steel drum

steel drum
Music. a bowl-shaped percussion instrument common in the West Indies, made from a steel barrel divided into sections producing different notes when struck.
[1950-55]

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Tuned gong made from the end, and part of the wall, of an oil barrel.

The barrel's end surface is hammered into a concave shape, and several areas are outlined by chiseled grooves. It is heated and tempered, and bosses or domes are hammered into the outlined areas; the depth, curvature, and size of each boss determines its pitch. Melodies, complex accompaniments, and counterpoint can be played with rubber-tipped mallets on a single drum. The steel drum originated in Trinidad in the 1940s. It is usually played in ensembles, called steel bands, of widely varying sizes.

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      tuned gong made from the unstoppered end and part of the wall of a metal shipping drum. The end surface is hammered concave, and several areas are outlined by acoustically important chiseled grooves. It is heated and tempered, and bosses, or domes, are hammered into the outlined areas. The depth, curvature, and size of each boss determine its pitch. The drums are struck with rubber-tipped hammers.

      Steel drums originated in Trinidad, in the West Indies, in the 20th century and are played in ensembles, or steel bands, of about 4 to 100 performers. Drums are commonly made in four sizes from bass to treble, called boom, cellopan, guitar pan, and ping pong.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Steel Drum — Steel Pan Klassifikation Idiophon, Schlaginstrument Verwandte Instrumente Hang Die Steel Pan (auch Steel Drum, kollektiv Steelband) ist ein Musikinstrument, welches den Idiophonen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Steel drum — Pan de Tobago Un steel drum ou steeldrum, c est à dire « tambour d acier » en anglais, plus couramment appelé pan ( casserole ) ou steelpan est un instrument de percussion idiophone mélodique. Il est originaire de Trinité et Tobago (Ca …   Wikipédia en Français

  • steel drum — (also steel pan) ► NOUN ▪ a percussion instrument originating in Trinidad, made out of an oil drum with one end beaten down and divided into sections to give different notes …   English terms dictionary

  • steel drum — n a type of drum from the West Indies, made from oil ↑barrels, which you hit in different areas to produce different musical sounds …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • steel drum — noun count a West Indian drum made of a large empty metal container …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • steel drum — steel′ drum′ n. mad a bowl shaped percussion instrument common in the West Indies, made from a steel barrel divided into sections producing different notes when struck • Etymology: 1950–55 …   From formal English to slang

  • steel drum — noun a concave percussion instrument made from the metal top of an oil drum; has an array of flattened areas that produce different tones when struck (of Caribbean origin) • Hypernyms: ↑percussion instrument, ↑percussive instrument * * * noun : a …   Useful english dictionary

  • steel drum — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms steel drum : singular steel drum plural steel drums a West Indian drum made of a large empty metal container …   English dictionary

  • Steel-drum — Pan de Tobago Un steel drum ou steeldrum, c est à dire « tambour d acier » en anglais, plus couramment appelé pan ( casserole ) ou steelpan est un instrument de percussion idiophone mélodique. Il est originaire de Trinité et Tobago… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • steel drum — (also steel pan) noun a percussion instrument originating in Trinidad, made out of an oil drum with one end beaten down and divided by grooves into sections to give different notes …   English new terms dictionary

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