Abstract
A steel pan is a percussion instrument that was invented in Trinidad & Tobago in the 1940s. The early stages of a steel pan had been made from the 55gallon oil drum. It has become a popular instrument in Japan, Europe and the United States nowadays. Although a steel pan is a piece of the thin plate structure, it has various musical scales. The thin plate is processed by Panmeker' hand one by one. The radiated sound from a steel pan is included many harmonic overtones. This instrument has been developed after repeated process of trail and error. Therefore the relation between the vibration mechanism of a steel pan and its notes configuration has not elucidated in the analytical process. In this paper the fundamental dynamic characteristics of a steel pan is investigated. Experimental modal analysis is used to identify the vibration mode of a steel pan.
