It rocks the soul and soothes the mind. It forms an integral part of most cultures around the world. It is one of the few aspects of life on earth that has remained relevant as time has passed while evolving as the times change. Rhythmic tunes such as those produced by steel pan music are simply indispensable to people from all walks of life. Making steel pans, is as you can imagine, quite an intricate process.
This music originated in the Caribbean, a region whose people are known for their rich culture and extremely entertaining traditions. Countries known for their lively, upbeat calypso sounds are known also as the birthplace of this type of music. Trinidad and Tobago, in particular, is credited with the discovery and invention of this remarkable sound.
The love of this musical instrument has grown so much that the sounds it produces have found their way into basically every genre of music. Bands of musicians use them to create sounds in reggae, rhythm and blues and almost every other musical genre. Clearly this sound is a rather diverse one, since it can blend seamlessly into the sounds of multiple genres.
Experts make steel pans with their hands and the process requires much skill and energy. They tend to start off by selecting the ideal metal drum to make the pan. This is an important step because the drum selected will, in the end, determine the type of sound produced and anyone who listens to the music these instruments produce will realize that they create a variety of sounds.
Sinking the bottom of the drum takes place next. To do this, experts use heavy hammers to create a bowl-like shape in the drum's closed end. This is when some drums tend to burst. The ones that are prone to bursting during this step are those that are very dented, rusted or too thin. This is one reason for paying keen attention to drum quality during the selection process.
Once sinking is complete, the drums must be tuned. This is done by first marking out the sections on the bottom that will produce certain notes and then flattening all the non-outlined areas. For the flattening task, a special tuning hammer must be used. This post-sinking flattening, is known as counter sinking.
After the pans have been through the sinking and counter sinking stages of the process, there are other adjustments that they must undergo. These steps add tot he drums' ability to produce varying desired sounds. After the physical manipulation, the drums are coated with a protective layer using either a powder coating or the traditional chrome plating or painting. The final stage for them is a fine tuning and blending phases. At this point, they are ready for the market.
It is clear therefore, that the effort that goes into making one of these instruments plays a significant role in the resulting melodies that people around the world enjoy. Many do not recognize it, but the makers of the tools also help to deliver the mind blowing sounds that come from the bands of musicians that use these instruments.
This music originated in the Caribbean, a region whose people are known for their rich culture and extremely entertaining traditions. Countries known for their lively, upbeat calypso sounds are known also as the birthplace of this type of music. Trinidad and Tobago, in particular, is credited with the discovery and invention of this remarkable sound.
The love of this musical instrument has grown so much that the sounds it produces have found their way into basically every genre of music. Bands of musicians use them to create sounds in reggae, rhythm and blues and almost every other musical genre. Clearly this sound is a rather diverse one, since it can blend seamlessly into the sounds of multiple genres.
Experts make steel pans with their hands and the process requires much skill and energy. They tend to start off by selecting the ideal metal drum to make the pan. This is an important step because the drum selected will, in the end, determine the type of sound produced and anyone who listens to the music these instruments produce will realize that they create a variety of sounds.
Sinking the bottom of the drum takes place next. To do this, experts use heavy hammers to create a bowl-like shape in the drum's closed end. This is when some drums tend to burst. The ones that are prone to bursting during this step are those that are very dented, rusted or too thin. This is one reason for paying keen attention to drum quality during the selection process.
Once sinking is complete, the drums must be tuned. This is done by first marking out the sections on the bottom that will produce certain notes and then flattening all the non-outlined areas. For the flattening task, a special tuning hammer must be used. This post-sinking flattening, is known as counter sinking.
After the pans have been through the sinking and counter sinking stages of the process, there are other adjustments that they must undergo. These steps add tot he drums' ability to produce varying desired sounds. After the physical manipulation, the drums are coated with a protective layer using either a powder coating or the traditional chrome plating or painting. The final stage for them is a fine tuning and blending phases. At this point, they are ready for the market.
It is clear therefore, that the effort that goes into making one of these instruments plays a significant role in the resulting melodies that people around the world enjoy. Many do not recognize it, but the makers of the tools also help to deliver the mind blowing sounds that come from the bands of musicians that use these instruments.
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