Steel drum: musical instrument facts

Steel drum: musical instrument facts

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, then shaped and tuned with hammers to form distinct resonating surfaces. Check out my list of fun, weird and just plain amazing fact of life I have found.

• Steel bands are stylistically versatile, but the most common steel band conventions of melodic phrasing and rhythmic structure are related to Calypso music.
• While the first steel bands included instruments such as soap boxes, biscuit tins, and dustbins, modern steel bands include vibraphones, cow bells, congas, bongos, triangles and other percussion instruments.
• Drums are made in families: bass pans, rhythm pans, and tenor pans.

• The steel band developed directly out of bamboo stamping tube ensembles, which provided carnival music for the lower-class in Port of Spain after a British colonial law restricted the use of drums with skin heads.
• “Band wars” between rival steel bands emerged in Trinidad, complete with street fighting. Membership in a band soon became interpreted as hooliganism signaling creole disdain for European norms.
• Manufacturing steel drums is a highly specialized skill. Pans are not standardized, as competition between rival bands fostered innovation in tuning and design.
• Winston ‘Spree’ Simon of the John John steel band is credited with making the first pan. In 1946, his band performed Ave Maria and God Save the King for an audience that included the British Governor. Wanna take a quick look at funny pictures with captions that can help you relax effectively.
• As of 1992, the steelpan is Trinidad and Tobago’s national instrument. However, the notion dates from the 1940s when the steel band’s musical transformation was driven by competition between bands as well as by the efforts of progressive middle-class individuals to promote what they viewed as an indigenous art form unjustly maligned by colonial cultural standards.
• Popularity of the steel band has grown. They are now plentiful in Caribbean diaspora communities as well as non-Caribbean communities all over the world. While Trinidad and Tobago continues to be the center, countries like Sweden, Switzerland, and Japan are now hubs of steel band activity.

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Thunder facts that will blow your mind

Here is a collection of random facts about Thunder that will blow your mind

• Thunder is the sound caused by lightning.
• The intense heat from lightning causes the surrounding air to rapidly expand and create a sonic wave that you hear as thunder.
• The average temperature of lightning is around 20000 °C (36000 °F).
• The sound of thunder can be anything from a loud crack to a low rumble.
• Light travels faster than sound so we see lightning before we hear thunder.
• The closer you are, the shorter the gap between the lightning and thunder.
• The speed of sound is around 767 miles per hour (1,230 kilometres per hour).
• The speed of light is around 669600000 miles per hour (1080000000 kilometres per hour).
• Thunder is difficult to hear at distances over 12 miles (20 kilometres).
• Thousands of years ago philosophers such as Aristotle believed that thunder was caused by the collision of clouds. On our site, you can also check out other awesome information or amazing science facts.
• Astraphobia is the fear of thunder and lightning.
• The Oklahoma basketball team that play in the National Basketball Association (NBA)are called the Thunder.
• Thunder was supposedly created by the rolling wheels of his chariot, which was drawn by two goats called Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder.
• “They say all marriages are made in heaven, but so are thunder and lightning," (Clint Eastwood).
• At any moment around 18,000 thunderstorms are taking place somewhere on Earth.
• The most thundery place on Earth is said to be Tororo, Uganda, where it thunders 251 days a year.
• When the US palaeontologist Othniel C Marsh discovered a dinosaur in 1879, he called it ‘brontosaurus’, meaning ‘thunder lizard’…

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Amazing snowfall, rainfall, temperature and wind speed records

Read on for a range of interesting facts about weather and climate with funny pictures with captions

Hot and Cold weather facts:

Al'Aziziyah in Libya has the highest recorded temperature on earth at a sweltering 58°C on the 13th Sept, 1922.

The lowest ever recorded world temperature was at Vostok Station, Antarctica on the 21 July 1983 at a bitter -89.6°C

Wet and Dry facts about weather:

Mawsynram in India is noted as being the wettest place on earth is with over 11 meters of rain falling every year.

In contrast, Antofagasta in Chile is the driest place on the planet getting less than 0.1mm per year, and with many years having no rainfall whatsoever.

Sunny facts:

Yuma in the state of Arizona has over 4,000 hours of sunshine per year - making it the sunniest place on the planet!

The South Pole is the least sunny place - only 182 days a year get sunshine.

Windy Facts:

The windiest place on earth is Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica where winds of 200mph have been recorded.

The strongest ever recorded wind was on Mt Washington, New Hampshire, USA at an amazing 231mph.

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Stormy Weather facts:

Nearly 2,000 thunderstorm cells are estimated over the planet at any given time.

The U.S. has over 100,000 thunderstorms every year, with over 16 million taking place across the world in a year.

9 out of 10 lightning bolts strike land rather than oceans.

A storm named John was the Longest-lasting Pacific tropical storm continuing for 31 days. As it crossed the dateline twice, it changed status from a hurricane to a typhoon and back to a hurricane.

"Ginger", was the longest-lasting Atlantic tropical storm, which spun around the open ocean for 28 days in 1971.

Snowy Weather Facts:

The world's largest snowflake was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records, at 38 cm wide and 20 cm thick. The snow flake fell at Fort Keogh, Montana, USA on 28 January 1887.

With tyres for his mouth and trees for arms, ‘Angus’ - the tallest snowman, was made by residents of Bethel, Maine, USA, measuring a whopping 34.63 metres. ‘Angus’ took 2 weeks to build, and was completed on 17 February 1999.

The greatest snowfall recorded was on Mt Rainier, Washington State, USA - Over 30metres fell during the winter of 1972.

