Soul stirring, mind soothing rhythmical sounds are a part of pretty much every culture. People benefit from their aesthetic and recreational values as they enjoy these sounds in times of relaxation or excitement. Steel pan music is one of the examples of these life enhancing sounds. The method that is used to produce this dynamic instrument is just as intricate as the tool itself.
A musical instrument that has deep and immediate ties to the Caribbean, the steel pan has traditionally been linked with Calypso ad other West Indian based musical art forms. One nation though, Trinidad and Tobago, is the first that comes to mind when this instrument or the sounds it creates are mentioned. This is because this island nation is actually the literal foundation of the music.
The love of this musical instrument has grown so much that the sounds it produces have found their way into basically every genre of music. Bands of musicians use them to create sounds in reggae, rhythm and blues and almost every other musical genre. Clearly this sound is a rather diverse one, since it can blend seamlessly into the sounds of multiple genres.
Authentic steel pans are handmade. Experts start by selecting the right drum. Oil drums are typically used, but each pan in a steel pan set is unique as it creates a different sound. The type of sound created by each pan will depend on the type of drum used in the beginning.
After selecting their ideal drums, they have to sink the bottom. They do this by beating the closed end of the drum in with a heavy hammer. This creates a bowl-like appearance. Some drums may burst during this process. The ones that usually burst at this point are those that are rusted, heavily dented or extremely thin. This is another reason to pay keen attention to drum quality during the selection 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.
The pan will have to go through a few other stages before it is ready for use. It must be grooved, set, cut and tuned. It then has to be coated with a layer that not only protects the look but also the adjustments that have been made to its surface. Then it must go through a step known as fine tuning and blending.
It is clear therefore, that the effort that goes into making one of these instruments plays a significant role in the resulting melodies that people around the world enjoy. Many do not recognize it, but the makers of the tools also help to deliver the mind blowing sounds that come from the bands of musicians that use these instruments.
A musical instrument that has deep and immediate ties to the Caribbean, the steel pan has traditionally been linked with Calypso ad other West Indian based musical art forms. One nation though, Trinidad and Tobago, is the first that comes to mind when this instrument or the sounds it creates are mentioned. This is because this island nation is actually the literal foundation of the music.
The love of this musical instrument has grown so much that the sounds it produces have found their way into basically every genre of music. Bands of musicians use them to create sounds in reggae, rhythm and blues and almost every other musical genre. Clearly this sound is a rather diverse one, since it can blend seamlessly into the sounds of multiple genres.
Authentic steel pans are handmade. Experts start by selecting the right drum. Oil drums are typically used, but each pan in a steel pan set is unique as it creates a different sound. The type of sound created by each pan will depend on the type of drum used in the beginning.
After selecting their ideal drums, they have to sink the bottom. They do this by beating the closed end of the drum in with a heavy hammer. This creates a bowl-like appearance. Some drums may burst during this process. The ones that usually burst at this point are those that are rusted, heavily dented or extremely thin. This is another reason to pay keen attention to drum quality during the selection 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.
The pan will have to go through a few other stages before it is ready for use. It must be grooved, set, cut and tuned. It then has to be coated with a layer that not only protects the look but also the adjustments that have been made to its surface. Then it must go through a step known as fine tuning and blending.
It is clear therefore, that the effort that goes into making one of these instruments plays a significant role in the resulting melodies that people around the world enjoy. Many do not recognize it, but the makers of the tools also help to deliver the mind blowing sounds that come from the bands of musicians that use these instruments.
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