Six Bass

The six bass pan is the bass and lowest voice in a steel pan ensemble. The six bass is a sextet of pans with three pitches in each, totaling 18 pitches arranged in fifths and octaves on a single pan. The entire length of the oil drum from which each pan is made constitutes the instrument's skirt, which conceals the underside of the playing surface. The pan is easily identified by the unpolished playing surface and long skirt exterior painted black. The aluminum pan sticks are much larger and heavier for these instruments but are still relatively lightweight and rubber-headed to protect against putting the pitches out of tune during aggressive play.