What Are The Different Types Of Steel Pan?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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There are several variations which make up the family of steelpans;

Tenor, Double Tenor, Double Second, Double Guitar, Tenor Bass, Six Bass

, there is even an E-Pan and a G-Pan!

How many types of steel pan are there?

The steel band is comprised of

up to eleven different types

of steel pan instruments. Within the band, each instrument plays an important role. The seven most common types of steel pan instruments are shown below, along with a description of their function within the band.

What are five main types of steel pans?

There are several types of steel pan instruments, for example, the

tenor pan, double tenor pan, guitar pan, cello pans and base pans

.

What are the different steel pans called?

Instrument Pitch Inventor Double Tenor Mezzo-soprano Bertie Marshall Double Second Alto Ellie Mannette Double Guitar Baritone Jonathan Francis
Quadrophonic

(four pans) Baritone Rudolph Charles

What are the 5 types of steel drums?

  • Tenor Steeldrums. High C tenor, low D tenor, double tenor. …
  • Second Steeldrums. Single second, double second. …
  • Guitars Steeldrums. Single guitar, double guitar. …
  • Cello Steeldrums. Triple cello, quadruple cello. …
  • Bass. Single bass, 6 bass.

What is a tenor pan?

Tenor Pan. The tenor pan is also called the lead or soprano pan. It is

the highest pitched pan in the steelband

and usually carries the melody. It is a single drum played by one person.

What are the four sizes of steel pans?

  • Solo Steel Pan.
  • Quintets/Small Gig Bands.
  • Small Steelband (up to 12 pans)
  • Medium size steelbands (up to 20 pans)
  • Large steelband (up to 30 pans)

Which pan is most likely to play chords?


The Cello pan

has a warm, rich sound most suited to chords and harmony instead of melody playing. Normally, you would only choose a Cello steel pan if you were going to play with others.

How many notes are in a tenor steel pan?

Notes Groove Number of notes Tonal Range End from rim [mm]
28


D4-F6

40

What are the 4 main types of steel drums?

  • Low Tenor. The Low Tenor, which has a pitch range from C4 to E6 has notes that are arranged in the same order as the high tenor. …
  • The Double Second Pan. …
  • The Quadrophonic Pan. …
  • The Guitar Pan.

What does a timpani drum look like?

A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called

a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper

. … They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet.

Who plays the steel pan?

The term for someone who plays a steel pan is called a

‘pannist

. ‘ Pannists can either play one instrument or sometimes they play multiple pans at one time. Pannists usually don’t read a musical score and often have to memorise the songs that they play.

How many different types sizes of steel pans are common in a steel band?

Learning about Steel Bands

Steel Pans are played with beaters/sticks which are rubber-tipped 4. There are

five common types

/sizes of Steel Pans within a Steel Band 5. The pitches of the different notes of a Steel Pan are laid out differently than a traditional piano keyboard which arranges the notes in pitch order.

Are there different types of steel drums?

There are basically

two types of tenor steel drums, low tenor, and high tenor

. The only difference between these two is the pitch range. Both of them are commonly used by soloists. … The high tenor steel drum (also called D tenor or soprano pan) has a pitch range from D4 to F#6.

What is the function of the double second pan?

Double second pans are the second highest pitched instruments (after the lead pans) in the ensemble and usually play countermelodies or

provide high harmonic support to lead pan melodies in a f to fff dynamic range

.

What is a calypso drum?

The Calypso drum is both

visually and harmonically reminiscent of island steel drums of the Caribbean

, and inspires joy and the urge to dance whenever it is played. Constructed from 13 gauge stainless steel, the most robust in market, the Calypso featured tab limiters, unique in the outdoor market.

Are steel drums chromatic?

It

is fully chromatic

, and you can play it in any key.

Is the steel drum tuned or untuned?

Steel pan, chimes, gongs & bells are also

tuned percussion instruments

. Conga, bongo, drum sets, cowbell, clave, djembe, ashikos, doumbeks, timbales & certain chimes, gongs & bells are common examples of non-tuned percussion.

What are steel drums made of?

The steel drum is a tuned idiophone traditionally made from an oil drum, but

today is made of high-quality steel

. To make a steel drum, or a pan, the bottom of an oil drum is first pounded into a bowl, then shaped and tuned with hammers to form distinct resonating surfaces.

What key are steel drums in?

