The steelpan (also known as a pan, steel drum, and sometimes, collectively with other musicians, as a steelband or steel orchestra) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago. Steelpan musicians are called pannists.
Steelpans developed in the early to mid 1900s, but with roots going back much earlier, including the talking drums of West African cultures. The hourglass-shaped drums were used for communicating messages at a distance with drum language. For example, the rhythm and pitch could indicate the location, time, and type of dancing during an upcoming ceremony.
