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Evolution of a Steel Drum, Part 1 A steel drum begins its tranformation from industrial container to musical instrument. From "Handmade Music" episode DHMM-301

(Continued from page 1)

	Figure J
	Figure K

Shaping

Now that Glenn Rowsey has created a "salad bowl," his focus shifts to individual notes. That means big hammers go away and smaller, more precise tools make an appearance.

• Up until now Glenn's pattern of work has been circular. But with emphasis shifting to note patterns on the surface of the "salad bowl" his technique becomes more direct and angular. He wants to give each note an individual shape.

• Now that note shaping is the goal, Glenn has to work under the drum surface. That means the lower two-thirds of the 55 gallon drum are cut away with power shears (figures J and K).
  

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  Figure L

• With templates created by Ellie Mannette Glenn marks the position of each inner note on this double second. These will be the higher-pitched notes.

• Heat from a flame is used to work the metal and shape the notes further (figure L). The heat softens up the metal to make it more pliable. This shaping is also referred to as "scooping" the notes. Basically Glenn is trying to get each note on a different plane within the surface of the pan.

Grooving: The End of the Construction Phase

Grooving outlines each note on the surface of the pan. It marks the first time that a note is obviously unique and distinctive from the many others around the drum.

• With a power center punch Glenn outlines each note on the drum surface (figures M and N). This makes each one stand out visually and keeps individual work on notes from affecting other parts of the drum.

  Figure M

  Figure N

  
  

• That work is known as "bubbling", and a rubber hammer gets the job done (figures O and P).

• The drum is flipped over and each note is "popped" from behind. This step gives each note a convex shape within the concave surface of the drum.

  Figure O

  Figure P

  
  

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GUESTS :

Ellie Mannette and Chanler Bailey
Mannette Steel Drums
Morgantown, WV
www.mannettesteeldrums.com