In Trinidad and Tobago, a new generation embraces the sound of the steelpan
The steelpan - a percussion instrument created in Trinidad and Tobago in 1939 - is making a comeback as a new generation embraces its vibrant sound. Fans of the pan say new technology has made the instrument more accessible and affordable, with more schools introducing it to students.
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00:00This is the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago, the steel pan.
00:08Invented almost a century ago, 1939, the instrument is currently seeing its popularity surge unexpectedly.
00:16A whole new generation of citizens of the island are learning to become panists.
00:22Blessed, I would say, to have this instrument that was born out of, you know, rebellion and resilience and really a spirit of a people that went into this and came out, you know, from African roots to now global acceptance.
00:46One reason for the boom of the steel pan, it is now easier to produce.
00:52In the past, steel pan makers had to wait for drums to be discarded.
00:57But at the local company Panland, workers are now making the instrument in a day with the help of tools, a powerful flamethrower and mobile apps.
01:09We call this our watermelon.
01:12So the band and the technology of the pan now and the making of the pan and that whole industry and the people involved who make these pans, that has travelled also on its own journey.
01:30The young generation is also seduced by the sounds and the wide variety of musical genres that are possible to play on the steel pan.
01:40Students can also learn to play from a very early age onwards.
01:44So I would say it's been a lovely experience. Pan is an outer body experience. That's the best way I can describe it. You know, pan is like the one instrument where you don't just hear the pan or play the pan. You would feel the music in your body.
02:01The instrument was also more recently formally recognized by the government of Trinidad and Tobago. It replaced three ships on its national flag. And there is also a world steel pan day celebrated on 11th of August.
02:18It's also a world steel pan. It's a world steel pan, which on its own time is a world steel pan.
02:23And there is also a world steel pan with a lot of developing air conditioning to order to be a large enough power. And there is and the future is also a world steel pan.
02:27So the power of the pan is very different, you know, and the power of the pan is very different from the panning to deliverall.
02:31When doing this possibly more, I would say that you would bring a lot of power on the wall, but I think about that.
02:37The people of luck are more often than the time of the pan.
02:43The people of the pan, they just wanted to be able to provide it before.
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