The Steel Pan: The National Instrument of T&T

Name: Amisha Singh

Subject: Music
Teacher: Ms. McLean
Date Submitted: 2/3/2023
 Table of Contents

The Steel Pan: The National Instrument of T&T

Table of Contents
PAGE
Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………. 1
Precursor to the Steel Pan ………………………………………………………………….. 4
The Birth of the Steel Pan…………………………………………………………………….5
Historical Development of the Steel Pan…………………………....………………………..6
How Steel Pans are made.........................................................................................................7
What is a Steelband?.................................................................................................................10
Musical Instruments of Steelbands and their Functions……………………………………..11
Steel Pan Pioneers……………………………………………………………………………..17
Pan Trinbago and the National Panorama
Competition……………………………………….22
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………..23

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Introduction
This project hopes to introduce the reader to the steelpan, its history, composers, pioneers,
arrangers, instruments, steelbands and more.

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Precursor to the Steel Pan: Tamboo Bamboo

The tamboo bamboo is an instrument created before the steel pan and works by
hammering carved sticks on the ground to create complex rhythms.

Before the steel pan was invented, musicians originally used the tamboo bamboo instrument
which then resulted in the emergence of the steel pan. The tamboo bamboo originated in Trinidad
after the government banned skinned steel drums.In 1884 drumming was banned from Carnival
after the authorities feared the drums were being used as a means of communication. Searching
for an alternative, the people began to use pieces of dried bamboo as a substitute for making
music accompanied by singing and dancing.

*image of tamboo bamboo

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The Birth of the Steel Pan

In this chapter we will speak about how the steel pan emerged into
existence. In the previous chapter, Precursor to the Steel Pan: Tamboo
Bamboo, we mentioned that tamboo bamboo played a major role in
the appearance of the steel pan.

The experience gained by the tamboo bamboo men through the

union of bamboo and other musical instruments led them to
substitute many other objects into the band to replace destroyed
tamboo bamboo which often broke on the road through pounding.
This experience served the country's musicians into the development
and evolution of the pan in which we know it today.

Another contributing factor to the steel pam’s emergence was

the banning of tamboo bamboo in 1934 due to misusing it as a
weapon. This led to many other substitutes of the tamboo
bamboo.

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Historical Development of the Steel Pan

In the beginning, drumming was used as a form of communication among the enslaved
Africans and was subsequently outlawed by the British colonial government in 1883. While
many instruments have experienced some degree of evolution in recent years, the steel pan has
the distinction of being the only instrument to be truly ‘invented’ in the 20th century.

The first instruments developed in the evolution of steel pan were Tamboo Bamboo, as
mentioned before, tunable sticks made of bamboo wood which were hit onto the ground with
other sticks in order to produce sound. Tamboo Bamboo bands also included percussion using
biscuit tins, oil drums, and bottle-and-spoon. The tamboo bamboo instruments were the Boom,
the Foule, the Cutters and the Chandlers

It originally emerged in Trinidad, after skinned drums were banned by the British
government in 1884. The word Tamboo comes from the French word Tambour, which itself
means drum. Trinidad began holding carnivals in the late 1700s when French planters arrived,
and their slaves formed their own festival, fuelled by drum music. After emancipation in 1834,
the celebrations became noisier and more colourful, but disturbances led the government to
clamp down on the use of sticks and drums.
.

In 1934 the Tamboo Bamboo was banned, after the instruments were sharpened to a vicious
point and used as weapons between rival gangs. Musicians adopted the Steel Drum as a
replacement, but the Bamboo tradition has recently re-emerged as a simple way of introducing
children to music.

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How Steel Pans are made

In the early days, many were created from oil drums and other discarded metal objects
that had been tuned to make different sounds. There are multiple steps in the making of a
steel pan. This chapter will show you how to make a steel pan from an oil drum.

Step 1: Find your drum

Steel pans start life as a standard 55 gallon oil drum, made from 17 or 18 gauge steel. These
drums are cleaned and checked for faults before the best are chosen for use.

Step 2: Sinking
The flat bottom of the oil drum is robustly hammered into a concave shape using a heavy
hammer. In some parts of the Caribbean a shot-put or a 5kg heavy cast iron ball is used instead,
which is bounced onto the surface. This process, known as sinking, stretches the steel and creates
the surface for the notes. This surface is now completely below the rim of the oil drum.

*picture of the hammering process

Step 3: Cutting
The lower section of the drum is cut off. How much is cut off determines the pitch of the steel
pan. If you leave more ‘skirt’ in the drum, it has a lower pitch. Less skirt, the higher the
individual pan voices can be. (This can also be done after the grooving process in Step 7.)

