How to Play the Steel Drums

Learn tips and techniques for playing the steel drum in this free music lesson about percussion instruments.

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Summary: There is no other percussion instrument that can compare to the jamming sound of the steel drum. Spawning from the musical practices of Trinidad's enslaved Africans, drumming was used as a means of communication. These ingenious musicians used whatever they could to construct musical instruments. Steel drums (also known as steel pans) are constructed by pounding metal into a bowl shape. They are fired, and the notes are grooved into the metal with hammers. The musician that plays the steel drum is called a pannist. While this percussion instrument was invented long ago, the world of the steel drum is still flourishing. Used in classical, calypso, and reggae music styles, this instrument is crossing all kinds of borders and continents. Steel bands are growing more and more popular. Thankfully, this popularity of this instrument shows no signs of dying off.

In this free video series, learn how to play the steel drums. Our expert, Alan Mark Lightner, shows you tips for beginning your steel pan music career. Learn the proper posture for the instrument. Alan shows you how to hit and strike the steel drum. Learn how to play notes and chords on this percussion instrument. Alan also teaches you how to play rolls, doubles, and paradiddles on the drum. So, if you are looking for a jamming instrument to play in your next music session, learn how to play the steel drums today!

About the Expert

Alan Mark Lightner generates excitement through his energetic, charismatic, and highly skilled approach to playing and teaching music. His unique style, vast knowledge, and kind hearted spirit have wooed audiences and classrooms around the world. During his studies in the music program at the University of California at Berkeley, Lightner also pursued private instruction from masters in his fields of interest. Those fields were Afro-Caribbean music including the art of steel pans and the vast world of Afro-Cuban rhythms and instruments, Afro-Brazilian percussion, West African music, European classical percussion and the Afro-American art form of jazz. After receiving his B.A. in music in 1991, Lightner became a master faculty member at the East Bay Center for Performing Arts where he served as the director of the steel pans and drum set departments. Within his eight years as director/arranger for the advanced steel pan performing ensemble, he and the band received many honors.

How to Play the Steel Drums

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About the Expert

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