Not only has Barbados come into its own with lively beats, clever lyrics and scathing social commentary, but Barbadian kaiso men have come up with new rhythms to the calypso tempo. Beats such as 'Ring Bang', which came directly from 'Tuk', and 'Ragga soca', an invention of long-standing calypso legend, Red Plastic Bag, helped set Barbados apart from the formula calypso of other islands. Soca, the more upbeat version to calypso, is truly in Barbados' domain, particularly with the advent of the new rhythms, which other islands now imitate and merge into their own local rhythms. One reason the island now stands out as a beacon of high standards in this genre is the many bands and lead singers now dominating the local music scene. Many of the bands write their own music and enjoy tremendous popularity both regionally and further afield.
Steel pan is another oddity instrument made out of necessity.
Using old oil drums, pan men in Trinidad 'beat out' the shape of the oil drum head to create slopes and slants on it that made notes it is a fine art to 'beat' and 'tune' a steel pan and Trinidadians are perhaps the best in the world. However, Barbados now has its own steel bands and some schools have added steel pan bands to their curriculum. Local music also reflects the pan sound more, and it can be heard in all music forms here from the calypso, for which steel pan was originally made, to folk. The sound of a full steel band is unlike any other musical experience. The bands range in size from 10 to 20 members to upwards of 30 in the larger competitive bands in Trinidad.