Step 4: Smoothing
The hammer comes out again, to smooth out the concave surface in a process rather like
taking dents out of car doors (panel beating). This second round of hammering further
strengthens the drum.

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Step 5:Etching
The individual notes need to be etched onto the playing surface so each one can be pitched.
This is done using a punch tool, some pre-cut shapes as according to which note is being created,
and a template of where each note should be positioned. Each pitch of the pan (tenor, baritone,
etc) has its own template.

*example of steel pan template

Step 6:Countersinking
The area between each note is carefully flattened using (you guessed it) precision hammers. The
result is that each note protrudes slightly as a ‘bulge’, making it easier to hit when playing.

Step 7:Grooving
Using a nail punch, indentations are gently hammered around each note to create an outline.
The idea is that this outline separates each note from one another, and stops them blends
together. However, given that we’re still dealing with one big piece of steel, some steel pan
tuners think this process just makes the pan look nicer!

Step 8:Firing and Tempering

The steel in the drum still needs to be tempered. Sop it is heated rapidly and then cooled by
pouring water over it or leaving it to cool in a gentle Caribbean breeze. This process removes
what is known as ‘local’ tensions, where some steel sections are stretched more than other
sections. This process ‘evens out’ the stresses, making the pan much easier to tune.

Step 9:Tuning
Tuners use a variety of tools to make and tune steel pans including hammers, electronic tuning
machines and tuning forks.

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Step 10:Cleaning and Polishing
Now it’s in tune, each steel drum is cleaned and polished. It can also be painted, chrome-plated
or powder coated to give it a protective layer and attractive finish.

*polished steel pans

Step 11:Final Tuning

A final tune is required to ensure every note is perfect. It’s a process not to be rushed, as each
time one note is tweaked, it will inevitably affect the others around it.

Final Step:Blending
If you’re playing in a steel band, you’ll want all the steep pans to blend together for that mellow
vibe and sympathetic harmonics. Blending and tuning is not a one-off, as any steel pan drum
needs retuning and blending over its lifespan.

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What is a Steel Band?

A steel band is a musical band focused primarily on playing the steel pan. The steel band
may keep the beat using a drum kit and hand percussion like congas, scratchers and scrapers.
This part of the band is called the engine room.
A very small steel band of two to four musicians is sometimes known as a steel ensemble. A
large steel band is called a steel percussion orchestra.
Steel bands are best known for playing Caribbean music called calypso but can play any type of
music including pop, jazz, gospel, reggae and classical.

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Musical Instruments of Steel Bands and their functions

Frontline pans:
Frontline pans are the highest pitched instrument in the steelpan family . They usually play the
melody, countermelodies or provide high harmonic support

High Tenor - The High Tenor Pan is also called the D-Lead, Soprano or melody Pan, and
carries the melody in the steelpan orchestra. This steel pan has the highest pitch and has 29 notes
arrange in the circle of fifths

*image of a high tenor pan

Low Tenor - The Low Tenor has a lower pitch range than of the high tenor but it has notes that
are arranged in the same order as the high tenor. The function of this steel pan is the same as that
of the high tenor and it is also used by pan soloists.

*image of low tenor pan and template

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Double Tenor - The Double Tenor, which was invented by Bertie Marshall uses 2 drums and
has higher pitch range than a low tenor. These steel pans have a distinctively pleasant sound,
which makes them very appealing to pan soloists. The double tenor can be used to carry the
melody, a harmonic voice, for counter melodies or for chords.

*image of double tenor pan template

*image of double tenor pan template

Midrange Pans:
The main function of the steel pans (steel drums) in this section is to provide harmonic support
and sometimes countermelodies.

Guitars
The guitar pan has the narrowest range and therefore has limited capability for countermelodies.
Their main function is harmonic support, usually in the form of strumming chord tones.

● Single Guitar Pan - A single pan played by one person used in single pan bands.

*image of single guitar pan

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 ● Double Guitar Pan- A pair of pans played by one person, used in conventional
steelbands.

*image of double guitar pan

Quadraphonics
The quadrophonic pan is a set of four drums played by one person. It has the widest range of the
entire steelband family which allows them to perform a variety of functions, including
reinforcing the melody, playing countermelodies and providing harmonic support.

*image of quadraphonics

Cello Pans
The main function of cello pans is harmonic support usually in the form of strumming chord
tones and also countermelodies. There two main types are:

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 ● Triple Cello Pan: Three drums played by one person, used in conventional steel pans.

