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The steel drum is believed to be the only non-electronic, acoustic musical instrument invented in the 20^th century. The first steel drum or “pan” was invented around World War II in Trinidad, off the coast of Venezuela in South America.

 In the 1800s Trinidad was a sugar plantation society.  The French and English colonists brought natives from Central and West Africa as slaves for their plantations.  The Africans brought their musical traditions with them, especially their drumming and singing, and used it in much the same way as they had in Africa – for celebrations, religious ceremonies, to pass time when they were working, and for communication.  The colonists were threatened by the drumming, thinking – sometimes rightfully so – that the slaves were sending messages that might lead to a slave uprising. 

Drumming also was used to accompany “kalinda” or stick-fighting gangs.  These groups would walk the streets playing rhythms and singing.  When one kalinda gang met another, a fight would usually break out.   The fights intimidated the colonists and gave them more reason to oppose drumming. 

Carnival, the period before Ash Wednesday and the Christian period of Lent, was another opportunity for Africans to take to the streets, beating their drums.  Fights often broke out between drummers and the colonists.   The Europeans, again suspecting the drummers were passing coded messages that might lead to rioting and revolt, banned all drum parades in 1883. 

Without their drums, Africans began using bamboo sticks to play rhythms.  These groups became known as the tamboo bamboo bands.  During Carnival, the tamboo bamboo bands would parade, pounding bamboo tubes on the ground and beating spoons on glass bottles.  When rival bands met on the street, they would compete to see who could be the loudest.  These sometimes violent and messy clashes, which left streets littered with broken bamboo and glass, led to tamboo bamboo bands being outlawed in 1934. 

The late 1930s are considered birth years of the steel drum.  Tamboo bamboo bands had already started switching to steel because the players discovered metal was stronger and louder than the bamboo.  The new rhythm  groups were called iron bands.  Their instruments were mostly paint and biscuit tins.

The more inventive players discovered that bulges of different sizes in the bottom of a tin could produce various pitches.   Some  players started to tune the tins and play melodies on them.  “Winston  “Spree” Simon is generally considered the inventor of the first melodic steel pan.

No Carnivals were held during World War II for security reasons, but Simon and others continued experimenting with metal.   From 1939 to 1945, the first melody pans were introduced.    Players discovered 55-gallon oil drums abandoned by U.S. forces stationed on the island during the war provided an ideal metal for the instrument.

The early pioneers of the steelband movement  were considered outcasts and hoodlums,    Rival bands clashed and engaged in bloody turf battles.   Petty jealousy and disputes over women were often the cause of fights. 

The forming of the Trinidad and Tobago Steel Band Association in 1949 was the first successful effort by some of Trinidad’s influential leaders to end the hostilities.  For  the first time steelbands shifted their attention from fighting to pursuing common interests.  The music of the steel drum  was finally on its way to being recognized as a true art form.   Many who had looked on steelbands as breeding grounds for troublemakers now saw them in a new light.

Over a little more than half a century, the steel drum has made its way from the panyards of Trinidad’s poorest neighborhoods to the world’s most prestigious concert halls.  In 1991, the steel drum was officially recognized as the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago.  An instrument once scorned and ridiculed is now a source of great pride for a nation and played and appreciated around the world. 

NOTE: Angela P. Smith is a freelance Writer/Editor, a great Pan enthusiast and a customer of the Steel Drum Shop.  Thanks Angela!

NOTE #2: Most of our tuners in Trinidad have been making Pans since they were young men in the mid to late 1950's.  They are the last of the generation of individuals who actually created the modern instrument.

