up to the drum. Your wrists should be at waist level. Relax your shoulders and ensure you can move your arms freely.

4. Keep your mallets close to the surface of the drum. Using a motion from the wrist, strike a note on the drum with the mallet and allow it to rebound from the drum. The stick will move up and down for notes in the middle of the drum, or you will move the mallet from side to side when playing notes on the sides of the drum.

5. Alternate left- and right-hand wrist strokes at a quick pace to play rolls (a method of sustaining a note on the drum). Practice making the rolls even and clear before trying to make them fast; you may need to slow the speed of your alternate strokes and gradually speed them up.

6. Play a simple melody. Most steel drums have their pitches labeled on each hammered section. This pitch corresponds to notes written in sheet music. Avoid crossing one hand over the other as you play. An ideal sticking pattern is to alternate right hand and left hand.

References

• Steel Pan Information: Basic Steel Pan Technique
• Connexions: Steel Pan Drums