● Four Cello Pan: Four drums played by one person, used conventional steelbands.

Background Instruments
This section contains the lowest pitched instruments in the steel pan family. They play the bass
lines which provide the harmonic foundation for the steelband (steel drum band).

Tenor Bass
Also called the four bass. It consists of four drums which are played by one person and are used
in conventional steelbands. They provide the definition in the section and play a crucial role in
producing clean, unambiguous bass lines.

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Six Bass Pan
Six drums played by one person, used in conventional steelbands. They are the most popular
background pan and are used in steel pan ensembles of all sizes.

9 Bass Pan
The nine bass is the lowest regular instrument of the steelband. The nine drums accommodate
altogether 27 notes, ranging from A1 to B3. To get a set-up of nine drums to be playable, three of
the drums have been hung in a tilted position in front of the player.

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Engine Room
Also known as the iron or rhythm section. The main purpose of the engine room is to drive the
music thus keeping the music lively and steady. In its simplest form this could consist of a drum
kit and set of Conga drums.These unpitched percussion instruments provide the timing and
rhythmic drive for the entire band and are an important section in most steelbands.

Drum Kit Conga Drums Scratcher(guiro) Iron

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Steelpan Pioneers

Famous Steelpan Pioneers:

Winston “Spree” Simon (1930 – 18 April 1976)

Simon was born in Laventille, Trinidad. He is

credited with the invention of the Ping Pong
steelpan instrument. Simon also was part of TASPO,
the Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra and
visited Great Britain in 1951.
Winston "Spree" Simon worked closely with
Anthony Williams, who later invented the fourth and
fifth soprano pan. Simon also gave Bertie Marshall
significant impulses for his work in developing
harmonical tuning.
The American musician and composer Van Dykes Parks celebrated the life of Winston Simon in
the song "Tribute to Spree" on his album Clang of the Yankee Reaper written and first recorded
By the late great Lord Kitchener.

Ellie Mannette (5 November 1927 – 29 August 2018)

Elliot Mannette (popularly called Ellie) was born in Sans Souci

in 1927 and grew up in Woodbrook, Trinidad.His lifelong
journey with the steelpan began at the tender age of 11, when
he became involved in the rudimentary beginnings of the use of
pans to create music.
As early as 1940 he helped organize a group called the Oval
Boys, which later evolved into the Invaders Steel Orchestra, a
group that he led for almost three decades. He built the first
musical instrument from a 55 gallon steel drum (the same size
of drum that is used today) in 1946 and he continued to tune
pans for several bands and assisted their development in the
early 1950s.
Mannette Artist-in-Residence at West Virginia University, where he is also CEO of Mannette
Steel Drums and where he launched the Mannette Foundation. He continues to work with
leading acoustics physicists and metallurgists on the science of the steelpan.

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Kim Johnson

Dr. Kim Johnson is an accomplished journalist, author, and

researcher and is recognized as a foremost Steelpan historian in
Trinidad & Tobago.
Dr. Johnson is a Senior Research Fellow at The Academy for Arts,
Letters, Culture and Public Affairs at The University of Trinidad
and Tobago. In 2011, he was awarded Anthony N. Sabga Laureate
for Arts & Letters. His most recent book, The Illustrated Story of
Pan, is an important pictorial and oral history of the steelband
movement. The Digital Pan Archive Project that he created has
been nominated for the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
His interests in dramatizing the story of the Steelpan have led to his
involvement in the 2010 short film ‘The Audacity of the Creole
Imagination’.
At the time of the 2013 Mentoring By the Masters programme, Dr. Johnson was making his
foray into multimedia projects featuring the Steelpan including, the international award-winning,
Pan: A Music Odyssey.

Len “Boogsie” Sharpe

Born Lennox Sharpe, “Boogsie” is considered to be a living legend,

both in his home country of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) and around
the world. With perfect pitch and his bluesy, groove-oriented musical
style, Sharpe has achieved cult status in the pan community for writing
and arranging countless pieces that many consider modern works of
art. His work as an arranger for Phase II Pan Groove has made them
one of the most famous steel bands in the world, having won Trinidad
& Tobago Panorama seven times and second place 12 times. His
composing and arranging skills are matched by his dazzling virtuosity
as a soloist, given his ability to play incredibly fast and create rich,
harp-like pieces by self-accompaniment. Some of his most popular
songs include “Sarah,” “Cryin,” “Woman is Boss,” “Pan Rising,” “‘Dis Feelin’ Nice,” “More

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Love,” “Birthday Party,” and his arrangement of “Fire Down Below” for the 1989 Panorama
competition.

