Music, is one of the joys of my life. It helps me unwind, relax, get energized and sometimes sleep. In the recent past, it greatly aided me in soothing my over active unborn child who thought gymnastics was a necessary requirement for his entry into the world, and in the next few weeks, it will help me to prepare for and enjoy my favorite time of the year.

Musical instruments, are used to create beautiful music. One such instrument, invented in the 20th century is the steel pan.

I am proud to say, that my part of the world, the caribbean, is responsible for this feat! I am even more proud to share, that in the history of pan in the Caribbean, Antigua & Barbuda can boast a history of firsts. Also, it has been stated, though unfortunately not documented, that the guitar pan originated out of Antigua.

The steel pan instrument, though coming out of Trinidad, the land of soca music, has great versatility; the steel pan is a wonderfu instrument that can make all types of music sound fantastic! Take a listen:

The oldest steel orchestra in Antigua & Barbuda, and the world is the Hell’s Gate Steel Orchestra.

Steel pan music is very much a part of the Antiguan and Barbudan culture, evidenced by the fact that it is a feature of the Sunday night lime at Shirley’s Heights.

Shirley Heights is one of the MUST SEE spots on Antigua, even if only for the breathtaking view. Here’s what the view looks like during sailing week in the day, and here’s a glimpse of the same view not during sailing week.

Postcard perfect, isn’t it?

Steel pan music is also a feature of our biggest cultural event, the greatest summer festival, further emphasizing how important it truly is on Panorama night, when steel bands compete for the Panorama Championships. Sadly, this event, is the least attended of all the Carnival activities, but hopefully, this will change as there are ongoing efforts to revive pan in Antigua & Barbuda, through various creative strategies.

For instance, a pan solo by one of Antigua’s renowed pannists, Lacu Samuel was an ‘instrumental’ element in Antigua’s first feature film
‘The Sweetest Mango’ by husband and wife, director and producer team, Howard & Mitzi Allen.

One of the pan orchestra’s that has made, and is still making tremendous strides in ‘keeping pan alive’, is the Gemonites Steel Orchestra, through its Mood of Pan festival. This creative strategy is now an event on the country’s calendar of events. This year, Gemonites will celebrate its 10th year of its Moods of Pan Festival beginning tonight. Here’s a short video of highlights of day two of Moods of Pan 2007.

I have played the pan both for church and with Gemonites steel orchestra and I can tell you, it’s not the easiest of instruments to master. As someone who used to play the piano fairly well for years reaching as far as grade 5 in my studies, piano is a lot easier. Rolling, is a skill all on its own. As seen in a previous video where the young lady was playing ‘Flight of the Bumble Bee’, to hit the right notes on the pan and have the music flow smoothly and not disjointed, is truly a skill! Listen again, if you need to and compare the smoothness of this audio, and her rolling the same melody. It’s simply remarkable!

A couple of the steel orchestra’s here, have schools of pan, where they teach young and old alike, not only the rudiments of music with regards to musical theory, but also the fundamentals of playing the pan effectively, which includes how to roll properly, which enhances the listener’s appreciation for the music played on Pan.

So I leave you this week, with a video of the Gemonites Steel Orchestra playing their version of a Simon & Garfunkel classic.