MS: Can you brief explanation on how the pans are built?
RD: Traditionally, one begins with a 55-gallon
steel drum, though other sizes are used. Also, there are some manufacturers
essentially making their own barrels out of flat stock and welding the top to
the skirt.
The top is sunk down into a bowl shape. Various
methods are used, including hammering, repeatedly dropping a heavy metal ball
onto the drum, and spin-sinking -- pressing the bowl into shape with a machine
as the drum spins by underneath. The notes are then drawn on the drum, and
hammering occurs in the spaces between the notes to tighten that metal. As this
is done, the notes begin to rise up. Many manufacturers then hammer the borders
of each note with a narrow punch or wedge to selectively harden that metal
further, helping to isolate the notes from each other when the instrument is
finally completed.
It is at approximately this point that a drum
is generally heated to several hundred degrees to help tighten and settle the
metal into shape. The drum is then cleaned and the surface is made smooth by
further careful hammer work. In general, the smoother and tighter the metal,
the cleaner and brighter the final sound can be.
The notes are then more fully popped up from
below, often strengthened with selective heating, and then tuning begins. The
exact shape and tension must be correct to allow a note to vibrate while not
interfering with other nearby notes. Also, multiple partials are carefully
tuned on a modern steel drum note -- anywhere from two to as many as five, or
even six. The overtones will generally be made to correspond with overtones in
the natural harmonic series, giving the notes more sensitivity at low volumes,
power at high volumes, and resonance in general.
A protective finish is then usually applied,
such as paint or electroplating. Any resulting disturbances to the tuning are
corrected, any necessary provisions for the hanging or standing of the
instrument are attached, and then the instrument is complete.
MS: What tools are using in the building and tuning process?
RD: Hammers of various weights and styles, ranging
from 4 or 8 ounces up to a few pounds (most of them metal, but a few with
plastic or rubber faces), various wedges and prying devices to shape the metal
in ways difficult or impossible to achieve with hammers alone, templates and
rulers for laying out the arrangement and positions of notes, an electronic
tuning device to aid the ear in precise alignment of the partials, and various
mallets and tapping implements during tuning.
MS: What is it that gives the pan its unique sound?
RD: Each note is a separate vibrating membrane,
much like that on a snare drum or tom-tom. Essentially, a steel drum is a
collection of several metallic drum heads on a single instrument. Their
metallic nature, as well as the careful tuning of multiple partials within each
note, produce a unique sound.
MS: How does the shape of the affect this sound?
RD: The bowl in general must be shaped and prepared
in a way that is known to inhibit any undesirable interactions between notes.
It also must not produce tones of its own that might interfere with the notes
themselves.
The notes must also be shaped in a way that
helps them to be sensitive and pure, yet capable of power if called upon. If
they are too flat, they may lack power. If they are too high, they may lack
sensitivity. The correct shape is also generally not quite symmetrical. Subtle
nuances of shape and tension help create a note that functions well at all
dynamic levels.
MS: How long does it usually take to get the pan ready to tune?
How long to tune?
RD: An instrument can generally be readied for
tuning in approximately three days, and if very well made, can be tuned in
about two. The highest possible quality can take substantially longer however,
as the surface is scrutinized for subtle imperfections, more partials are
aligned during tuning, and the character of each note is more carefully
evaluated for consistency with the rest of the instrument.
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