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The Secret To The Sound - Our Imported Pans
	AN EXCELLENT BARREL - Each pan is built from a newly manufactured barrel.  This allows us to control the quality of the base material that our pans are made from.  Purchasing new barrels ads cost but produces a dramatic improvement in both the appearance and musical consistency of our final product.  Cheap pans from used barrels or Consistent Appearance, Quality and Sound?  A GREAT TEAM OF TUNER'S - Each of our Pans from Trinidad is fine tuned prior to being shipped to us. With up to 50 years in the pan tuning business, each of our individual builders is also the lead tuner for one or more Panorama Big Bands. A DETAILED FINAL CHECK - Prior to delivery, All Pans are tune checked for proper performance by our local tuner Mr. Francis Lynch.  We find that most of our new pans are in need of fine tuning just due to being handled so many times on their way up from Trinidad.  Again, we pay for this service to assure you of the highest possible quality when your pan arrives.  You receive a freshly tuned pan or instrument grouping..
	PAN QUALITY DESCRIPTIONS A pan is a pan is a pan, right? They all have the same notes, they all tune to the A-440 international standard for musical instruments and you can play music on any of them. Why then is there a price difference between them? The explanation is simple; some are much nicer in looks than others. For Example: You can purchase a “Budget” Yamaha Flute for $400. You can also purchase a “Concert Level” Yamaha Flute for over $2,000. The differences lay in the materials and in the craftsmanship that go into making each instrument. By the way, Yamaha makes flutes that cost upwards of $20,000! OUR GUARANTEE - No matter what grade of pan you purchase from us, we do not ship bad instruments to anyone.  We may find during our inspection that a pan has some visual problems.  You will find those in the discount list. ALL OF OUR FULL PRICE PANS LOOK GOOD AND PLAY GREAT...
"Plain Wrap" or Named Brand? - Our imported pans, both the Trinidad Classic and the Hopetown Pro line are made by some of the best Builder/Tuners in Trinidad.  5 of the 6 have over 40 years making pans.  The youngest has been tuning for over thirty years!  These are the guys who helped start the evolution of a completely new instrument.  As further evidence of their expertise, each of them is also the senior tuner for at least one big Panorama Band. Finally, each of them is a true gentleman and a joy to know personally.   "Classic" Trinidad Pans – Painted and Brush Finished Chromed (Final Tuning at our shop by Mr. Francis Lynch)
	The Classic is where it all started!  For the past 50 years, these Pans have been made in Trinidad.  We specify NEW BARRELS for all of our pans!  This has allowed a leap in the standardization and overall quality of our product line.  It has driven new costs to be sure but the quality increase is worth it. The price of any pan is attributable to the cost of the barrel and the number of work hours devoted to smoothing the metal prior to finishing the instrument. The fewer man-hours invested, the lower the cost can be. The work in making a Trinidad Classic is devoted to creating a fine musical instrument.  With that said, people are constantly impressed with our appearance quality at this level.  Check out the customer comments section. The finishing of our "Brushed Chrome" Classic pan line is the result of yet more hours invested to create a final product. Once tuned and "Making Song", if the pan is to be painted it is cleaned, and shipped to our U.S. shop.  It is then fine tuned, and painted in our paint shop. The preparation for chroming the Classic instrument is done by “wire brushing” the metal until it will accept the Chrome Plating. Hence, we call this finish “Brushed Chrome”.  Our Brush Finished pans are chromed in Trinidad.   The pans are then shipped to our U.S. shop for fine tuning and sale. The price difference between painted and chrome classic pans is the cost of the finishing process.
Excellent Imported Instruments
	The Hopetown Pro Line These are also made to our specifications in Trinidad. This line of pans is made from newly manufactured barrels. Some tool marking occurs during the build process but this is kept to a minimum. The same highly skilled craftsmen create the Hopetown Pro.  More time and talent is invested in the smoothing/shaping/finishing  process. This time equates directly to a higher cost of manufacture, which of course directly affects our retail pricing.  Much of the added time devoted to this line of pans is in the area of precise note shaping and other detail work that results in a well blended, mellow sounding instrument. The finishing processes for this line are likewise more involved and time consuming than for the “Classic Pan” line. Fine sanding before painting is the norm. For the Chromed version, the steel of the pan is actually polished to a high luster prior to being taken to the chrome shop for final finishing. Again, the additional polishing process adds cost to the final product.
	We Take The Worry Out Of Your Purchasing Experience - Your Money is Safe!
No Worries! - We take the worry and risk out of your purchase of imported instruments. We  inspect, fine tune and make sure that each is a solid, reliable musical instrument prior to putting them on our website or delivering them to you. This is our 'Value Added' service to you! If an instrument doesn’t meet our standards in both appearance and sound quality, we either discount the pan or simply reject it… Something you can’t simply do once your money is half way around the world! Watch out for "scratch and dent", "Character Marks", Some notes are ?? ETC.  These are the pans we don't sell.  They are made from varying qualities of used barrels.  They are out there on the internet for prices that seem too good to be true. If, after all is said and you don't like our product, we will take it back (subject to inspection and a small restocking charge).  This is our Bomb Proof warrantee that you will be happy with our products and service!. Back to Top

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6. How Is The Steel Drum Instrument Made?

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