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Beverly Griffith

Griffith was a pianist with the Clarence Curvan Orchestra

when he made his mark in the steelband world after his
classic arrangement of Lord Kitchener's "Mama Dis Is
Mas" landed Desperadoes second place in the 1964
Panorama competition. Desperadoes returned in 1966 to
take the Panorama title with his arrangement of Mighty
Sparrow's "Melda." After migrating to New York, USA, in
the late-1960s, Griffith returned to Trinidad in 1985, at the
request of Desperadoes' leader Rudolph Charles, to team
up with Robert Greenidge to lead Desperadoes to a joint
share of the Panorama title with Renegades. In the USA,
Griffith was a social worker in New York and Florida. He
worked with ailing seniors, needy children and adults addicted to drugs and alcohol.

Clive Bradley

Bradley's interest in music began while he was in high

school and taught himself to play the guitar. He later
learned to play the piano and landed a job with the Sonny
Denner Band at the Roxy nightclub. He then joined Choy
Aming's Orchestra as the pianist and started writing music
for the band while learning music theory. He moved over
to the Clarence Curvan Band when pianist Beverly
Griffith departed. Bradley became a well-known keyboard
player and arranger who worked with several
calypsonians, including Lord Kitchener and Lord Nelson.
After a brief stay in Canada in the mid-1960s, he made his
introduction to steelband music when he arranged Mighty
Sparrow's "Mr. Walker" for the Desperadoes Steelband in 1968. His steelband music
arrangements produced seven Panorama titles: six for Desperadoes and one for Nutones.

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Edwin Pouchet

Pouchet began composing and arranging for Silver Stars and, in

2008, Trinidad All Stars placed 2nd in the Panorama competition
with a rendition of "Thunder Coming," a composition that he
co-wrote with Alvin Daniel. He went on to lead Silver Stars to two
Panorama victories with his original compositions.

Leon “Smooth” Edwards

Edwards joined the Trinidad All Stars steelband in 1968 and

began arranging in 1975; he later toured Africa with the band in
1977. As of 2014, his musical arrangements took All Stars to
Panorama victories nine times: 1980, 1981, 1986, 2002, 2007,
2011, 2012, 2015, and 2017. In 1988, he migrated to the
Washington, DC, area in the USA and, in 1989, began teaching
technical skills to the Metroplitan Steel Symphony sponsored by
the Seventh Day Adventist Church. While in the USA, he
participated in the formation of two youth steelbands under the
auspices of the Cultural Academy for Excellence: Positive
Vibrations and his church band. In 1999, he began making solo
performances in the Washington, DC, area.

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Ray Holman

Edwards joined the Trinidad All Stars steelband in 1968

and began arranging in 1975; he later toured Africa with
the band in 1977. As of 2014, his musical arrangements
took All Stars to Panorama victories nine times: 1980,
1981, 1986, 2002, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2017. In
1988, he migrated to the Washington, DC, area in the USA
and, in 1989, began teaching technical skills to the
Metroplitan Steel Symphony sponsored by the Seventh
Day Adventist Church. While in the USA, he participated
in the formation of two youth steelbands under the
auspices of the Cultural Academy for Excellence: Positive Vibrations and his church band. In
1999, he began making solo performances in the Washington, DC, area.

Ken “Professor” Philmore

Ken “Professor” Philmore who became a beloved son of South

Trinidad, began to hone his skills on the national instrument at a very
early age and went on to establish himself as one of the premiere
names in pan. In 1988 he took his talent abroad and performed with
Tina Turner and Lionel Hampton in New York and in 1989 he
received a special award for his contribution to music in New York
City by then Mayor, Edward Irving
Koch.

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Pan Trinbago and the National Panorama Competition

PanTrinbago is a cultural organization which was incorporated by Act of Parliament, 5 of 1986.

It formerly operated and was registered as a Union representing the interest of steelpan
players. The general membership of the steelband Movement decided that it would better serve
their interests in the development and promotion of the steelband, to become incorporated by an
Act of Parliament here in Trinidad and Tobago, the birth place of the steelband and the main
centre for the propagation of this art form.

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Conclusion
As mentioned in the beginning, I hope this project serves its purpose of being informative
regarding the steelpan, its history, pioneers, composers, arranger, instruments and steelbands. To
me, this project was enjoyable and helped me learn more about the culture of the steelpan. I
would also like to say that this project sparked a little interest in learning how to play the
steelpan. Overall, I think this project was undoubtedly a success.

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