Inscape Data 8 Notes 6 inch

C-Key

Handpan Steel Drum

This 6-inch steel tongue drum comes pre-tuned to the mixed c major with three different octaves and 432hz. The tone is ethereal and melodious, and the timbre is very stable.

Who made the first steel pan?

STEEL PAN or other Instrument TONAL RANGE Frontline Pans Low Tenor Steel Pan 28 to 30 notes Tonal range: C4 and G6

What is the lowest sounding steel pan drum?


Bass pan

– as the name would indicate, the lowest-ranged instrument in the steel band. Due to the size of the notes used on this instrument, there may be as few as three different pitches on each barrel, requiring the use of six, eight, or even more barrels to complete a single instrument.

What led to the use of steel instruments?

Steel pans (steel drums)were created on the Caribbean island of Trinidad in the 1930s, but steel pan history can be traced back to the enslaved Africans who were brought to the islands during the 1700s. … These drums became the main

percussion

instruments in the annual Trinidadian carnival festivities.

Which pan takes the role of strengthening the melody and plays harmony?


The quadraphonic pan

can reinforce the melody, play counter melody or provide harmonic support.

What is double second steel drum?

The double second pan consists

of two drums with 15 notes in each

. The tonal range is almost two and a half octaves in the same range as the double tenor pan. The sound of the double second is, though, a little deeper than the double tenor due to its longer side.

What is a guitar pan?

The double guitar pan consists

of two drums

, cut to half their lengths, with eight notes in each. The tonal range just above one octave, from D3 to F4. The guitar pan is mostly used as a rhythm instrument, playing chords, in the same way as an ordinary guitar in an orchestra.

How are long notes played on steel pans?

Playing sustained notes on steel drum (steel pan) is achieved by a technique called

“rolling”

. A note is rolled by striking it with the left and right hand (not necessarily in that order) in rapid and alternate fashion. That is, left then right, then left then right and continuing for the duration of the note.

Are kettle drums and timpani the same thing?

Timpani (sometimes called kettle drums) are drums that are made out of large bowls that are usually made of copper shaped by craftsmen, which after being tuned, have a skin-like material stretched over the top. This material used to be a type of vellum or treated skin, but modern drums use a synthetic material.

Why is it called a kettle drum?

A kettledrum is a very large drum typically consisting of a drum head stretched across a copper bowl. … The word

comes from the kettle-like shape of the drum’s bowl

, and kettledrums are also commonly called timpani.

How do you play steel pans?

  1. Stand directly in front of the instrument leaving approximately 4-5 inches between the body and the skirt of the pan.
  2. Distribute your body weight evenly between your feet.
  3. Keep your hands close to the playing surface at all times. …
  4. Keep your elbows at or a little above waist level.

Is it hard to play steel drums?

“People think playing steel drums is really easy,” said Olivia, 9, of Bel Air. “

It’s not

. You have to move your hands really fast to hit a note. … “There are a whole lot of notes in some songs,” said David, 10, a fifth-grader from Bel Air who has played in the band for two years.

What is the difference between a xylophone and a glockenspiel?

The Xylophone is made of Xylos, aka wood. … The Xylophone is thought to be from Africa while it is believed the Glock is German. The Glockenspiel has a higher pitch than the Xylophone. Generally,

the Glock has a smaller range than the Xylophone

.

Who has the patent for the steel pan?

No one holds a patent for the steelpan that originated in Trinidad in the early 1940s from the talents of many individuals, not all of whom may even be known. However, in January 2013,

the Trinidad and Tobago government

was granted a patent for the G-Pan with UWI engineer Dr Brian Copeland recognised as its inventor.

Did Winston Spree Simon invent the steel pan?

Simon was born in Laventille, Trinidad. He is credited with

the invention of the Ping Pong steelpan instrument

. … Winston “Spree” Simon worked closely with Anthony Williams, who later invented the fourth and fifth soprano pan.

Where do steel pans come from?

Steel drums, also known as pans, are the only family of chromatic, acoustic instruments invented in the twentieth century. They hail from

Trinidad

, and their fascinating history is inextricably linked to the culture and resiliency of the Trinidadian people.

Maria LaPaige
Author
Maria LaPaige
Maria is a parenting expert and mother of three. She has written several books on parenting and child development, and has been featured in various parenting magazines. Maria's practical approach to family life has helped many parents navigate the ups and downs of raising children.