Steel Pan facts with Steelasophical Steel Pan facts with Steelasophical Steel Pan facts with Steelasophical Did you know that the steel drum was born out of poverty and a local ban on drums? The steel drum originated in the late 1930s on the island of Trinidad and was played as part of a steel band, a percussion ensemble contrived by lower-class rebellious teens. Learn more about the steeldrum’s complex history, development, and current form with our ten fun facts below: The steel drum is a tuned idiophone traditionally made from an oil drum, but today is made of high-quality steel. To make a steel drum, or a pan, the bottom of an oil drum is first pounded into a bowl, [...]