Every new student of the Cycle of Fifths lead steel drum /pan should begin with this simple and insightful instruction book. The Lead steel drum /pan is completely de-mystified in four easy sessions. Twelve key exercises and drills with guided sticking will help you gain full facility around the instrument in the shortest possible time. Begin the fun of playing tunes immediately!

A complete method for learning to play lead steel drum. World-renowned steel drum artist Othello Molineaux has developed a concise method for the novice or experienced musician. Perfect for individual study or classroom use, this method comes complete with an accompaniment CD and a full-size practice poster.

Steel Drums and Steelbands: A History is a vivid account of the events that led to the “accidental” invention of the steel drum: the only acoustic musical instrument invented in the 20th century. Angela Smith walks readers through the evolution of the steel drum from an object of scorn and tool of violence to one of the most studied, performed, and appreciated musical instruments today. Smith explores the development of the modern steelband, from its roots in African slavery in early Trinidad to the vast array of experiments in technological innovation and to the current explosion of steelbands in American schools. The book offers insights directly from major contributors of the steelband movement with sections devoted exclusively to pioneers and innovators. Drawing on seven years of research, repeated trips to the birthplace of the steel drum, Trinidad, and interviews with steelband pioneers, Smith takes readers far beyond the sunny associations of the steel drum with island vacations, cruise ships, and multiple encores of “Yellow Bird.” Digging deep into Trinidad’s history—a tale of indigenous extermination and African slavery, of French settlement and Spanish and British colonialism before mid-century independence—Smith weaves an unforgettable narrative of talking drums, kalinda stick fights, tamboo bamboo bands, iron bands, calypso, Carnival, and the U. S. military. Together, all played major roles in the evolution of today’s steelband and in the panman’s journey from renegade to hero in the steelband’s move from the panyards of Trinidad’s poorest neighborhoods to the world’s most prestigious concert halls. The reader will discover how an instrument created by teenage boys, descendants of African slaves, became a world musical phenomena. Steel Drums and Steelbands is the ideal introduction to the steel drum, steelbands, and their history.

(Steel Pan). The Hal Leonard Steelpan Method is designed for anyone just learning to play the steelpan. This easy-to-use beginner's guide takes you through the basics of the instrument and its technique. The accompanying audio includes demonstration tracks for all the examples in the book. It covers: stance * holding the mallets * types of strokes * tone production and volume control * stickings * rolls * scales * calypsos * many songs and exercises * basic music reading * steelpan anatomy and maintenance * steelpan history * and more.

A mysterious man appears in Harlem and promises to rid the city of its rats by playing the steel pan drum, in a retelling of The Pied Piper of Hamelin set during the Harlem Renaissance. By the illustrator of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book, Almost to Freedom.

