Steel drum band was born in the southern Caribbean nation Trinidad and Tobago. A syncretic musical tradition of Afro-Caribbean roots, steel drum bands are emblematic of the history of the region in general. The slave trade populated Trinidad and Tobago with Africans who, in the absence of traditional membrane drums adopted local materials for instruments. Drums were in fact banned from the streets of Trinidad under British rule. In search of alternative forms of musical expression, the African population turned to bamboo sticks as a percussive instrument. Known as Tamboo Bamboo, the sticks essentially became the ancestor of the steel drum.

The steel drum, more properly known as steelpan, is a pitched percussion instrument played with sticks instead of hands and fingers. Grooves on the surface of the pan create notes, offering the steel drum its uniquely melodic yet percussive sound. Moreover, the notes on the steelpans are arranged in fourths or fifths to allow for specific intervals like fourths and fifths.

Whereas early steelpans were makeshift and often accidentally tuned, modern steelpans are carefully crafted to produce specific tonal ranges. Steel drum bands have subsequently matured, and modern steelpan music is sophisticated and popular worldwide. Original steelpans were made from discarded oil drums and even biscuit tins and paint cans. Winston "Spree" Simon is credited with crafting the first convex, tuned steel pan instrument (Berre). Steel pans are now custom-designed from lead and other materials.

Steel drum music flourished in Trinidad and Tobago during and after World War Two. Since their original development in the early 20th century, steel drum sounds have come to characterize Caribbean music in general. Since the 1960s, steel drum bands flourished not only on Trinidad and Tobago but throughout the Caribbean islands.

The influence of steelpan extends far beyond the Caribbean as well, as steelpan music integrates well with other types of world music and jazz, lending an its distinctive sound to any band arrangement. Hundreds of steel drum bands perform regularly worldwide, but Trinidad and Tobago remain the epicenter of steel drum music.

References

Berre, M. Steel Pans: A Brief History. Latin American Folk Institute. Retrieved June 26, 2007 at http://www.lafi.org/magazine/articles/steel.html

Guppy, a. About Steelpan. Official Website of Anthony Guppy. Retrieved June 26, 2007 at http://tonyguppy.com/steelpan.htm van Onselen, S. (2002). Steelpan Science. Science in Africa. Retrieved June 26, 2007 at http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2003/september/steelpan.htm