It rocks the soul and soothes the mind. It forms an integral part of most cultures around the world. It is one of the few aspects of life on earth that has remained relevant as time has passed while evolving as the times change. Rhythmic tunes such as those produced by steel pan music are simply indispensable to people from all walks of life. Making steel pans, is as you can imagine, quite an intricate process.
This music originated in the Caribbean, a region whose people are known for their rich culture and extremely entertaining traditions. Countries known for their lively, upbeat calypso sounds are known also as the birthplace of this type of music. Trinidad and Tobago, in particular, is credited with the discovery and invention of this remarkable sound.
The love of this musical instrument has grown so much that the sounds it produces have found their way into basically every genre of music. Bands of musicians use them to create sounds in reggae, rhythm and blues and almost every other musical genre. Clearly this sound is a rather diverse one, since it can blend seamlessly into the sounds of multiple genres.
The most authentic steel pans are made by hand. When making steel pans, experts first select the type of drum to use. Traditionally, they use drums that once contained oil. Drum selection is a crucial part of the process because the type of drum used determines the type of sound the resulting instrument will produce. The general rule is that the lower the pitch desired then the thicker the drum needs to be.
Sinking the bottom of the drum takes place next. To do this, experts use heavy hammers to create a bowl-like shape in the drum's closed end. This is when some drums tend to burst. The ones that are prone to bursting during this step are those that are very dented, rusted or too thin. This is one reason for paying keen attention to drum quality during the selection process.
After sinking the drums, experts have to identify the areas that will produce the various notes. They do this by drawing on the bottom. The spaces that are left out are then flattened. The flattening is achieved through the use of a special tuning hammer. Experts call this the counter sinking process. Like the previous phase, this one tests the mettle of the drum being used and is a step that has to be cautiously executed.
The pan will have to go through a few other stages before it is ready for use. It must be grooved, set, cut and tuned. It then has to be coated with a layer that not only protects the look but also the adjustments that have been made to its surface. Then it must go through a step known as fine tuning and blending.
It is clear therefore, that the effort that goes into making one of these instruments plays a significant role in the resulting melodies that people around the world enjoy. Many do not recognize it, but the makers of the tools also help to deliver the mind blowing sounds that come from the bands of musicians that use these instruments.
This music originated in the Caribbean, a region whose people are known for their rich culture and extremely entertaining traditions. Countries known for their lively, upbeat calypso sounds are known also as the birthplace of this type of music. Trinidad and Tobago, in particular, is credited with the discovery and invention of this remarkable sound.
The love of this musical instrument has grown so much that the sounds it produces have found their way into basically every genre of music. Bands of musicians use them to create sounds in reggae, rhythm and blues and almost every other musical genre. Clearly this sound is a rather diverse one, since it can blend seamlessly into the sounds of multiple genres.
The most authentic steel pans are made by hand. When making steel pans, experts first select the type of drum to use. Traditionally, they use drums that once contained oil. Drum selection is a crucial part of the process because the type of drum used determines the type of sound the resulting instrument will produce. The general rule is that the lower the pitch desired then the thicker the drum needs to be.
Sinking the bottom of the drum takes place next. To do this, experts use heavy hammers to create a bowl-like shape in the drum's closed end. This is when some drums tend to burst. The ones that are prone to bursting during this step are those that are very dented, rusted or too thin. This is one reason for paying keen attention to drum quality during the selection process.
After sinking the drums, experts have to identify the areas that will produce the various notes. They do this by drawing on the bottom. The spaces that are left out are then flattened. The flattening is achieved through the use of a special tuning hammer. Experts call this the counter sinking process. Like the previous phase, this one tests the mettle of the drum being used and is a step that has to be cautiously executed.
The pan will have to go through a few other stages before it is ready for use. It must be grooved, set, cut and tuned. It then has to be coated with a layer that not only protects the look but also the adjustments that have been made to its surface. Then it must go through a step known as fine tuning and blending.
It is clear therefore, that the effort that goes into making one of these instruments plays a significant role in the resulting melodies that people around the world enjoy. Many do not recognize it, but the makers of the tools also help to deliver the mind blowing sounds that come from the bands of musicians that use these instruments.
No comments:
Post a Comment