Steel band musicians’ instruments
As has been noted, we do like playing as a trio. Alot. Although in the early days Russ Henderson’s band played as a 4-piece, it was really the Russ Henderson Trio that became the flagship format that other professional steel bands then followed. For that reason, Solid Steel sees the trio as its legacy and has championed it on its CD ‘Three’ accordingly.
The three basic types of steel pan/drum we play in this format are a tenor pan that plays melody, a second pan (think ‘rhythm guitar’ in terms of its harmonic strumming role) and bass pans with hand percussion. Max Cherrie was the first steel band musician to ever play bass steel pan whilst simultaneously playing hand percussion. As a result, Solid Steel’s bandleader Paul understandably champions that role and the entertainment it supplies for both the eyes and ears of its audience!