FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Steel Drum

Question:
I am looking to make a steel drum, does anyone know how or where I can find a web site.

Answer:
I've played with many steel bands and I know many master drum builders including the Father of Steel: Ellie Mannette, (founder of the Invaders and widely considered the inventor of the Steel Drum) who is currently in residence at West Virginia University at Morgantown. (His story is at: http://www.bwee.com/invaders/history.htm ) The drums he builds are works of art and he has a very long waiting list as does Cliff Alexis currently at Northern Illinois University (who built many of the drums not built by Ellie for The U.S. Navy Steel Band when I played with them). There is no sound comparable to the drums from the master builders of Trinidad, and much of the product on the retail market is very sub par. (Jamaican drums are considered toys.) Listen to Andy Narrell's work to hear Ellie's drums. Tuners and builders in the USA are listed at: http://members.aol.com/CathyDill/tuners.html Making Steel Drums is impossible for a beginner (but you have to start somewhere)! People practice for up to ten years before being able to make a quality pan that will ring true and stay in tune. Your best bet is to find an experienced teacher from the above link and become an apprentice if you are truly serious about making a playable steel drum someday. Here are some sites that show the basic process: http://www.blarg.net/~toucans/makePan.html http://www.blarg.net/~toucans/makeYourOwn.html http://www.dlc.fi/%7Epan-ari/panmake.htm http://users.lanminds.com/~figuet/panhist.html http://www.mcs.net/~jz/web/drums/steelpan.html These sites do not however, show the secrets of building and tuning. I've watched Ellie and Cliff build drums and they work very hard. Cliff taught me about sweet spots and I've watched him work for hours to tune a single note. I tried to learn but I could never get past the first step of stretching the head with a sledge hammer. After two weeks of back breaking hammer swinging and splitting six or seven barrels I gave up and let the blisters heal! (It is also recommended that you use pre-1980's oil barrels because of the thickness and alloy of the metal, newer barrels just don't work). The Steel Drum Web ring (The Pan Ring) is: http://webpages.marshall.edu/%7Eadunn/panring.html If you are going to try to build drums you will also need help from The Steel Drum Message Board at: http://www.steeldrum.net/board/ There is a listing of US Steel Bands at: http://members.aol.com/steelspice/index.html Here are some other good link pages: http://www.smus.se/musikmuseet/pan/ http://www.blarg.net/~toucans/aboutPan.html#otherlinks http://www.smus.se/musikmuseet/pan/ IMHO, the best Company to contact for info or drums (or to order) is Panyard, Inc. http://www.panyard.com/index.html There is a virtual pan you can play on the web at: http://tradepoint.tidco.co.tt/panjava/ Good luck, and let me know how you are doing after splitting your first dozen barrels or so! Don't get discouraged, patience will pay off, but you _MUST_ find a teacher. Now, does anyone know of a link where I can learn to build violins? It's gotta be easier than turning oil barrels into musical instruments