GENERAL INFORMATION:

The steelband, steel orchestra, or "pans" as they are often referred to is a family of steelpan instruments, ranging from very high in the treble to very low in the bass.

The steelpan instruments most commonly found in a steelband today are viz. - the tenor pans, the double tenor pans, the double second pans, the guitar pans, the 'cello pans, and the bass pans i.e. the tenor bass and the six bass pans. All these various steelpan instruments varying in size and number make up the steelband family.
 
 

THE BROADCAST:

There will be revision of some of the important facts learnt in the previous broadcast. "The Steelband I":-

• "Pans" have come a long way, from African drums to tamboo bamboo to crudely tuned dustbins and metal arts until its rapid development of the last forty (40) years.

• It has been said that the steelpan is the only new acoustic instrument of the twentieth century.

• The steelpan is called a melodic percussion instrument. It's a melodic instrument because it can play melodies. It's a percussion instrument because you have to strike the notes to produce sound.

• The steelpan was declared "The National Musical Instrument of Trinidad and Tobago" in 1992 by the then Prime Minister, the Honourable Patrick Manning.

• Today steelpan instruments are beautifully chromed and are attractive to look at.

• Steelpan instruments have also met the best standards of tuning, which make them sound so pleasing to the ear.

Instruments of the steelband family are grouped into three (3) main sections:-

1. The frontline pans.
2. The midrange pans.
3. The background pans.

It is well to note that we call the various steelpan instruments a family because they have many things in common:-

1. All steelpan instruments are made from the 45 gallon steel drum.
2. All steelpan instruments are played with special rubber-tip pan sticks.
3. The 'notes' on all steelpan instruments are bulges of varying sizes. The bigger the bulge, the lower the pitch or sound; the smaller the bulge, the higher the pitch or sound.
4. Separating the notes, we find channels. Within the channels we find grooves. The grooves outline the bulges or notes. The grooves act as guidelines to the tuning of the notes, and assist in controlling the sound.
5. Steelpan instruments also have a skirt or a wall which acts as a resonator to give the instruments their rich tone. The skirts vary in length. Some skirts are short. Some skirts are long. Some skirts are not as long or as short.

In this broadcast we focus on steelpan instruments belonging to two sections of the steelband, viz. - the frontline pans and the background pans.

Frontline pans - Instruments in the frontline section of the steelband are:- the tenor pans, the double tenor pans and the double second pans. The tenor pans are called first pans or lead pans because they play the leading melody or tune.

The double tenor pan is a pair of pans played by a single performer.

The double second pan is also a pair played by a single performer. The double second pan plays in the music. Sometimes the double second also plays the melody.

Background pans - Instruments belonging to the background section of the steelband are: - tenor bass pans and the six bass pans.

The tenor bass is a set of four pans played by a single performer.

The six bass is a set of six pans played by a single performer.

Both the tenor bass and six bass pans play low deep notes.

Usually the steelband is accompanied by other non-melodic percussion instruments such as the traps or drum set, the cymbals, the toc toc, to name a few and the very important 'iron'.

All these added instruments playing together with the steelpans produce the tremendous sound that is our steelband.
 

SUGGESTED FOLLOW-UP:

Continue to pay visits to neighbouring pan yards and continue to further invite steelband 'greats' to conduct lectures/demonstrations at school. Create opportunities for students to practice through the formation of a schools steel orchestra.

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