Weird Weather Facts:

On 14th April, 1986 Bangladesh was hit by the biggest hail stones ever recorded - weighing in at over 1kg each - killing 92 people.

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10 Facts About Piano

You may spend a lot of time picking out scales and pouring our hearts into the piano, but how much do you know about the instrument itself? The piano is an incredible musical instrument with a very interesting past, and these ten facts about the instrument you spend so much time with may have you thinking about it in a new way!
Fact 1: There are 7500 working parts in the body of each piano.
That’s an enormous number of little pieces that need to be working perfectly to get the sound that you need!
Fact 2: The piano is generally considered to be a member of the percussion family because it only makes noise when a hammer hits a string.

Bet you didn’t know that you could be considered a percussionist!
Fact 3: The name ‘piano’ is actually a nickname for the full Italian name of the instrument, which is ‘pianoforte’.

This longer name was given to the instrument based on its ability to play notes very quietly (piano) or very loudly (forte).
Fact 4: The piano is actually a relatively new instrument!

The first piano constructed was made in 1698 by Bartolomeo Cristofori in Italy. That might sound old, but other instruments such as the flute have been around for thousands of years – the piano is only 316 years old!
Fact 5: There are 230 strings required for a piano to make its full range of sound.

There is an incredible amount of pressure on these strings too – over 30 tons of pressure might be exerted on a concert grand!
Fact 6: The piano is known as the “King of the Instruments” because its range goes from the lowest note that you can play on a double-bassoon to the highest note that you can play on a piccolo.

The single instrument covers a full orchestral range!
Fact 7: There are 18 million non-professional piano players in the United States alone, and over 10 million pianos!

This is can be a huge benefit when it comes to studying music at a higher level – no matter which instrument is your principal area of study, most programs will ask you to have a year of piano lessons under your belt as well.
Fact 8: A concert grand piano is 8′ 11″ and weighs over 1400 pounds.

This is why everyone looks so tiny when they are playing one! This size also helps the instrument to produce its incredible sound quality
Fact 9: Even though piano keys are referred to as the “ivories”, they have not been made out of ivory since the 1940s to protect endangered resources.

Now they are made out of plastic instead.
Fact 10: The best piano brand in the world is considered to be the Steinway piano.

The Steinway family has been making pianos since 1853 and a Steinway Grand Piano can cost well over $100, 000.

Hopefully these fun facts have changed the way that you think about your piano – it isn’t just a tool you use for practice, it is an intricate instrument that is capable of more than you may think!

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10 little known facts about Trumpets that you might not know

Similar to any other musical instrument, trumpets, itself, also very greatly unique features that can't be found in others. Here are some little known facts about Trumpets for you to know. Hope that you will enjoy this article as well as great facts about this brass instrument.

TRUMPET

• A trumpet may seem short and compact when compared to larger brass instruments, such as the trombone, but this small instrument contains roughly 6 1/2 feet of tubing. That’s taller than the average human being, yet the instrument can fit comfortably in your hands.
• Trumpets are known for being used in bands and orchestras, but they also has a military component. Armies dating back to medieval times have used the trumpet as a signal device because of its loud, rich tone that can be heard over long distances.
• The trumpet has been around since ~1,500 BC.  There is even artwork by civilizations dating back to 300BC that showcase the trumpet.
• The early precursors to the trumpet, cornetto and natural trumpet, didn’t have valves or keys.
• Trumpets come in several varieties that are built to play in different musical keys. Some examples are B-flat, F, D, E, G and C.
• The trumpet has a cylindrical bore. This means that the diameter of it’s tubing remains consistent throughout the length of the tubing (except for the bell flare).  This is what gives the trumpet it’s characteristic, vibrant and focused sound.
• Modern trumpets are made from brass, which is an alloy of copper and zinc, but the earliest trumpets were made out of many different materials, including conch shells and wood.
• Other variations on the trumpet family include the cornet and flugelhorn. These instruments are more mellow due to their conical bore.  The tubing diameter of these instruments gradually gets larger towards the end of the instrument.
• The trumpet may only have three valves, but you can actually play 45 distinct notes by manipulating those valves.
• Bass trumpet is usually played by trombonists.

Great Violin facts to know

Every instrument has a history that also involves bizarre, incredible and random facts! Violin players, enthusiasts and music lovers. Right below here are some of the most interesting facts about violin that you might not know.

• The modern violin has been around for roughly 500 years. It was said to have been designed in the 1500’s by Andrea Amati.
• Playing the violin burns approximately 170 calories per hour. Forget about your workout and start practicing harder!
• Violins are typically comprised of spruce or maple wood.
• Violins come in many different sizes. Typically, students will start learning violin at a young age with a 1/32 or 1/16 size violin. As the student ages they will graduate up to a full sized violin.
• Violins are very complex. Over 70 different pieces of wood are put together to form the modern violin.
• The word violin comes from the Medieval Latin word vitula, meaning stringed instrument;
• The world record in cycling backwards playing a violin is 60.45 kilometres in 5 hours 8 seconds.
• The most expensive violin in the world was made by Giuseppe Guarneri in 1741. This extravagant violin was appraised with a value of $18 million.
• Violin bows typically contain 150 to 200 hairs. They can be made up of  a variety of materials including nylon and horse hair.
• Violin strings were first made of sheep gut (commonly known as catgut), which was stretched, dried, and twisted. Other materials violin strings have been made out of include: solid steel, stranded steel, or various synthetic materials, wound with various metals, and sometimes plated with silver.