Steel pan music of Trinidad and Tobago

If you have ever visited the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago and heard the steel pan music from this island it may be hard to believed that at one point the steel pan was outlawed.  These steel drums were a way for the African slaves of the country to communicate with each other and also a large part of there self expression. Having its origin form the Tam-boo Bamboo which were make of bamboo sticks.

The african slaves used the Tam-boo Bamboo to create sound and music. Tam-boo Bamboo bands were formed and they used empty glass bottles, and would hit the bottle with the tam-boo bamboo sticks (bottle and spoon)  to create sound and music. In 1883 the British government ( who governed the island of Trinidad and Tobago at the time) outlawed the music. The freed slaves protested against the ban and by 1930 bits of metal and steel began to replace the tamboo bamboo.

What is a Steel Pan?

The steel pan has it’s origin with oil drums which have been cut and reshaped and pounded to create a tune that can be heard all over the island of Trinidad and Tobago. A steel pan can become out of tune for a number of reasons, as a matter of fact most steelpans will have to be tuned about a couple of times throughout the year. A tuner is a highly skilled person who uses a hammer on the instrument to regain it’s correct tune

Where can you hear steel pan music?

Steel pan music can be heard all over the island, you can go to live shows where you will be able to see the panist beat the pan around carnival season. Steel pan music accounts for 2/3 of carnival celebration. There are now large competitions centered around these steel drums.

Steel pan music is highly respected by the natives of Trinidad and Tobago and now around the world. This is a big part of this beautiful island’s history and is here to stay.