Steel Pan Drums

Off the top of your head, how many instruments can you name that are capable of forming a whole band all by themselves? It's a surprisingly tough question to come up with an answer to, but we can help you out with one: the steel pan drum. What's interesting about this instrument is that it's technically not a drum at all - it's an idiophone, meaning that the entire instrument vibrates to produce sound, rather than just a drumhead. Steel pan drums come from humble origins in 1930s Trinidad and Tobago where they were originally made from re-shaped oil barrels, but today's instruments are built from scratch to produce that one-of-a-kind sound they pioneered and introduced to the world.

While steel pan drums have earned a place in musical styles the world over - from tropical Afro-Caribbean all the way to jazz - they're also a common sight in classrooms. Percussion instruments are some of the easiest for very young players to handle, which makes melodic percussion (like steel pan drums) the perfect choice to transition learning musicians from basic drums and shakers to more complex melodic instruments. If you're a music teacher, adding the Panyard Jumbie Jam Educator's Steel Drum 4-Pack to your classroom can bring a lot of fun teaching opportunities to your curriculum.

If you're an experienced steel pan drum player, then maybe you've come to this section looking for accessories for the instruments you already own. If so, you could start by checking out the Innovative Percussion Steel Drum Mallets. These come in a wide variety of styles to produce lots of different potential sounds from your steel pan drums. Go classic with the Lead / General mallets, or try something altogether new with the Guitar / Cello type - each one is available with walnut or aluminum handles, as are most of the other options alongside them.

From instruments to accessories, the range of products waiting to be found in the steel pan drums category can definitely offer a lot of musical engagement for any musician! Professional players, teachers, hobbyists - no matter how you like to get involved with steel pan drums, there's bound to be something here that can help you along the way.