SECRETS OF THE STEEL DRUM

Thanks to Shell Lanius, the steel drum diagram below is interactive! Just click any big note and you're playing the steel drum. Also, you may want to copy or print the diagram of the "C" tenor lead steel drum shown on the screen, or just play your moniter screen with toothpicks or plastic straws. People are always surprised to learn that most of these beautiful chromed instruments begin life as a 55-gallon oil drum! Yes, the kind they fill with Mobile oil! Talk about making lemonade out of lemons. This lemonade had its origin in Trinidad. From an empty drum that was beaten on as a rhythm instrument, the full sized drum evolved into the cut off, pounded down, carefully note patterned, skillfully tuned and chromed beauties of today; 85 gallon drums are also used. In 2004 one commercial drum maker started making drums from scratch metal, quite a developement in steel drum evolution. Only in recent years have note patterns become standardized on the drums. "Hey mon, I con't play yor pan..da notes are difforant don on mine."

Enough history. Here are the secrets to unlock the drum. (Sorry, can't help you with Pyramids.)

If you think of the steel drum as a Zodiac that skips signs (notes), you have a big jump start for entering the gates into steeldrumland. Two key points: (1) Zodiac. (2) It skips. Here's a technical side note; it's the many harmonic layers above the fundamental tone produced by each vibrating note and surrounding notes, that results in the steeldrum's magical sounds.

Ready to play lesson #1? Look at the steel drum pattern on this web page. Use your mouse starting with the C at the bottom, now skip a note and hit the D, skip a note and hit the E, now come back just to the left of the C note you started on and hit F, skip a note hit G, skip a note hit A, skip a note hit B, and back to C. Great, you just played the C major scale.

Now your ready to play lesson #2 and first song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!! It's the very first tune I played. Ready go. C C G G A A G F F E E D D C Again, use your mouse.

Now for lesson #3 lets play chords in the key of C. For this use a diagram or a real steel drum. Play C and G together (the C chord) and drum roll your stick like a Civil War drummer boy. Don't worry about your roll, everybody starts at the beginning. Now F and D (the F chord), and G and E (the G chord). Wonderful. Not too loudly, the neighbors will complain.

For you ultra fast learners, unlike me, I'm going to reveal the Zodiac secret…the chromatic scale in lesson #4. This time you can again use your mouse.

O.K. ready. lets go. Slow..Slow..Slow. This isn't NASCAR. In music as in swimming and all physical skills, slow creates fast. So slow down and make it easy on your brain and body! Enjoy...and Zen a bit. Play C with your right hand rh toothpick, C# with your left hand lh,..D rh..Eb lh,..E rh,..F lh,..F# rh,..G lh,..G# rh,..A lh,..Bb rh,..B lh,..C rh You just played the C chromatic scale. Quick, e-mail some friends with the news! To go up the chromatic scale go counter clockwise. To go down the chromatic scale go clockwise. Careful don't get dizzy. Now do you see what I mean about skipping and Zodiac? I actually did get seasick practicing the drum, but my sea and air belly is a wuz. Keep your diagram with you and practice with your drum "picks" when your boss isn't around.

Hope you have some fun. Sincerely, Mason Lane

Requires Flash 7

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