Double Tenor Pan
Title
Double Tenor Pan
Video
Physical description
This instrument consists of two drums with a “skirt” or side length of approx 12-16 cm (Blake, 110). The notes are “raised” from the concave bowl in an arrangement that varies the most widely. The lowest notes found along the circumference of the bowl are U-shaped, while the higher octave notes are either oval or circular-shaped inside. The double tenor pans must be suspended on stands or a rack to allow the drums to resonate and are played with moderately thick rubber mallets.
Historical background
Ellie Mannette, an early innovator for the Invaders steel band, is credited with creating the first double tenor pan. He created this design (along with the double seconds) in an effort to expand the range of notes in the early steel band (Blake, 110). It is used mainly to support the tenor melody while occasionally providing harmonic support.
Tuning
The double tenor has a chromatic range between F3 and B-flat5, with 29 to 30 notes. Its range is one octave below the tenor pan.
Geography
Trinidad and Tobago
Classification
111.241.22 Sets of gongs with divided surface sounding different pitches
Ensemble
Steel Pan Ensemble
Materials
Steel
Bibliography
Blake, F.I.R. The Trinidad & Tobago Steel Pan: History and Evolution. Port of Spain, Trinidad: Published by author.
Goddard, George “Sonny.” 1991. Forty Years in the Steelbands, 1939-1979. Port of Spain, Karia Press.
Steumpfle, Stephen. 1995. The Steelband Movement: The Forging of a National Art in Trinidad and Tobago. Philadelphia: Univ. of Pennsylvania Press.
Thomas, Jeffrey Todd. 1985. A History of Pan and the Evolution of the Steel Band in Trinidad and Tobago. M.A. Thesis. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University.
Additional resources
Pan Trinbago
http://www.pantrinbago.co.tt
http://www.pantrinbago.co.tt
Contributors
Amelia Ingram (2004)
Collection
Citation
“Double Tenor Pan,” Wesleyan University Virtual Instrument Museum 2.0, accessed October 8, 2024, https://wesomeka.wesleyan.edu/vim2/items/show/27.