This is the sound of the steel pan, a percussion instrument sometimes known as the steel drum. Unlike the pan pipes, this is an instrument very much of the 20th century. It comes from the sunny Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago off the north east coast of South America. It was there in the 1930s and 40s that musicians discovered that ordinary 50 gallon oil drums could be adapted to play music. It became so popular that the steel pan has become the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. During traditional carnival parades, players wear the pans suspended from a strap round their neck so that they can walk and play at the same time.
Carnivals are now becoming more common here in Britain. The biggest event of the year is undoubtedly the Notting Hill Carnival, which takes place in London every August Bank Holiday weekend. Over 1 million revellers join in the fun and steel bands are a big feature of the parades that take place.