Trinidadian steel drums come to town

With a name like Peggy Bryant, you might expect her to be marching in a Scottish bagpipe band, and you would have been right several years ago. Now her two passions are teaching English and teaching and playing steel drums, or pans, as they’re known. She’s ready, her studio’s ready, and her pans are ready to play.

Music has always been a big part of Peggy’s life, so it was natural that pans, which her daughter, Emma, had started playing at age eight, became a new focus. While living in Maine, she was instrumental (pun intended) in paving the way for one of the well-known steel drum groups in the state. She also taught kids ages 7 to 12 to play and perform in a band called Pandemonium for 2½ years, and as Peggy put it, “they were smokin’ hot.”

When she moved to Arizona, Peggy again started teaching and formed a band called the Bisbee Panhandlers, taking students from ground zero to the stage. Teaching English in the nearby border town of Agua Prieta, along with the pans, made her a very popular teacher, with students vying to be in her classes. She’s taught ages 8 to 80, so there are no limitations on how much fun you can have standing up.

Pans are very social and people tend to be fascinated by the variety and reach of sounds, often coming up after a concert to touch them and ask questions. This is the only instrument which came into its own in the 20th century, having gotten its start in Trinidad. During British rule in the 1800s, hand drums were used as a call for neighborhood gangs to collect and “mash up” with other gangs. Hoping to curb the violence, the government outlawed drums in 1896. The Trinidadians then turned to Bamboo Tamboo, where each member of the gang carried a length of bamboo to pound on the ground, producing a rhythmic signature. Soon these were outlawed as well, but the Trinidadians played on any object they could find - garbage can lids, old car parts and empty oil barrels - forming what were known as “Iron Bands.”

Musical competition quickly replaced the street fights and Carnaval became the place to showcase the versatility of the steel drum. In the late 1930s, considered the birth of steel drums, Winston “Spree” Simon is credited with discovering that a dented section of barrel head produced a tone or note.

Peggy will begin her weekly classes once she has at least four students, although seven is ideal. For about price of a cocktail, you can add flavor, spice and a little rhythm to your life Anyone with the desire can learn and eventually, who knows? Open Mic at Canucks or a concert in one of the parks.  

Peggy would like to offer a free lesson as a way of introduction to these fascinating instruments. Info: 668-9783, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .