For Steel Drum Fans and Party Planners People often ask me how I got involved in music and how I found the Steel Drum and decided to make it my main focus. So here's short blog entry on how this all came about. Calypso Ted How did your get your start in music? Well, I started out as a rock drummer in high school and then added jazz vibraphone to the mix. The vibraphone quickly became my favorite because I enjoyed playing melody, chords and improvising. Years later when I was working on my music education degree, I had to cycle through all the band and string instruments. It reaffirmed that melodic percussion was my favorite thing. How did you discover steel drums? Back in high school, every year the Roberto Clemente High School Steel Band would come and play at lunchtime in our cafeteria. They were loud and proud. But I did not get hooked at that time since I was a rebel without a cause and was a fan of heavy metal and progressive rock music. Fast forward to my college days. After one particularly stressful concert band rehearsal, I was walking down the corridor and heard the sound of live steel drums in the distance. It was like the pied piper was calling me! I followed the sound until I discovered a steel drummer playing in the school commons area. The music was just so happy and it was percussion - so I was hooked. Within a year, I had my own steel drum. Tell me about that drum. The story goes like this. After hearing that steel drum in college, I wanted to find out if I could really play the damn thing, so I signed up for one of the community steel bands at Harper College in Illinois. I liked playing, but to get better at it I needed to have a drum of my own. Around this time my wife Joanne worked for an international company that had an office in Trinidad, the home of the steel pan. They sponsored a steel band during Carnival season. So she got in touch with the office manager who put us in touch with the steel band’s tuner and he made a D Lead Tenor drum. What do you like about playing the Steel Drums? Ihave a motto that sums up my philosophy toward making music. It says “Creating Joy Through Sound.” Of all the instruments I’ve played – the steel drums have an inherently happy sound that I find very satisfying. I really enjoy playing the island standards, calypso, tropical rock and reggae songs. What is your approach to playing the steel drums? I’m really like the older steel pan recordings of the 1950’s. This was when the drums were made from real oil drums and had a funky kind of sound. And I like the loose and free style that those guys played with. So I try to cop that kind of groove. How old were you when you started playing steel drums? I began to study the steel drum when I was in my 40’s! Now there are some music “teachers” who have the opinion that if you don’t start an instrument at an early age you’ll never fully master it. That may apply to people who want to succeed as a classically trained musician in the concert world, but for the rest of us opinions are changing. Your age does not and should not matter. If you what to try something new and your heart’s into it – I say go for it. What’s next for you? I'm trying to keep my Youtube channel current, so click on the social media youtube button at the very top of this page and subscribe to my channel so you'll know when I post new videos. I've been stockpiling footage from a lot of gigs so I've got some new ones on the way. This summer my muse visited me big time and I'm writing some original steel drum tunes that I hope to record and release soon.. I’m also very gratified and grateful for the popularity of my Edu-tainment programs. I keep refining them and try to add a new title every other school year. Other then that, I’m blessed with good health, a loving wife and a daughter who’s now in college (music business major). So the hits just keep on coming! So post a Comment below or reach me via my CONTACT page. It would be great to hear from you ! For More Info on Shows, Prices and Bookings - visit the FAQ page.
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AuthorCalypso Ted Merkle - Steel Drum artist, performer and educator. Archives
October 2017
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