steel band

Musical ensemble common in the West Indies, consisting mostly of percussion instruments made from oil drums. The drums are called ‘pans’ and are cut from a barrel at the depth needed for the overall pitch of the instrument. The head of each pan is beaten into a concave shape and marked into sections that produce a specific pitch with a sweet, metallic ringing tone when hit with a rubber-headed stick. Long notes are played by quickly alternating the two sticks to produce the tremolo effect that is typical of steel bands.