This thing is fun! I've been using mallets and it seems to be responding! I know that stubby little sticks are used traditionally but, I don't have any. Since I can read music (but not too quickly), the actual progressions are not that hard. Most of us at least know what an L pattern is.All I have to do tomorrow night is to convince my band mates that this drum might come in handy in a couple of tunes! Any help would be appreciated though. Thanks!

Brian

Hi Brian,

send me pics, please, and I'll upload them for all for reference here.

Ralf

In a pinch, you can always take thick rubber bands and wrap them onto the ends of pencils. They work just fine.

Thanks, Ralf and RogerSling! I'll try to get some pictures, Ralf. The local music shops don't carry the mallets, Roger but, there are several pairs offered on ebay. Thanks for the tip though. I'll give it a try! This is really a fun little drum. Even my guitar player gave it a try!

Brian

They are supposedly, originally to have come into being , made from the bottoms of 50 gallon oil drums.

Precisely.

The large containers were left when the Americans pulled out of the airfields. The locals originally beat on them as is. It didn't take long for them to begin cutting and shaping them. In time, the variety of pitched steel drums came into being. The wife and I spent time in our military fun days slogging around the oceans and islands and such. This isn't the origin of the pan, but it is the localized origin for groups of islanders.

Those drums could put a smile on most anyone's face. They are so much fun.

Hi, i have had lots of experience with steel drums and they are awesome! First off i highly suggest getting mallets because they are extremely fragile instruments (one slightly strong hit and they go out of tune) that can only be tuned by experts. Other than that, what would you like to know?

Hi, dieconashi!

Thanks for replying. I will order some mallets immediately. I appreciate the tip. Every fall, there is a local fair which always features a steel drum band. These players are amazing! If I remember correctly, most often they employed two sticks simultaneously. They must have been striking the same note or designated area but, the hitting areas in this drum are very small. Their drums were bigger. By using the two mallets together, do they produce a richer, more vibrant note? These musicians must have been trained. They were fantastic. I just want to have a bit of fun. Any tips? Striking angle? Anything you think might be useful would be greatly appreciated. Thank you VERY much!

Brian

Hi Brian,

As you may know, steel drums come in several "voices" ranging from bass (full 55 gallon barrels) to the soprano or lead. The ones that you saw using multiple mallets were likely the middle voices. They are the primarily "chording" instruments and can play two notes (usually 5ths or 3rds) at a time. The drum you have is not full size, so the notes are likely much smaller.

As far as tips, I can't stress too much that they need to be played gently. If you hear any oscillation/buzzing in the note, you are hitting it too hard and in danger of whacking it out of tune. As far as striking angle, you will see that the mallets have large flat sections. It is best to try to hit the notes fairly flat. Fully flat is not possible, but you don't want any of the wood or metal (depending on which material mallet you get) to touch the pan itself.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. Steel drums are way fun! The drum set and percussion played with them are also a blast. Soca, Calypso, Reggae, etc.Guitar Dude Man