Friday, January 29, 2016

Why Musicians Should Try Their Hand At Steel Pan Music

By Joshua Reed


Music speaks to us at a deep level it translates the messages inside our hearts into flowing melody and rhythm. Because this music can take hold of another person or millions of ears and share the same feelings as the musician does. But music does not only play about feelings and emotions. It also represent the culture and race that one belongs to.

For many oppressed races music was a form of escape. It helped people to cope with difficult and stressful situations placed on them by authoritative figures. That is why many cultures developed their musical instruments to accompany them like the Trinidad steel pan music.

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.

Not many did not play the steelpan because it was often associated with outlaws. But after many years of development it has slowly found its place among other instruments. Also there are many other types of steelpan that have been developed over the years.

Notes differs depending on the size of the pitch. A lower tones are made through the larger oval while the higher tones with the smaller ones. Most pans are painted or in chrome while others are processed in powder coating, nickel plating, and hardening for the finish.

When a steelpan becomes out of tune it is usually caused by too much force and mishandling by the user. Most bands always fine tune their instruments every year, but looking for the right tuner is crucial. Because the person needs to be good at arranging and making notes sound correct and good, and usually tuning is done with hammers.

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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