Steel Pan Instrument Facts

The steel pan possibly the only instrument made out of industrial waste has become an icon of trinidadian culture.

Steel pan instrument facts. Fifty years after the second world war pan makers have developed the steel drum into the marvelous instrument that it is today through sophisticated experimentation with the metal parameters intuition and a good musical ear. Hammered into the shiny metal surface is a series of dents. The steel drum is more correctly called a steel pan or pan as it falls into the idiophone family of instruments and so is not a drum. The steel drum is a tuned idiophone traditionally made from an oil drum but today is made of high quality steel.

Steel pan facts the steel pan are a percussion instrument made from industrial drums also referred to as pans or steel drums. The steel pan is made up of sheet metal that is stretched into a bowl type shape that is formed by using hammers air pressure or by hand. They belong to the percussion family of instruments instruments that are struck or shaken are made from 55 gallon oil drums and come in a variety of musical ranges. Steel pan history and development steel pans steel drums were created on the caribbean island of trinidad in the 1930s but steel pan history can be traced back to the enslaved africans who were brought to the islands during the 1700s.

This is what the modern steel drum steel pan looks like. Steel pan 1 9 the steelpan was invented in trinidad and tobago and is widely regarded as the only major musical instrument to be invented in the 20th century. Learn more about the steel drum s complex history development and current form with our ten fun facts below. They are musical instruments created in the caribbean island republic of trinidad and tobago in the 1930 s.

What is a steel pan steel drum. Musical instrument facts the steel drum is a tuned idiophone traditionally made from an oil drum but today is made of high quality steel. In order to emit that orchestral sound every group of pans needs to have a certain range. Steel pans originated in trinidad and tobago after the french arrived in trinidad with their slaves during the french revolution.

Each one creates a. The name of this particular one is called a tenor pan. This article on steel pan history the history of steel drums reveals many fascinating facts about the development of this instrument. The steel pan or steel drum is an instrument that was invented in trinidad and tobago in the late 1930 s.

Drum refers to the steel drum containers from which the pans are made. To make a steel drum or a pan the bottom of an oil drum is first pounded into a bowl then shaped and tuned with hammers to form distinct resonating surfaces.