Music on Nevis

String Band

Music traditions are changing in Nevis; however there is an attempt to preserve some of the musical heritage of the island. It is the belief that such music dates from the slavery period when field workers were given free time to engage in leisure activities.

The traditional combination of three musical instruments – a bass drum, a kittle drum and a fife, or sometimes a fiddle formed the basis of the string band. Over the years instruments have been added – the Spanish guitar, which carries the harmony and the bass; the quarto, a four stringed smaller version of the guitar; the mandolin, carries both melody and harmony; the banjo, balances the band with variation and timing; the baho or bass pipe carries the bass and is also the main time keeper; the giro or grater; the steel or triangle and the maracas or shack shack, keep the rhythm; the fife is the lead instrument and dictates the key each tune is played in, in addition to the ‘setting’ of the other instruments.

String Band music is a conversation, in that the fife asks the questions, the banjo answers and all the other instruments ‘agree’. The majority of the instruments were hand crafted locally on Nevis.

Steel Pan

'The steel pan arose in the late 1930s among the African descendants in Trinidad and Tobago. Having very little money, persons had to make do with discarded materials in order to make musical instruments. It was soon discovered that if pounded constantly, large, steel oil drums produced musical notes. Thus, the steel pan was born.

By the late 1940s, this new style of music had spread to the other islands and began to feature in Carnivals across the Caribbean. Since then, Kittitians and Nevisians have always had a strong interest in steel pan music, introducing it in schools, forming steelbands and orchestras and even having training programmes for youth during vacations.

Big Drum

'Big Drum Music' is believed to have originated from the era of slavery and has become closely associated with the masquerades in St. Kitts and Nevis.

Big Drum music features a compelling rhythm that makes it almost impossible to stand still when it begins to play. The Big Drum ensemble typically includes a boom drum or "bass," which sets the basic rhythm with a padded stick; a smaller "kittle" drum, which plays a syncopated rhythm; and a "fife," a hollow tube usually made from bamboo with appropriately spaced holes on one side, used to play the tune. These instruments, in various forms, are still found in Africa today.

The Big Drum ensemble consists of the kettle drum, which produces a variety of tantalizing rhythms; the bass drum, which provides a constant beat; and the fife, which emits a chorus of shrill notes.

Although the drum's origin can be traced to Africa, the specific construction of the Big Drum is influenced by European drum designs. The kettle drum resembles the snare drum used in military and electronic bands, while the bass drum is similar to those used in these bands, except that the Big Drum and the kettle drum uses cattle skin instead of plastic.

The fife, which also has African roots, is a traditional wind instrument with seven holes, typically made locally from male bamboo plants, PVC pipe, or aluminum.

Fife and drum bands were popular among Irish indentured servants in the 1620s and British regiments. African slaves likely substituted their Big Drum for the bass drum, and the rhythmic dancing against the pulse of the Big Drum is distinctly African.

African Drumming

The traditional African drum is a percussion instrument from which sound is produced by the vibration of the stretched membrane (skin) beaten by the hand or sticks, to emphasize a rhythm. It is the oldest instrument of the musical world and has its roots in Africa.

The African drum has both spiritual and secular functions as it is utilized in religious ceremonies, rituals, communications, theatre, dance and other aspects of the performing arts. The now popular Caribbean musical artforms - kaiso/soca, reggae, cadence and rhumba - all evolved from the beat of the traditional African drum.

The Djimbe Drum is covered with the skin of the ewe (female) goat which is held in place by rope strung in triangular fashion from the top to bottom rings. The rope, which is also used to tune the drum, has both a functional and decorative purpose.

The Talking Drum is covered with deer skin held in place and tuned by strings attached to pegs driven into the shell of the drum. The traditional drum set consists of the bass, representing the heart beat of the music; the fuller, which maintains the rhythm and the cutter (high pitch), which emphasizes the rhythm.

The traditional African drum is a personal and sacred instrument.

Source: Nevis Cultural Development Foundation; Research & Documentation Unit

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