Every region of the world has distinctive aspects that are native to a particular country and its culture. Steel pan music can be found all over the world, but is easily recognizable as a feature of the Caribbean. More specifically, the birth of the steel pan - or steel drum - is on the southern-most Caribbean island of Trinidad.
Commonly known as simply 'pan', it was created during the '30s, after over half a century of experimentation and development of metal objects as percussion instruments. When slaves came from Africa, they brought with them the hand drum, and this was banned in the 1870s. This was a feeble attempt by the then British rule to try and quell celebrations around Carnival time.
Fifty-five-gallon oil drums were originally used as the starting point for the instrument. These drums were subject to excessive pounding and then polishing to become the instrument we now know. This hand-created method is still the most popular, even though there is another method using sheet metal to begin with. Being the only instrument created in C20, the pan is a permanent part of worldwide history.
You can play the pan by itself, or combine many into a steel band. The music features mainly around Carnival, and there are lots of competitions and other events where bands are pitted against one another to show off their skills. As a spectator, you can experience the energy of the rhythm up close and personal by listening to it live.
Though the instrument traditionally celebrates local musical genres of calypso and soca in Trinidad & Tobago, it can actually be used in any genre of music. Sounds of the pan can be heard in jazz, pop, reggae and also Latin. It has even been used in rap and hip-hop, for example, in 50 Cent's chart-topping hit "P. I. M. P.". The global reach of the instrument has led to debates over its origins.
Like string instruments, there are different tones or levels of pan. Frontline pans are those used for melodies and counter melodies. They have the highest pitch of all; the tenor and double-tenor belong to this family. In the mid-range section, the cello pan, guitar pan and quadrophonic pan provide counter melodies as well as harmonies.
Those pans with the lowest pitch are found in the background section of the band. They provide the bass line which the entire band will follow for any particular song. The dudup and the 4-note bass pan are found here. Other percussion instruments are often used in a steel band, and they are located in a section of the band called the engine room.
Individuals credited with the development of the pan as we know it include Ellie Mannette, Winston Simon and Anthony Williams. Williams was the first person to begin creating instruments out of huge oil drums, and he also created the pan layout known as the 'spider web', which is conducive to a better-sounding quality. Simon is the creator for the 8-pitch melody pan, while Mannette was the first to wrap sticks used to play pan in rubber, thereby creating a more refined sound.
Commonly known as simply 'pan', it was created during the '30s, after over half a century of experimentation and development of metal objects as percussion instruments. When slaves came from Africa, they brought with them the hand drum, and this was banned in the 1870s. This was a feeble attempt by the then British rule to try and quell celebrations around Carnival time.
Fifty-five-gallon oil drums were originally used as the starting point for the instrument. These drums were subject to excessive pounding and then polishing to become the instrument we now know. This hand-created method is still the most popular, even though there is another method using sheet metal to begin with. Being the only instrument created in C20, the pan is a permanent part of worldwide history.
You can play the pan by itself, or combine many into a steel band. The music features mainly around Carnival, and there are lots of competitions and other events where bands are pitted against one another to show off their skills. As a spectator, you can experience the energy of the rhythm up close and personal by listening to it live.
Though the instrument traditionally celebrates local musical genres of calypso and soca in Trinidad & Tobago, it can actually be used in any genre of music. Sounds of the pan can be heard in jazz, pop, reggae and also Latin. It has even been used in rap and hip-hop, for example, in 50 Cent's chart-topping hit "P. I. M. P.". The global reach of the instrument has led to debates over its origins.
Like string instruments, there are different tones or levels of pan. Frontline pans are those used for melodies and counter melodies. They have the highest pitch of all; the tenor and double-tenor belong to this family. In the mid-range section, the cello pan, guitar pan and quadrophonic pan provide counter melodies as well as harmonies.
Those pans with the lowest pitch are found in the background section of the band. They provide the bass line which the entire band will follow for any particular song. The dudup and the 4-note bass pan are found here. Other percussion instruments are often used in a steel band, and they are located in a section of the band called the engine room.
Individuals credited with the development of the pan as we know it include Ellie Mannette, Winston Simon and Anthony Williams. Williams was the first person to begin creating instruments out of huge oil drums, and he also created the pan layout known as the 'spider web', which is conducive to a better-sounding quality. Simon is the creator for the 8-pitch melody pan, while Mannette was the first to wrap sticks used to play pan in rubber, thereby creating a more refined sound.
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