Panzfest 2015 in Brisbane

Panzfest 2015 in Brisbane offered a weekend of pan music. Although Jamaican I consider myself part Trini having spent 3 of my formative years in Trinidad and Tobago. So there I was with my body swaying to the music of the 10 competing steel bands.

The steel pan is the National Instrument of Trinidad and Tobago and belongs to the percussion family of instruments.

Traditionally the steel pan was made from 55 gallon drums discarded by the oil refineries and is possibly the only instrument made out of industrial waste.

Nowadays, many instrument makers do not rely on used steel containers but get the resonance bodies manufactured according to their preferences and technical specifications.

There are several ways in which a steelpan may become out of tune. The most common causes are by playing the steelpan with excessive force and incorrect handling. Thus it is quite common that steelbands arrange to have their instruments tuned once or twice a year. A tuner must have great skill in his/her work to manage to make the notes sound both good and at the correct pitch. Much of the tuning work is performed using hammers.

My Jamaican Products stall was one of many supporting the festival. Fortunately my husband Tom was there to man the stall when I went off to catch up with my West Indian friends and sway to the music.

The weather on Saturday reminded us we were in sunny Queensland. We watched as the regular wind bursts reordered our display and kept us cool. Sunday started as a beautiful day. After lunch there was a thunder storm and we got drenched. Then it was time to pack up and plan for the return journey to Sydney.

See you in two years at the next Panzfest.