Tips for Playing Steel Drums with Jazz Bands

Video Transcript

ALAN MARK LIGHTNER: Hi. I'm Alan Lightner with Expert Village, and we're talking about playing steelpans and fitting in to various musical situations or various musical ensembles. We've talked about playing with a steel band in a traditional setup. We've talked about playing possibly with even an orchestra in a very non-traditional setup. Another non-traditional but more and more common ensemble that steeldrummers find themselves involved with is a--could be a jazz combo or, depending upon the music you're listening to, jazz or rock or folk. It could be anything. Any kind of small bands that you, as a steelpan player, maybe the leader of. You may lead an ensemble with a bass and a guitar and a drum set player for instance or a keyboard player, kind of a more "traditionally" jazz or rock setup. But how do you fit in as a steelpan player? If you are leading that kind of ensemble, first of all you're going to be the one playing most of the melodies. Your range of your instrument, this instrument right here, the double seconds, has a range from low E, this particular instrument from low E on up to notes that I hardly ever played to the high E flat. I rarely play those notes, 'cause just because they don't sing that much. I'll play on up to--well, you'll never where I may end up, but it got about 3-1/2 octaves. So knowing that range, what you will find out is playing in a traditional setup--traditionally jazz or a pop setup, your notes in this range down here will often get covered up by the guitar player or the pianist. These, the lower notes that sound so good, those lower notes that sound so good often get covered up. You're going to want to concentrate on some of those higher notes that may cut through the band that may be able to be heard. Unless the band is very quiet, you're not going to hear those notes way down there. Those note are going to be too low to be heard. So these are the little things that you should be aware of when you're trying to play and compete with the guitar player and the pianist as opposed to people that are used to playing just with the steelpan.

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