Steel Pan: A Trinidadian Legacy

The steel pan (also known as the steel drum) is a musical instrument that originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1930s. The history of the steel pan can be traced back to the enslaved Africans who were brought to Trinidad and Tobago in the 1700s and their use of hand drums. These drums became the main percussion instrument in the annual Trinidadian carnival festivities.

The steel pan was created in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1930s

The steel pan, also known as the steel drum, emerged in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1930s. Trinidadian street music has a long history, with roots in the country's Carnival tradition. When French planters arrived in Trinidad in the late 1700s, they brought with them a carnival tradition. The slaves formed their own festival, with drum music at its centre.

After emancipation in 1834, the celebrations became louder and more colourful. However, after disturbances in 1881, the British government tried to ban the use of drums and sticks. This led to the creation of the tamboo-bamboo—bamboo sticks cut for striking together and pounding on the ground. But, in 1934, the tamboo-bamboo was also banned.

It was at this point that the steel pan came into its own. Trinidadians turned to metal objects such as car parts, paint pots, dustbins, oil drums and biscuit tins, which they used as percussion instruments. Through experimentation, they discovered that these objects could be tuned to produce distinct musical pitches. The convex dent at the bottom of metal drums, for example, could be manipulated to produce recognisable melodies.

By the mid-1930s, bits of metal percussion were being used in the tamboo-bamboo bands. The first all-steel band, Alexander's Ragtime Band, emerged in 1939. By 1940, steel bands had become the preferred carnival accompaniment for young, underprivileged men.

The steel pan is now the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. It has gone from being an object of stigma to a source of great pride for the country's citizens.

It emerged from Carnival resistance and enslaved Africans brought to the Caribbean in the 1700s

The steel pan, or steel drum, emerged in the 1930s in Trinidad and Tobago. However, its origins can be traced back to enslaved Africans brought to the Caribbean in the 1700s.

In the 1780s, French colonists arrived in Trinidad and Tobago, bringing with them street festival traditions. In 1785, the first Carnival was held in Trinidad, with white plantation owners masquerading as slaves and mocking African dress, song, and dance customs. Enslaved Africans were not allowed to join the festivities and so organised underground Carnivals of their own, incorporating masks, feathers, beads, and drumming. Inspired by ancient traditions, they celebrated in cabins and backyards.

Following emancipation in 1834, Africans were allowed to participate in Carnival activities. However, their celebrations were heavily targeted by restrictive government bills, sparking protests and demonstrations. The British colonial government banned drumming in 1881 (or 1883, according to another source) due to fears that it could be used to pass secret messages and incite rebellion. This prompted the use of bamboo stamping tubes, known as 'Tamboo Bamboo', which produced a sound similar to hand drums when pounded on the ground. These tubes were played in ensembles called Tamboo Bamboo bands, which also included non-traditional instruments such as scrap metal, metal containers, graters, and dustbins.

By the 1930s, metal instruments dominated the Tamboo Bamboo bands, and the bamboo tubes were eventually replaced by metal ones. It was discovered that the convex dent at the bottom of metal drums could be tuned to distinct musical pitches, thus creating the first steel pans. These early metal pan bands were a combination of various metallic containers and kitchen utensils, struck with hands, fists, or sticks. Through experimentation and ingenuity, the metal pan bands evolved into the steel pan family of instruments.

The first steel pans were made from smaller metal containers and were convex in shape

The steel pan, also known as the steel drum, emerged in the 1930s in Trinidad and Tobago. The first steel pans were made from smaller metal containers and were convex in shape. These early metal pan bands were a combination of various metallic containers and kitchen utensils, struck with open hands, fists, or sticks. The metal pan players discovered that the raised areas of the metal containers produced a different sound to the flat areas. Through experimentation, trial and error, and the ingenuity of numerous innovators, the metal pan bands evolved into the steel pan family of instruments.

The steel pan was created in contexts of Carnival resistance, with its history traced back to the enslaved Africans brought to the Caribbean in the 1700s. Following emancipation in 1834, former slaves were allowed to participate in Trinidadian Carnival activities. However, African-descended percussive performance was targeted by restrictive government bills, sparking protests and demonstrations. These protests facilitated the development of improvisational and non-traditional percussive instruments.

