The steelpan instrument was born out of a poor nation, oppressed by the European plantation owners who ruled Trinidad and Tobago at that time. For many of the oppressed of that era rhythmic music and dance was a refreshing past time. Instruments were self made from the tamboo bamboo (Tamboo being derived from the French word 'Tambour' meaning 'drum'). They were also made with bamboo and the biscuit drum, made from the drums that were used to pack biscuits by the Bermudez and Sunrise Biscuit Company. The conventional steelpans of today used to be created from the discarded oil drums left in the fields by oil companies.
No one is sure who invented the first steelpan note and research is still being carried out by Fan Trinbago (the world governing body of steelpan) to try and establish the facts. There is however some general agreement that the instrument emerged in an organised form for the first time during the second half of the 1930s.
Some names that are associated with the creation of the steelpan as an instrument with notes, are Winston Spree Simon, Carlton Ziggily Constantine, Elliot-Manette and Philmore Boots Davidson. Over the years, all the relevant parts of a conventional orchestra have been associated with the different types of steelpan instruments such as the Tenor Pan or Soprano as it is now known, the Cellos Pan, the Guitar Pan, the Bass Pan and so on. The steelpan was found to be a very effective and ,expressive instrument as it allowed more subtle and complex harmonies to be created.
As technology (with regards to pan manufacture) improved and became more refined, cleaner and sharper notes were created from forty five gallon steel oil drums discarded by the oil companies. Today drums are specially made by "Van Leer" and other companies at great cost.
Moreover, modern technology has come into the tuning of steelpan instruments; pan tuners now use a strobe-tuning machine instead of the old tuning fork method or as in the very early days, by ear.
The Steelband in the early days was the main ingredient of Carnival. Each Steelband had a mas band attached to it hence the phrase 'Mass Et Pan is Carnival'. As time went on steelbands began playing different types of music other than calypso which included classical, jazz, R&B pop etc. which were picked up from the radio or from the Americans on the military base at Chaguaramas (West Trinidad).
The growth of steelbands in Trinidad and Tobago gave rise to bands like Red Army Casablanca, Tokyo and Invaders to name but a few. Within a few months there were steelbands all over Trinidad which created great rivalry and conflicts between the hands. In the past being a panman was considered a 'badman' due to the many conflicts between rival bands. However steelpan today is the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago, and most people want to be associated with it. You can now get a scholarship to the United States or Canada from playing steelband music. 'Pan' to the Panman 'is like a Jumbee (spirit), it gets in your blood' as they say in Trinidad.
By the 1950's there were over 50 steelbands in Trinidad, bands like Dixieland, Trinidad All- stars, Crossfire, Crossroads, Desperados, Northstars and from South Trinidad you had Sundowners, Southern Marines, Free French and Hatters to name but a few of the prominent and still respected hands, some of which went on to produce some of the great pannists, tuners etc, and are still doing so up to this time.
Perhaps the most popular panorama arrangement to have never won the competition - the 1987 ground breaking performance of Trini's Curry Tabanca, arranged by Leon 'Smooth' Edwards for the Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra. Listen for the seamless incorporation of East Indian Tassa instruments into the arrangement and the simulation of the tassa drums by the pan. Enjoy the excitement over and over again!
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