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STEELPAN HISTORY
The steelpan or steel drum originated in the Caribbean Island nation of
Trinidad and Tobago. At the time when skin drums were forbidden and the
tamboo bamboo bands outlawed, the steelpan of that day became a great way
for the people to express themselves. The developing steelpan was a great
way of making music to accompany their songs and dances at carnival time.
The steel drum or steelpan is the only acoustic musical instrument invented
in the 20th century and, so far, in the 21st century. The steel orchestra is
composed of instruments covering the full range of the conventional
orchestra. Different categories of drums make up the orchestra: the tenors,
the double tenors the double second, the guitars, the cellos, the
quadraphonic and different types of basses, plus the rhythm section.
Steelpans are made from used oil drums and are extremely versatile. The
early steelpan was made from discarded oil drums but today mostly new drums
are purchased to make the instruments.
Steelpan music includes not only Afro-Caribbean music but extends to jazz,
pop and classical with all distinctive rhythms and tonality of the steelpan
instrument.
Steelpan was invented by the ancestors of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
So many of our forefathers have contributed to the birth of this unique and
remarkable instrument that it would be unfair to name one over the other.
INSTRUMENT LAYOUT WITH RANGES
Each of these instruments can be altered by the bands preference. For example, the tenor shown is a C tenor, but some bands use a D tenor. With the double seconds, the F# is most commonly used, but some musicians order the E as the lowest note on the double seconds. The style and pattern of the instrument remains standard, however, musicians can request a preference for the low note on the instrument.
TENOR
This pan is called the tenor pan. It mostly carries the melody of the song. In earlier days it was called the ping-pong. In the steelpan orchestra, it is the only instrument that carries the full octave in one drum. Most tenors today, like this one, have two-and-a-half octaves.
DOUBLE TENOR
The double tenor is used mainly to play harmony and the melody an octave lower than the tenor pan (all according to the arranger’s style).
DOUBLE SECONDS
The seconds pan is a very versatile instrument because of its range. There is a 50/50 toss up between the tenor and the double seconds as a ³best choice² for soloists. They both have their advantages. All of the steelpan greats play both instruments as their choice for soloing.
DOUBLE GUITAR, TRIPLE GUITAR AND FOUR CELLO (FOUR PAN)
The double guitar pan has traditionally been played using a strumming technique. This pan is gaining in popularity as one of the sweetest pans in the orchestra especially when it is given the melody to play. One of the arrangers and bands that executes this quite well is BP Renegades (formally Amoco Renegades) under the direction of Jit Samaroo.
QUADROPHONICS
The Quadraphonic is considered to be the ³work horse² in the orchestra. Most arrangers use this instrument to play any particular part of a song that needs to be accented. Therefore, this instrument is mostly used to play melody and solo parts and sometimes, in rare events, it is used to play chords like the double seconds and guitar pans. It is a much respected instrument by panists especially around Panorama (a competition held annually in Trinidad) time. If a musician is looking for more of a challenge I will recommend that he play the quadrophinics.
TENOR BASS
In many instances, the tenor bass plays the same line as the regular bass but one octave higher. It serves as a good bridge between the Four Cello (Four Pan) and the six bass.
SIX BASS
The six bass carries the bass line and is one of four kinds of basses used in a steelband. The bass drum family includes the Tenor Bass, Six Bass, Nine Bass and Twelve Bass.
