Pages

Ads 468x60px

AD

Bringing Out The Musician In You Through Steel Pan Music

By Joshua Reed


Music speaks to us at a deep level it translates the messages inside our hearts into flowing melody and rhythm. Because this music can take hold of another person or millions of ears and share the same feelings as the musician does. But music does not only play about feelings and emotions. It also represent the culture and race that one belongs to.

So you hit the library to do research but the music section does not help, and the librarian points you to the history section. A title catches your eye and it is about the musical history of Trinidad, and you realized that what you wanted to do was to play steel pan music. But there is more to the instrument than performing a great piece.

The instrument originated from Tobago and Trinidad. Musicians referred to pannist because these were considered as percussion instruments. A pair of sticks with rubber tips are used to play the pan. And these were made out of drum gallons for oils and other substances.

There several times that these percussion instruments were banned by the governing body during that day. Because it was associated with criminals and outlaws these were not very popular then. However in recent years the pan has made it way back from the grave.

Not only does it signify the cultural identity of developed by the former slaves of Trinidad. Today it is now part of the local music scene and has evolved from the Tamboo bamboos which is made from bamboo wood fashioned into a stick that can produce sounds and play tunes. Playing this required it to be hit on the ground, and produced sound when hit by other sticks.

There are other notable people who have helped improve this line. But without the musicians who made it possible to play these things then it would not have been made. Instruments like these were usually played around the neck, which means a long strap that held this drum were placed near the neck to prevent it from falling.

In producing sounds the device have two commonly used playing techniques called the piston which simply make use of hands by giving it an up and down motion. The flick is similar to the piston except when the hand is near the surface the stick is wave at each side. Then the single stroke roll is used to prolong a tone and these are played quickly and evenly.

Shifting your weight includes bending the knees and sometimes leaning close to it during the music session. Never removed your hands from the inside the drum and always keep it close, so the best sound can be produced. The player should know how to hold the sticks by gripping it tightly or loosely, and knowing what kind of size the device is should be enough to know which method to choose.

While the body should be four to five inches away from the skirt of the steel pan. This allows the musician to lean or pivot during play and will also help them bend their knees a little especially when reaching for hard to reach notes. There are other kinds of pans available such as the mid range and background types where the same positioning are used but the difference here is that the body must be allowed to move and never touch the drum.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment

 

AD4

AD5

AD7

 
Blogger Templates