Steel band
French and Spanish plantation owners brought African slaves to Trinidad and Tobago from the 1700s. Many of the slaves had been separated from their families and music was their only link back to Africa.
Their celebrations of their African culture brought about the emergence of the carnival tradition.
Carnivals would see musicians marching through the streets whilst banging out African rhythms on any objects they could find – car parts, dustbin lids, biscuit tins, etc.
This influenced many musical styles, including A style of Afro-Caribbean music from Trinidad and Tobago, often with humorous or satirical lyrics.
The modern day steel pan (or steel drum) was invented during the 1940s. Locals made the instruments out of readily available 55 gallon oil drums discarded by the oil refineries on the island.
The steel bands are made up of a variety of different sized steel pans as well as a percussion section of drum kit and other hand-held percussion instruments.
Steel band music makes frequent use of rolls – a technique where the player produces a long rolling or A wavering effect often produced by repeatedly playing two slightly different notes very quickly effect by striking the note repeatedly using beaters with a rubber band on the end. As the music is strongly influenced by the local folk music, it is full of syncopation.
Steel bands often play calypso tunes but also play other folk, classical and pop music.
Con-Fusion performed by Fimber Bravo