Steel Drums.. The Begining Of Music
Steel Drums
The steel drum, or steel pan as it is sometimes called, is a fascinating instrument for several reasons. Of course there are the unique sounds that can be produced, but just as interesting are the history and construction of the steel drum. I will hazard a guess and say that the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is the only country ever to produce a musical instrument made from a 55-gallon oil barrel. Yes, steel pans are traditionally made from oil barrels, although many modern instrument makers no longer rely on used steel containers. The instrument’s roots probably lay in the fact that steel pans were originally used by enslaved Africans as a form of covert communication. Naturally, such individuals would have been forced to use whatever came to hand, and oil barrels would have made handy makeshift drums.