Brief Steel Drum History
The "Steel Pan" also known as the steel drum is a very unique instrument invented on the island of Trinidad.
The Steel Drum starts of as a 55 gallon oil drum.
The drum is then sunk into a dish like shape using a sledgehammer.
The notes are then formed using a hammer and a metal punch.
The final step would be tuning the notes to the chromatic scale using a small hammer and a rubber tipped mallet.
The "steel drum" roots can be traced as far back to the 16th century.
For detailed information on the history of the steel drum visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steelpan
