Introduction to Playing in Steel Bands

Series Summary

There is no other percussion instrument that can compare to the jamming sound of the steel drum. Spawning from the musical practices of Trinidad's enslaved Africans, drumming was used as a means of communication. These ingenious musicians used whatever they could to construct musical instruments. Steel drums (also known as steel pans) are constructed by pounding metal into a bowl shape. They are fired, and the notes are grooved into the metal with hammers. The musician that plays the steel drum is called a pannist. While this percussion instrument was invented long ago, the world of the steel drum is still flourishing. Used in classical, calypso, and reggae music styles, this instrument is crossing all kinds of borders and continents. Steel bands are growing more and more popular. Thankfully, this popularity of this instrument shows no signs of dying off.

If you are interested in learning the steel pans, this free video series is perfect for you. Jamming with a group is a great way to learn the instrument. Our expert, Alan Mark Lightner, gives you tips for playing the steel drums. So, take a moment, and learn how to play steel drums today!

Video Transcript

"ALAN MARK LIGHTNER: Hi. My name is Alan Lightner of Pan Ramajay and the Rhythm Roots Allstars. I'm here with Expert Village. And we're going to tell you--we're talking a little bit about steelpans, and I want to talk of, specifically about fitting in to different musical situations on this particular instrument, the steelpans. I've been playing steelpans for 25 years or so. I've been playing drums and percussion for the rest of my life, and I got into it, just because I fell in love with the instrument, just like anyone else does, and it's kind of taken over my life since then. I do recordings and playing anywhere from concerts to private parties. I do a lot of writing and I do a lot of teaching around the country and it's really, as I say, it has taken over my life in a great way. So, I hope that I can share some of my information with you, and you can pick it up and run with it. So I like to talk today a little bit about fitting in with in different musical situations. This instrument, the steelpan, is a Caribbean instrument and in that there are certain kind connotations that people have when they hear that sound. It doesn't matter what you play, in my experience, you can be playing the saddest song in the world and somebody will walk by, doing this little dance because it has that "island sound" and they feel like they just want to do a conga line to it. So, being aware of that, there are different techniques that you can use to fit in to different musical situations, and yet not force yourself in that particular situation. So, we'll talk about fitting in when you're playing with a steeldrum band in their traditional setting, like you'll find in Trinidad, which is the birth place of this instrument. We'll talk about playing in non-traditional settings, playing in a jazz combo or a rock combo or even a pop-rock-funk combo of sort. We'll talk about different techniques that you can use within those traditional and non-traditional ensembles to bring this instrument out and let it be heard, just as an instrument perhaps as opposed to a gimmick."