The steelpan, also called a pan or steel drum, is a musical instrument that came from Trinidad and Tobago. People who play the steelpan are called pannists.

In 1992, the steelpan was named Trinidad and Tobago’s national instrument by Prime Minister Patrick Manning. This made the steelpan a symbol of pride and culture, recognized in many places around the world.

In 2023, the United Nations General Assembly chose August 11 as World Steelpan Day. The next year, the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago officially named the steelpan the country’s national instrument.

Description

The modern pan is a percussion instrument that can play all the notes in order. It is made from large industrial drums that hold 200 liters of liquid.

The word "drum" refers to the steel containers used to make pans. These containers are more accurately called steel pans or pans because they belong to the idiophone family of instruments, which are different from membranophones (instruments with stretched membranes, like traditional drums). Some steel pans are designed to play music using the Pythagorean musical cycle of fourths and fifths.

A pan is played with two straight sticks that have rubber tips. The size and type of rubber tip depend on the type of pan being played. Some musicians use four sticks, holding two in each hand. This style of playing developed from Trinidad and Tobago's early 20th-century Carnival groups called tamboo bamboo.

The pan is the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. It is shown on the country's current coat of arms.

Origin

Steelpans began in the early to mid-1900s, but their history goes back much further. West African cultures used talking drums for ceremonies and to send messages far away.

Because of the transatlantic slave trade, African slaves were brought to the Americas, including Trinidad. In the 1780s, French colonists arrived in Trinidad and Tobago and brought street festival traditions. In 1785, plantation owners held the first Carnival in Trinidad. Some white owners dressed like slaves, mocking African customs by singing, dancing, and using talking drums. Enslaved Africans could not join these events, so they created their own secret festivals in hidden places. Inspired by ancient traditions, Africans used masks, feathers, beads, and drumming.

In 1789, the Spanish governor of Trinidad ordered all Africans to follow Roman Catholic religion and celebrate Christian holidays. This was to stop West African traditions. However, enslaved Africans kept their customs by hiding them in Christian celebrations. For example, on Sundays, they wore their best clothes and attended drum dances in yards or fields where they grew their own crops. They danced to music made by skin drums and gourd rattles.

In 1834, slavery was abolished in Trinidad and Tobago because of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833. However, segregation and forced labor continued. After emancipation, Africans celebrated Canboulay, a harvest festival with calypso drumming. In 1881, the Canboulay riots happened, leading to bans on stick-fighting and African percussion music. These were later replaced by bamboo sticks, which were also later banned.

The first steelpans were called tamboo bamboos, made from bamboo sticks. They were hit on the ground and with other sticks to make sounds. Tamboo bamboo bands used a (gin) bottle and spoon for percussion. By the 1930s, metal parts like car brake hubs and biscuit drums were added to replace the bottle and spoon.

In 1937, percussionists in Laventille used frying pans, dustbin lids, and oil drums as instruments. In 1941, the U.S. Navy came to Trinidad. Steelpan musicians helped soldiers learn the music, starting its international popularity. At first, steelpan music was linked to violent or unruly groups, and women were not allowed to play. Over time, as the instrument became more accepted, women were allowed to join, and the stigma decreased. In 1939, the first all-steel band, Alexander's Ragtime Band, emerged, and by 1940 it became the preferred carnival accompaniment of young underprivileged men.

Around 1947, the 55-gallon oil drum was used to make steelpans. The Trinidad All-Steel Pan Percussion Orchestra (TASPO) was formed to go to the Festival of Britain in 1951. They were the first steelband using only oil drums. They performed on July 26, introducing the steelpan to the world. Members included Ellie Mannette and Winston "Spree" Simon. Hugh Borde led the National Steel Band of Trinidad & Tobago at the Commonwealth Arts Festival in England, as well as the Esso Tripoli Steel Band, which played at the World's Fair in Montreal, Canada, and later toured with Liberace. They were featured on an album with him.

In 1954, three steelpans were used in the Broadway musical *House of Flowers

Construction

The size of the note's oval relates to the pitch. A larger oval produces a lower tone.

Each steelpan can vary in size. Some pans may have most of the "skirt" (the curved, cylindrical part of the oil drum) removed and include about 30 notes in the soprano range. Others may use the full drum and have only three bass notes per pan. In this case, one person can play six pans at once. The length of the skirt usually matches the range (high or low notes) of the drum. Pans are often painted or covered with chrome. Other finishes, such as nickel plating, powder coating, or hardening, may also be used.

Although the steelpan is a newer instrument in the percussion family, tuning methods have improved quickly. Strobe tuners are especially helpful for tuning. Seeing the first few overtones (extra sounds) is important, which makes strobe tuners necessary. Steelpan makers discovered that adjusting the overtones (first, second, and third) makes the pan's sound clearer and more defined.

A steelpan can go out of tune in several ways, most often because of playing too hard or improper handling. It is common for steelbands to have their instruments tuned once or twice a year. A tuner must have skill to make the notes sound good and correct. Much of the tuning is done using hammers.

Classification

At the start of the steelband movement, players used only one pan, which is now called an around-the-neck instrument. Later, some steelpans could play all the notes in order by using more than one pan, especially for the low notes. These low notes require larger pans that have fewer notes each because the lower notes need more space. Here are some of the most popular instruments:

Music and competitions

The steelband has a wide range of music it can play. In Trinidad, steelbands often change or adapt the current year's calypsos for performances during Carnival. It is uncommon to hear calypsos from earlier years at Carnival or in the Panorama music competition. Steelbands that perform throughout the year, both in Trinidad and around the world, take pride in being able to play many types of music, including Latin and jazz songs, movie music, and other popular tunes. Pannists also have a tradition of playing classical music that began in 1946. This music is sometimes played in calypso rhythm, called "The Bomb," or in a more traditional style during concerts or festivals. In these settings, playing the music accurately and staying true to the original version is very important.

An international event called the World Steelband Music Festival has taken place in Trinidad since 1964. At this festival, steelbands perform a test piece (which may be specially written or a chosen calypso), a piece of choice (often a "classic" or European art-music work), and a calypso of choice in a concert-style setting. Panorama, the largest steelband competition in the world, happens during Carnival in Trinidad. In 2020, the first online steelpan competition, called PanoGrama, was started by Nevin Roach. Since 1978, a national Panorama competition has been held in the United Kingdom as part of the Notting Hill Carnival. In Brooklyn, New York, where many West Indians live, a yearly Steelband Panorama has been part of the Labor Day Carnival since 1972.

In the 1970s, musicians like Dave Samuels and Othello Molineaux introduced steelpans to jazz fusion. In the 2000s, Jonathan Scales also played a role in this genre. Steelpans are featured in the early fusion album Morning Dance by Spyro Gyra.

Pannists

A pannist (sometimes called a panist or panman) is a person who plays the steelpan. A professional pannist may perform alone, play with a steel band, or support singers or other musicians.

Pannists often perform with their bands in large competitions and usually memorize all the music they play.

The highest position for a pannist in a Panorama steelband is the captain. These large groups often have section leaders, who are experienced pannists responsible for guiding different parts of the band.

Important pannists include Ellie Mannette, known as the "Father of the Modern Steel Drum" and a skilled panman, and Winston "Spree" Simon, who created and played the "Ping Pong" pan.

Musicians Jimmy Buffett and Lord Kitchener are known for writing songs that were later played on the steel pan. Well-known pan tuners and producers include Darren Dyke, Mappo, Bertrand Kelman, and Herman Guppy.