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.
A musical instrument that has deep and immediate ties to the Caribbean, the steel pan has traditionally been linked with Calypso ad other West Indian based musical art forms. One nation though, Trinidad and Tobago, is the first that comes to mind when this instrument or the sounds it creates are mentioned. This is because this island nation is actually the literal foundation of the music.
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.
Authentic steel pans are handmade. Experts start by selecting the right drum. Oil drums are typically used, but each pan in a steel pan set is unique as it creates a different sound. The type of sound created by each pan will depend on the type of drum used in the beginning.
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 pans go through other stages before they are ready for use in a band. These stages are known as the grooving, setting, burning, cutting and tuning. After those steps, the drums are coated with a protective finish that helps to maintain their look and the adjustments that have been made to the surface. The traditional finish used is painting or chrome plating but in recent times a powder finish has been introduced to the process.
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.
A musical instrument that has deep and immediate ties to the Caribbean, the steel pan has traditionally been linked with Calypso ad other West Indian based musical art forms. One nation though, Trinidad and Tobago, is the first that comes to mind when this instrument or the sounds it creates are mentioned. This is because this island nation is actually the literal foundation of the music.
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.
Authentic steel pans are handmade. Experts start by selecting the right drum. Oil drums are typically used, but each pan in a steel pan set is unique as it creates a different sound. The type of sound created by each pan will depend on the type of drum used in the beginning.
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 pans go through other stages before they are ready for use in a band. These stages are known as the grooving, setting, burning, cutting and tuning. After those steps, the drums are coated with a protective finish that helps to maintain their look and the adjustments that have been made to the surface. The traditional finish used is painting or chrome plating but in recent times a powder finish has been introduced to the process.
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.
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