Innovations and Evolutions
Steel Drum Evolution
The Steel Drum(steel pan) was invented in the Caribbean Island of Trinidad and Tobago around the second world war. They have been evolving since the 1800s and would be used when celebrating in Carnivals. In 1834 the slaves were freed, they joined in the festivities using the Steel Pan and the colonists were worried because they thought they were sending messages in code. Because of that, drumming activities were banned. That did not stop the natives at all. In the 1930s they started using tin pans, biscuit drums, dust bins, and brake drums. The players' notices after a while of beating on the steel it made a different pitch. In 1948 the small pans were replaced with 55-gallon oil drums that the oil refineries discarded. They cut the drum and bang on the top to make it a concave shape. They wrapped rubber around the sticks to make them have a more mellow sound. Ellie Mannette has been credited with specific improvements to the steel drum and is known as the father of the modern steel drum. The steel drum(steel pan) is now the instrument of Trinidad and Tobago.
Developed: 1880–1937
This is the Casablanca Steel Orchestra Early recording from (1947-1953). In this video, they are playing "Medley". As it states in "When the Steel Talks" The Casablanca Steel Orchestra was formed ¡n Trinidad in 1945. The Casablanca Steel Orchestra played a medley of classical selections interspersed with a couple of calypso tunes. They stood erect behind their gleaming pans, including a nine-pan bass; a six-pan bass, guitar, double tenor, or soprano pan. The beat starts out fast and stays steady. It is very catching and makes you want to move. While listening to it I can picture myself in the Caribbean laying on the beach.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lySPREIPHsI
This is "Red Red Wine" played by Dano's Island sounds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaNjXwElAUE
The steel pan has a very beautiful tune. If I didn't read up on it I wouldn't have guessed it was a steel drum being played it sounds like a piano. The two songs that I chose both a fast beat and rhythm. Once the songs start playing it sure makes you want to move and changes your mood and vibe around you. Like I said earlier listening to the songs takes me to a nice warm beach listening to music. The warm weather sounds great right about now because it is cold where I am at.
Sources:
Casablanca steel orchestra - Steelband history. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://www.panonthenet.com/upclose/steelbands-of-newyork/casablanca.htm?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi7gJbBvfzuAhXLpZ4KHbcvAGkQ9QF6BAgGEAI
I liked the more modern steel drum example that you used better than the example of some of the first steel drums being played. I enjoyed both drums being played, but I found the steel drum playing “Red Red Wine” more pleasant. I liked the smooth, high sounds that it made; it was almost as if the different beats fused together so make one continuous sound. I agree with you, it sounds a lot like a piano, rather than drums. The history of this instrument is pretty cool. It is amazing how simple, everyday items, like 55-gallon drums and pans, can make really good music. This music also made me think of warm places and sunny beaches, which is certainly nice during this time of the year! This drum has really evolved quite a bit. The modern drum looks like a large bowl with several indentations in it that produce different sounds, while before, people would just use whatever metal they could find to drum on. I found an article that explained more about the evolution of the steel pan. It said that after the drums had been banned, many people started pounding bamboo into the ground and beating it with their hands, since it also made a drum-like sound. Something else that I read in the article, that I found interesting, was that many people looked down on steel drum players and the instrument itself; it took several years for the steel drum to gain respect and become the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. This article explains more of the evolution of the steel pan: https://www.steelpan-steeldrums-information.com/steel-pan-history.html
ReplyDeleteHey there!
ReplyDeleteWow, I didn't know anything about the history of the steel drums. I'm glad to have learned a bit here! I had a steel drum class when I went to West Valley High School here in Fairbanks and I always thought it was so neat and so beautiful sounding, especially in a large group. You should check out this song by Nick Jonas and Tove Lo called, "Close" (https://youtu.be/XgJFqVvb2Ws). This song caught my attention one spring and the steel drum sound really made me feel summer time coming around the corner. I thought it was cool to learn that drums are made in families of bass pans, rhythm pans and tenor pans for different sounds on this website: https://blog.oup.com/2015/08/ten-facts-steel-drum/. Check it out! Have a wonderful week!