Using a nail punch and a hammer you will then ‘groove’ each note. You then draw lines to guide future hammer blows. You must then use a template to mark the placement of each note on the sunken head of the drum. The head or face of the pan is now able to withstand the rigors of the tuning process. This immediately cools off the red-hot barrel and makes its metal a lot stronger than it was before. After burning a pan for a short period of time, they can then plunge it into the ocean. In Trinidad, pan makers will take their drums down to the beach and build a fire. Sinking a pan can take up to 5 hours of hammering! Tempering the steel drumĪfter sinking the pan, the steel must then undergo ‘tempering’ to increase the resilience and strength of the metal. It is very important to stretch the metal evenly without tearing it or deforming the rim. This phase is called ‘sinking’ and is the noisiest and most physically exhausting part of the process. There are several phases to work through in the creation of this unique instrument:-įirst, you must select a 55-gallon oil drum with high quality of steel.Ī 40-pound sledgehammer is then applied to the bottom of the barrel, stretching the metal into a concave bowl or dish shape. We will also deliver these to you and show you how to set them up. In addition, we will include all the accessories you’ll require including sticks, stands and cases. This will consist of a set of 6 bass pans, 2 guitar pans, 2 second pans and 2 tenor pans. We can offer you a 12-piece starter kit which will include 12 steel drums. You can set up your steel band with as few as 12 steel pans and a drum kit. Well this depends on the size of the band you would like to build. So the first question you will want to ask is ‘how many steel drums or pans do I need?’ However, you might also consider other harmony pans we call ‘guitars’ and ‘cellos’ along with rhythm section instruments. For example, these must include tenor pans (melody), second pans (melody/harmony) and bass pans. As such, elements of melody, harmony, bass and rhythm are available to make it musically complete.įirstly, you’ll need to buy the balance of steel drums to acquire the correct balance of the aforesaid elements. As we demonstrate in our popular workshops, a steel band has all the elements of a typical musical group.
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