Monday, January 25, 2016

Music Enthusiast Should Consider Playing A Tune On A Steel Pan Music

By Joshua Reed


Music has dominated the human species since the dawn of time. Music was used in many tribal communities to represent stages of life and victories. With appropriate music being played on funerals, so does birthdays and celebrations. And many ways that music is produced sometimes the sound of nature is good enough while creating a piece of melody can also suffice.

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.

This instrument emerges from Trinidad in the 1930s and called as tamboo bamboo. The late 1700s brought African slaves to the shores of Trinidad where French planters often celebrated a tradition similar to the carnival. However the slaves had their own version using drum tune, and by the time of emancipation these celebrations became more colorful and livelier.

Today these are made through molding it into a shape similar to a bowl with the aid of air pressure or hammers. Then on the surface note patterns are marked after which it is tempered and initial tuning happens. In this step the tuning of the drum is improved, and often uses a strobe tuner.

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.

Playing these were either done standing with the help of a strap or seated in one area of the stage. However standing up the musician must be at least 4 to 5 inches away from body and pan with hands inserted in the drum. Keeping it close to the surface is essential for accuracy and speed.

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.

Depending on the size the grip is loose when the object is bigger and tighter when the it is smaller. Strokes come in two strokes such as the piston and flick. The wrists help the sticks move, once the stick hits the object it should be retracted after the impact to produce sound. Leaving it on the object longer will produce a mute. The piston stroke starts at the upright position of the hand then is pulled down at a 180 degree angle.




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