Sunday, April 10, 2016

Making Magic In Steel Pan Music

By Donald Williams


Music had changed so much over time. But the love of the people for it remains unmatched among the rest in art. Whether you are working or taking a break from it, you would want your headset on or turn the radio on to tune in to a station playing your favorite songs. Wherever you go, be it in coffee shops or just any store, you will still hear it playing.

Sometimes you may even wonder how a day can go by without it. Simply unimaginable if you think about it. Among its many forms and genres, steel pan music, it is safe to say, rightfully stands out. This may be because of its simplicity and Caribbean coolness. Not everyone is familiar with it though.

Amid the rise of electronics and its popularity far back in the twentieth century, the steel pan stood out well. This can be attributed to its simplicity, because it probably is the only instrument that came from industrial waste. Nevertheless sturdy, it became an icon of the culture in Trinidad, defining it with its Caribbean roots.

Dating back to the nineteen thirtys, the pans did not have it easy, originating in the Carribean island of Trinidad. This was when African slaves or descendants wanted so badly to express themselves and their music, by normally beating on metals. Hoping to find rhythms and the right kind of harmony, they were clamoring to find a way to match the songs at carnivals.

Even though some of the pieces they used were outlawed, like bamboo bands or banned skin drums, they went on with their trial and error process. Through endless experimenting, they finally produced the kind of pitches acceptable to the ears. While there may be so many version to its origin, it cannot be argued that it had come from that island and Tobago.

What makes it such a hit especially among those who likes hearing percussion, is its ability to be versatile. It can play anything from acoustic to calypso and even a Bach symphony. Bands formed from it gained international success when they were introduced one day in the fiftys at a British event.

It had, over time, went on to greater heights, being sent to Britain as a part of an important event. That was where it gained and established international acclaim. And then went on to become as an art form widely accepted. It also identified the pan as a type of music that shaped the Trinidadian culture, earning acceptance and respectability.

Music, before radio was ever known, had to be produced manually by people themselves. And so they did. Everywhere during the eighteenth century, it was present in the yards of slaves and the barracks of the nineteenth. It went on, transcending into the streets in the twentieth century, playing a vital role in the freedom of countries, like how the pans served in the freedom of its island.

This usually takes during the season of Carnival where pannists gather for the Panorama, a festival known as an important event in Trinidad. Competitions across the islands are also observed during February and March. In 1992, the pan became the official national instrument of the land as it continues to enchant those who watch and listen.




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