About The Steel Drum

The Steel Drum, or Pan, is a unique instrument made from the bottom of an old oil barrel, and is instantly recognizable for it's sunny tropical sound.

Pan was invented on the Caribbean island of Trinidad in the late 1930's, making the steel drum one of the newest musical instruments in the world! (Pan History)

Each steel drum is a skillfully hammered 55-gallon oil drum which has been carefully tuned to produce perfect musical tones. (How Pans Are Made) A full steel drum band has a complete chromatic range of several octaves, and can play just about any type of music you can think of!

The Toucans play on 3 sets of pans: a Lead Pan (for the melody), a set of Double Seconds (for the chords & rhythm), and a set of Tenor Basses (for the low end). We are joined by a drum kit to keep the beat, and that's all it takes to make the great Toucans sound! (Have A Listen)

Please visit the Steel Drum section of our site to learn more about the history and origin of these amazing instruments from the island of Trinidad. You can also learn how to make a steel drum of your very own! (Make A Pan)