Steel Drums

 On the island of Trinidad in 1884, the Colonial British government imposed a law that highly restricted the use of drums with drum heads made from animal skin. This caused the lower class population, specifically in Port of Spain, to turn to alternatives such as "Tamboo Bamboo", which is a term used to describe an ensemble of various lengths of bamboo being struck on the ground or with a stick in poly-rhythm.

Over time, these ensembles gained scrap metal instruments made from retired household items, or barrels meant for storing oil. Eventually the bamboo was replaced by metal objects, specifically the steel oil drums that were so commonly found around the Island at the time. By the 1940's, people called "tuners" had developed the technique of hammering metal paint cans in order to make them produce a certain pitch when struck which developed into the modern steel drum. Many accredit the creation of the first steel pan to Winston "Spree" Simon, the tuner who worked with the John John steel band. Throughout the 1950's and the early 1960's the Tuners became the most important people in each steel band, often regarded as both the tuner and the band leader, and tuner's never worked for more than one band, that was uncalled for.

In order to make a steel pan, the Tuner or just craftsman, takes a steel oil drum and hammers the flat top of it into a concave shape or bowl. Although it has been almost one-hundred years since the invention of the steel pan, oil drums are still the best material for making one. Next, the craftsman will use a hammer to make convex protrusions from the bowl. These protrusions will vary in surface area and are all made in such a way that when they are struck, they will produce a specific pitch. once finished the craftsman will saw off part of or none of the bottom part of the steel pan depending on the tuning and what role that particular drum will play in the steel band. There are lots of types of steel pans nowadays, but these (in order from highest to lowest) are the most common: Soprano pan, Tenor pan (lead), Double tenor, double second, Double guitar, Treble guitar, Tenor bass, and Bass. Now that was a very brief explanation so if you would like to know more I've embedded a very short video below that goes much more in depth.

Steel Bands also include a percussion section called "Engine Room" which consists of common Latin percussion instruments, including: Congas, Timbales, Bongos, Toc-toc (Claves), Scratcher (Guiro), Shak-shaks (maracas), cabasa, and woodblock. Engine room has some outliers from this group as well, including: Drum set, Tambourine, cowbell, Djembe, and irons. Irons are interesting because they are literally part of a car's brake mechanism, although in modern times irons are manufactured and tuned.

This is the view of the engine room of the steel orchestra "Tropical Angel Harps" competing in the junior panorama competition, which ties into the next thing, the panorama and calypso. Remember how I said that the Tuner was the most important member of the steel band? Well originally steel bands performed music for Carnival season in sort of a marching band style, mostly playing calypso but with a fair bit of creative variation in order to be entertaining. When (1960s) music genres that used bands with loud brass sections such as salsa began to popularize in the Caribbean, the steel band began to be out matched in sound at carnival. Thus the Trinidad and Tobago government created the National Association of Trinidad and Tobago Steelbandsmen, or NATTS which in turn created the panorama competition which is a multiple round competition for steel bands. I won't get into it very deeply but basically the steel bands compete in at least three rounds where they march past judges playing an arrangement of a calypso, with the last round being a stationary performance in front of the judge. People fangirled over this so much that big companies so an opportunity for advertisement and began sponsoring the steel bands. This opened up some doors, but closed one, which was diversity in repertoire, it was only profitable to play calypso. The doors opened were that of bigger bands, and better arrangers, and with this new emphasis on calypso the steel band's arranger became the new most important member as they were the people who had the most control over how likely the band was to win.

Calypso is a Caribbean music style that grew alongside the carnival celebrations in Trinidad, and spurred the evolution of the steel pan. It is derived from a West African work song called the "Gayup", and resembles the Brazilian samba. Calypso is usually in a major key and the lyrics, if present, originally functioned as an oral newspaper, which might have been some syncretism involving West African Griots. 

Here is a basic Calypso beat for drum set, which if you listen to the engine room video above you can hear quite prominently. 

cool song with steel pan solo

In elementary school I was in the after school program because it was basically free baby-sitting, but it was actually really sick because one of the activities they had for us was the steel drum band directed by local band director Dr. Lee (Coolest guy ever). We only really played pop songs that he had arranged in his free time but I distinctly remember learning that calypso beat (minus the hi-hat) when it was my turn to play the drum set.

 

It has always been super cool to me how people can take a mundane item like an oil drum and create an entire culture and music genre from it, and not even on purpose. 

bonus it's young me in the band (c. 2013)

Shannon Dudley, "Steel Band", Grove Music Online,                                                        https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/display/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-        9781561592630-e-0000026590?rskey=IgVgSf&result=2 January 20 2001

  Used for most of the general information on steel bands and steel band culture.

Jan Fairley, "Calypso", Grove Music Online,                          https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/display/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-      9781561592630-e-0000004624?rskey=ou0K4a&result=1

For information on the calypso beat and uses.

Steeldrums-information, "The Engine Room of a Steelband", Steelpan, https://www.steelpan-steeldrums-            information.com/engine-room.html

For information on the engine room percussion section

steeldrums-information, "Panorama", Steelpan, https://www.steelpan-steeldrums-    information.com/panorama.html 

for information on the panorama competition