The steel tongue drum (aka tong drum, tank drum, gluck-o-phone, hapi drum, mandala, or lotus drum) and the handpan (aka hank drum, UFO drum, zen drum) are percussion musical instruments designed to help you focus on your feelings, sensations, and body. You don't need classical music training or knowledge of music theory to play them. The main purpose is relaxation, meditation, and traveling through your inner world. Playing traditional music notes is difficult for people who have no musical knowledge. You need to know the rhythmic value of each note, its place on the staff, note duration, and its combination with other notes. To be aware of all this simultaneously demands music experience and advanced skills. Nevertheless, even if you have never studied music, you can begin to play complicated melodies, and also experiment with your tongue drum in a meditative way. No previous training or skills are necessary to enjoy these fascinating instruments. It is impossible to play them incorrectly. Anyone can play them: those who want to develop a good sense of rhythm and an ear for music, those who are seeking relaxation after a hard day at work, those who have always had an interest in learning how to play a musical instrument, and those who want to introduce something unusual into their lives and explore their inner selves. All songs in this book have been written without using the classic music score system because it is for absolute beginners who cannot read sheet music. We collect very simple and well-known songs and melodies with easy rhythms. You can begin to play just now using circles that contain either a number, without having to consider note duration, key, or time signatures. These numbers correspond to those on the keys of your tongue drum. So you just need to follow the numbers. We use circles with numbers because most modern tongue drums have numbers engraved or painted on their keys. We do not show the note duration - we just group the circles closer to each other to show the rhythms. You can experiment with a duration on your own. Because most tongue drums include and are tuned to involve the notes of the main octave, all songs from this book are possible to play in one octave. This book includes very simple, popular children's and folk songs, but even well-known children's songs played on the drum will create an unusual magical sound. Attention: Songs have been transposed for a DIATONIC range. Some melodies might be changed and simplified. Contents: Alphabet Song A Hunting We Will Go A Sailor Went to Sea Acka Backa Are You Sleeping Baa Baa Black Sheep Baby Bumble Bee Bell Horses Bim Bum Biddy Bobby Shafto Brahms Lullaby Chumbara Cobbler, Mend My Shoe Cock-a-Doodle Doo Ding Dong DiggiDiggiDong Do You Know the Muffin Man? Doggie Doggie Fiddle-De-Dee Five Little Ducks Five Little Monkeys Frog in the Meadow Happy Birthday Hot Cross Buns Humpty Dumpty I Like to Eat Apples and Bananas I Love Little Kitty It's Raining Itsy Bitsy Spider Jack and Jill Jingle Bells Jolly Old Saint Nicholas Kookaburra La Cucaracha Little Jack Horner London Bridge Mary Had a Little Lamb Miss Mary Mack My Hat Ninety-Nine Bottles Ode to Joy Oh Susannah Oh We Can Play on the Big Bass Drum Old Bald Eagle Old Blue Old McDonald Old Mother Hubbard One, Two, Three, Four Rain, Rain, Go Away Ring Around the Rosie Row Row Your Boat Rub-a-Dub-Dub See-Saw Margery Daw Ten in the Bed The Beep and the Pup The Big Sheep The Mulberry Bush The Wheels on the Bus This Old Man Tinga Layo To Market, to Market Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star We Wish You a Merry Christmas

The steel tongue drum (aka tong drum, tank drum, gluck-o-phone, hapi drum, mandala or lotus drum) and the handpan (aka hank drum, UFO drum, zen drum) are percussion musical instruments designed to help you focus on your feelings, sensations, and body. You don't need classical music training or knowledge of music theory to play them. The main purpose is relaxation, meditation, and traveling through your inner world. No previous training or skills are necessary to enjoy these fascinating instruments. It is impossible to play them incorrectly. Anyone can play them: those who want to develop a good sense of rhythm and an ear for music, those who are seeking relaxation after a hard day at work, those who have always had an interest in learning how to play a musical instrument, and those who want to introduce something unusual into their lives and explore their inner selves. This book is aimed at those who want to add popular melodies to their experimentation. All songs in this book have been written without using the classic music score system, because it is for absolute beginners who cannot read sheet music. We use circles with numbers because most modern tongue drums have numbers engraved or painted on their keys. We do not show the note duration -- we just group the circles closer to each other to show the rhythms. You can experiment with duration on your own. Because most tongue drums include and are tuned to involve the notes of the main octave, all songs from this book are possible to play in one octave. This book includes very simple, popular children's and folk songs, but even well-known children's songs played on the drum will create an unusual magical sound. Attention: Songs have been transposed for a DIATONIC range. Some melodies might be changed and simplified. If you have flat keys on your instrument, please use the classic music score for the piano. Contents Introduction Rub-a-Dub-Dub The Wheels on the Bus Miss Mary Mack Happy Birthday Doggie Doggie Mary Had a Little Lamb Oh We Can Play on the Big Bass Drum Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star A Hunting We Will Go Kookaburra Ode to Joy Do You Know the Muffin Man? Old Bald Eagle La Cucaracha A Sailor Went to Sea Are You Sleeping The Mulberry Bush Old McDonald Bim Bum Biddy London Bridge Jingle Bells Tinga Layo Itsy Bitsy Spider We Wish You a Merry Christmas Brahms Lullaby Ninety-Nine Bottles Jolly Old Saint Nicholas Oh Susannah Row Row Your Boat Acka Backa Hot Cross Buns Bell Horses