The 'Tamboo Bamboo' bands, made from bamboo sticks, are widely accepted as the precursor to modern steel bands. During the 1930s, biscuit tins were included as rhythm instruments in the Tamboo Bamboo bands. However, due to fights between rival gangs, the Tamboo Bamboo bands were forbidden. This led to street bands being comprised exclusively of steel instruments. It was around this time that players noticed their steel instruments changed pitch after being beaten for a while.

By the late 1930s, the occasional all-steel band could be seen at Carnival, and by 1940 it had become the preferred Carnival accompaniment of young underprivileged men. The 55-gallon oil drum was used to make lead steel pans from around 1947. The Trinidad All-Steel Pan Percussion Orchestra (TASPO), formed to attend the Festival of Britain in 1951, was the first steel band whose instruments were all made from oil drums. They performed on July 26, introducing the steel pan and a new genre of music to the world.

The sound and notes of the steel pan came about through trial and error

The steel pan, or steel drum, emerged in the 1930s in Trinidad and Tobago. It is possibly the only instrument made out of industrial waste. The sound and notes of the steel pan came about through trial and error. Trinidadian panman Sterling Betancourt, who was born and raised in Laventille, a poor suburb just outside Port of Spain, said:

> It was a slow process, everyone got together and invented the steel pan by using pots and pans and testing them out. The sound and the notes came, but it wasn't like we thought about it. It was exciting, we knew we had something but we were just playing, it took time.

The steel pan evolved from the Tamboo Bamboo, which was a type of music created by enslaved Africans who were brought to Trinidad and Tobago in the 1700s. The French brought their carnival tradition to the island in the late 1700s, and the enslaved Africans formed their own festival, using drums. After emancipation in 1834, the celebrations became noisier, and the British government tried to ban the use of drums and sticks. The Africans responded by using bamboo sticks, beaten together and stamped on the ground. These were also eventually banned.

In the 1930s, people in Trinidad and Tobago discovered that metal objects like car parts, paint pots, dustbins, oil drums and biscuit tins could be used as musical instruments. They found that the raised areas of the metal containers made a different sound to the flat areas. Through experimentation and trial and error, the metal pan bands evolved into the steel pan family of instruments.

By the mid-1930s, metal percussion was being used in the Tamboo Bamboo bands, and by the late 1930s, all-steel bands began to appear at carnivals. By 1940, steel bands had become the preferred carnival accompaniment of young underprivileged men. The 55-gallon oil drum was used to make steel pans from around 1947.

In 1951, the Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra (TASPO) performed at the Festival of Britain, marking the first time that steel pan music was heard in Britain. The public was fascinated by the idea that a 55-gallon oil drum could make musical sounds and looked under the steel pans to check that the sound was really coming from the instrument.

The steel pan is now the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago

The steel pan (also known as a steel drum) is now the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. It is possibly the only instrument made out of industrial waste, and its origins can be traced back to the enslaved Africans who were brought to Trinidad and Tobago in the 1700s.

Drumming was used as a form of communication among enslaved Africans and was subsequently outlawed by the British colonial government in 1883. After emancipation in 1834, the celebrations became noisier and more colourful, but the African-descended percussive performance was heavily targeted by restrictive government bills, sparking protests and demonstrations.

The steel pan emerged in the 1930s, when metal objects such as car parts, paint pots, dustbins, oil drums, and biscuit tins were used as percussion instruments. At some point, they began to be tuned. The first steel pans were made from smaller metal containers and were convex in shape. Players noticed that their steel instruments changed pitch after being beaten for a while.

By 1955, steel pans had become standardised and were largely constructed from 55-gallon oil drums. In 1951, the Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra (TASPO) performed at the Festival of Britain, marking the first time steel pan music was heard in Britain. This helped to popularise the instrument internationally.

The steel pan is now an iconic part of Trinidadian culture and has appeared on the former national airline of Trinidad and Tobago, BWIA, and on the tails of their aircraft. The annual Panorama competition, which began in 1963 in Trinidad and Tobago, is the largest steel band contest in the world.

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