vendredi 27 novembre 2015

The Marvelous Instrument Behind Steel Pan Music

By Marci Nielsen


It rocks the soul and soothes the mind. It forms an integral part of most cultures around the world. It is one of the few aspects of life on earth that has remained relevant as time has passed while evolving as the times change. Rhythmic tunes such as those produced by steel pan music are simply indispensable to people from all walks of life. Making steel pans, is as you can imagine, quite an intricate process.

Creating music by using the steel pans is an art that is closely associated with the Caribbean region. Calypso songs are enhanced by the accompaniment of sweet rhythmic sounds emanating from these musical tunes. Trinidad and Tobago's musicians are famed for being the pioneers in this area.

Even though the musical genre has strong ties to the Caribbean, the sounds produced are so diverse that they can be used to create the sounds of any category of musical expressions. These musical tools are found in rhythm and blues, gospel, reggae and many other types of bands. There is no genre that they cannot fit into.

Experts make steel pans with their hands and the process requires much skill and energy. They tend to start off by selecting the ideal metal drum to make the pan. This is an important step because the drum selected will, in the end, determine the type of sound produced and anyone who listens to the music these instruments produce will realize that they create a variety of sounds.

The drums selected must have one end opened and the bottom must remain sealed. The maker will sink the bottom to create a bowl-like appearance from the inside. During this step, if the drum selected was too thin, or rusted, or dented badly, it may burst due to the pressure being applied. It is clear therefore, why it is crucial to consider drum quality from the initial phase.

The sinking process is one of the steps that helps to make the instrument produce the desired notes. After sinking, the drum is once again adjusted to ensure that it produces the desired noted. It is marked to identify the areas that should produce each note. The unmarked areas are then flattened in with a special tuning hammer.

After the pans have been through the sinking and counter sinking stages of the process, there are other adjustments that they must undergo. These steps add tot he drums' ability to produce varying desired sounds. After the physical manipulation, the drums are coated with a protective layer using either a powder coating or the traditional chrome plating or painting. The final stage for them is a fine tuning and blending phases. At this point, they are ready for the market.

A steel pan goes through a very detailed and intricate process before it gets to the musician. The sounds that people around the world enjoy so much are the products of, not just the musical talent using it but also the expert craftsmen who exert much effort and expertise in making it.




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