Hopetown Music Inc. and the Steel Drum Shop

Introducing a Great New Line of Steel Pan Instruments

 

For years we have marketed our great Trinidad built Steel Pans under the Hopetown Classic ™ and Hopetown Pro ™ brand names.  We are now introducing a true alternative in the world of Steel Band instruments.  The U.S. built, Panhandler ™ family of Steel Band instruments from Hopetown Music Inc. provides the best cost/quality ratio of any U.S. made instrument line.  These Dave Beery designed instruments will cost you a bit more than our “Classic” line but your satisfaction is guaranteed.  Specify Panhandler Steel Drum Products! ™

 

Experience the best in Steel Drum Band Instruments

Now, a bit less is so much more!  The thinking since the creation of the modern steel drum instrument family in Trinidad during the 1950’s has been to include as many notes as possible on each instrument or set.  This “add more notes” mentality made perfect sense in the early days when getting even a full octave onto a single pan was hard to do.

 

The Tuning and Performance Issues are GONE!

After studying the tuning and performance problems created by installing extra notes on the pan instruments, we made the decision to reduce the number of notes per pan set to those actually required.  This allows the required notes to produce quality sound levels, correct harmonics and true clarity of tone.

 

Easy to Learn + Transferable Skills

The clean note layouts make it much quicker and easier for the student to develop the required “muscle memories”.  The fact that the notes are presented in the same general locations as other steel pan designs makes transitioning to another maker’s instrument sets a snap.  The acquired muscle memories remain valid.

 

Generous Range Overlap

The Panhandler™ design covers the entire note range yet provides plenty of overlap where required.  We’ve given you what you need and dispensed with the clutter.  The result is a family of instrument sets that are more cost effective to build, easier to tune and yet musically correct for each voice range.

 

Panhandler Instrument Note Ranges

Individual Instrument Descriptions and Diagrams

 

The Panhandler Note Layout

This is part of the magic.  The notes are in the same location as on any other standard pan set.  Your players will be up-to-speed in no time.

 

Tenor (Lead) C4 – E6

We will continue to supply our excellent line of Trinidad made Lead Pans.

 

Double Second F#3 – G5

The classic double second style layout made easier to learn.  Double seconds are used primarily for melodic harmony playing and chording support.  Two complete octaves in whole tone scales are included and the notes are logically paired in octave rings.  Quality 1.2mm steel is used to create this instrument.  The skirt length is approximately 9 inches. 

Double Guitar D3 – F4

The double guitar has a dark punchy tone that fills the middle range of the steel band with meaty substance.  The synchronized design makes learning this instrument easy.  It is easy to store, easy to transport, and can double many of the most commonly played notes of the triple cello.  This instrument is made from quality 1.2mm steel.  The skirt length is approximately 14 inches.

 

 

 

Triple Cello C3 – B5

The triple cello is one of the standard baritone voices of the steel band.  A broad note range and a dark, rich tone are characteristic of this instrument.  The synchronized design makes learning this instrument easy.  This instrument is made from quality 1.2mm steel.  The skirt length is approximately 17.5 inches.

 

Tenor Bass F2 – Ab3

The tenor bass creates a punchy bass line that many steel bands are looking for.  This instrument has a reduced high range from typical tenor basses but the most commonly used low notes and synchronized design remains the same.  It is easy to learn and play.  It is less bulky than a full size six bass and requires less storage and transportation space.   The tenor bass is an excellent choice for small group steel bands.  The tenor bass is also a must for a steel band that already has a six bass instrument.  It doubles most bass lines and creates a thick bass texture that cannot be duplicated by using multiple six bass instruments.  This instrument is made from quality 1.2mm steel.  The skirt length is approximately 21 inches.

Six Bass C2 – F3

The six bass is the standard bass instrument in most any steel band around the world.  The C-F design creates a smooth melodic bass sound.  The lowest notes are very powerful and have a centered tone.  The highest notes are smooth and resonant.  When low and high octaves are played simultaneously the resulting bass tone is very powerful. 

 

The best feature of this set is its skirt length.  We have cut the pans off at 28” which allows the instruments to hang on our modular stand system.  We think they sound better than the full length barrels common to most six bass sets.  The resonance is fabulous!   This instrument is made from quality 1.2mm steel.