IF you visit the online search engine Google’s homepage today, you'll get to hear the sound of this country’s national instrument, the steelpan.

Google regularly features interactive and informative doodles on its homepage.

This time, it said, it is “celebrating Trinidad and Tobago’s national instrument and the history behind it,” as it’s the 71st anniversary of the Trinidad All-Steel Pan Percussion Orchestra’s (TASPO) performance at the Festival of Britain.

In a tweet on Tuesday morning, Google doodles said, “#DYK (Did you know) there was only one acoustic instrument invented during the 20th century? The steelpan was created by resilient and innovative musicians in TT.”

When you click on the doodle, you are redirected to an animated YouTube video.

It begins with a truck driving through the streets and moves to a man forging an instrument from an oil drum, transitioning into someone playing the finished product.

It then shows steelbands performing at Panorama, and also features a panyard, doubles and snow cone vendors, among other things.

TT illustrator and graphic designer Nicholas Huggins illustrated the video, and 3D artist and motion designer Mick Seegobin did motion design. Jazz trumpeter Etienne Charles was the composer and the soloist was arranger and founder of the Phase II Pan Groove, Len “Boogsie” Sharpe.

Other players credited include Josanne Francis, Jonathan Castro and Luke Walker.

Huggins posted on Twitter: “Well the cat is out the bag. I have created a Google doodle on steelpan! Happy to keep flying the TT flag high!”

Charles posted to Facebook: “We did a thing. When Angelica McKinley reached out and told me the idea and who was on the team, I jumped. Thanks for trusting me to put what I hear with what you see, Nicholas Huggins.”

Pan Trinbago also shared the doodle on Facebook.

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