Exotic Flavors: A Practical Guide to Writing for Ethnic Instruments, featuring Joseph Peck on Steel Drums

Through performance and discussion, this seminar featured the unique instrumental mastery of Joseph Peck on steel drums.

The steel drum is popularly considered the national instrument of Trinidad. Fashioned from steel barrels, the “pans”— the common name for steel drums — are hand-hammered and tuned in several patterns including the rhythm, ping pong, second pan, cello, guitar, and bass patterns. Joseph Peck demonstrated a variety of pan types, covering both traditional and experimental uses of the instrument, with detailed discussion of the tunings, performance techniques, and notation. He also performed compositions for steel drum and jazz ensemble (performed with his quintet).

An audio recording of this seminar is available for members below.