The steelpan is the large Caribbean steel percussion instrument made from a tuned metal drum.
Steelpans developed in Trinidad and Tobago during the twentieth century, particularly in the communities of Port of Spain. Their playing surfaces are formed from the bottoms of industrial oil drums, which are carefully shaped, tempered, and hammered into separate areas that produce different pitches.
The instrument emerged from earlier Trinidadian traditions of carnival music and percussion. After restrictions were placed on some traditional instruments, performers experimented with bamboo stamping tubes and later with metal containers. These experiments eventually produced the modern steelpan family.
A steel orchestra may contain several sizes, from high-pitched lead pans to low bass pans. Although the names “steel drum” and “steelpan” are both common, “steelpan” is the preferred term for the instrument. The steelpan is not simply an untuned container: each note area is deliberately shaped and tuned by specialist makers.