http://www.myspace.com/porticoquartet
Is anyone familiar with this group?
The lead instrument sounds like a second pan or double tenor but strange or modified somehow...hollow, not bright and clean.
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Invented by PANArt's Felix Rohner and Sabina Schaerer in Bern, Switzerland, the Hang has been researched and developed, refined and tuned to produce an immaculate sound and truly memorable experience. The steel pan drum was the inspiration behind PANArt's development of the Hang instrument (often referred to as a 'drum' due to the percussive way many people play it).
I really hope that you are not the same 'panmaker' who...
a) used to make so much trouble on the old MSN steelband message board; b) the same 'panmaker' who has a permanent beef with with any Trinidadian who dares to have some pride in pan, c) the same 'panmaker' who always has another definition for pan, outside of what is traditionally Trinidadian (like - the Steelpan is not a 'drum.'), d) the same 'panmaker' who was so incensed when I posted warnings and a news link for anyone, especially pan people traveling to Switzerland, because some Swiss were intent on using an electric saw to dismember a man because he was black, and they told him so, that he was not welcome there in Swiss country, e) the same 'panmaker' who gets their panties in a twist over Whensteeltalks and stuff they write...
Dang, the list is so long - you couldn't be that very same 'panmaker' - right?
Panmaker you can post what ever you want right? Complements of WST right? I am always very suspicious of people like you who tell people what to talk about. Start your own post and talk about what is important to you. I doubt you will do that because it is clear from the previous board you have other motives. And don't be suggestive please!!
I must agree with panmaker about this issue - the pan and hang are NOT drums! A drum is a skin- faced instrument with one determined pitch. A Pan (and a hang) is a tuned idiophone. This means that the whole instrument "rings" and create the sound . This Is why the pan is so difficult to record and sample accurately. I cannot believe that there are certain parties who promote the use of the word "drum" in relation to pan. Pan was named by the people who created it - the Trinidadians - and we in other countries should respect both the tradition of the originators, and the accuracy of that terminology - pan is not a drum!
Oil previously came in steeldrums - and they were drums!! And these were eventually cut, and transformed into 'tuned percussions' or music instruments. But that did not change them from being 'drums' as they originally were constructed and shipped full of oil.
Trinbagonians themselves are the source of this nomenclature. Check David Rudder - last year's Oil and Music; this year - Machel Montano "The Magic Drum" played by Phase II, and yes - there are several older kaisos going back, referring to this as the drum.
Thank you for your respect, but it is misplaced in this case.
PS Panmaker - I was not being derogatory in my use of words! I am personally very impressed with the hang, and would like one myself. I am also impressed that the Swiss makers just "invented" a new instrument which has proved to be so popular so quickly. This is truly the POWER OF PAN!!
The portico quartet use a "HANG" (also known inaccurately as a "hang drum") which is similar to a pan except that they ave played with the hand or fingers, not sticks like the pan. They are also tuned in non-European scales, some have pentatonic scales, others to arabian and javanese scales (like gamelan) The hang was invented by a couple of Swiss pan-makers who only make a limited number each year, leading to a huge demand and as a result they can cost thousands of pounds on ebay. If you google " Hang drum" you can find many sites that detail this instrument.
the hang is in my opinion is very diffrent to the steelpan as the notes are each seperately contained in a domelike shape ,unlike the pan where all the notes are shaped on one single dome and tuned
The lead or tenor is the brightest sounding pan. The double tenor is an extension of the tenor that goes a perfect 5th lower (the Bertie Marshall style) than middle C. Generally the skirts of the tenor and double tenors are the same length but that is not allows true from tuner to tuner. Ironically many double seconds only go down to F# below middle C. That means that our second voice (the double tenor) may dip lower than some seconds. The double tenor often harmonizes the melody an octave lower and/or it plays the melody with some double stops.
All steelpan arrangers must have an understanding of the roles and functions of the steelpan family. However the music is conceived (panyard vibe, computer etc.), the arranger must have a specific knowledge and concept of the instrument and sound so he or she knows what each pan can or can’t do and therefore give out the music accordingly.
This is what I teach my class...I always tell them once they leave my class they can break the rules!
Tenor
The tenor player usually is given the melody with very few double stops. The tenor player is expected to play complicated runs and should be able to improvise over chord changes if given the opportunity. The tenor, double tenor, and seconds players all read treble clef. The tenor player is often compared to the first violin player of an orchestra.
Double tenor
The double tenor player has to be able to move between two pans very rapidly. Their roles in the steelband are numerous. They can double melodies down an octave from the tenor or even strum chords. They usually add harmony to the melody and are expected to play harmonic double stops in conjunction with the melody. They weave in between all of their roles (melody, harmony, and strumming). The double tenor player is often compared to the second violin player of an orchestra.
Double seconds
The seconds player can play the melody down an octave, play harmony to the melody and strum chord changes. When strumming, they are usually given guide-tones (3rd and 7th of a chord) and perform on notes that are under the melody. The seconds player has to be able to move between two pans comfortably. The double seconds player is often compared to the first viola player of an orchestra. The lower notes on the seconds are written in treble clef with ledger lines below the staff.
Quadraphonic
The most versatile pan is the quadraphonic. Quadraphonic pans have the largest range of the steel band, covering the compass of seconds and cellos. The quads fill in the gap and can play just about any role they are given. When arranging for quads, the quad player should be able to read both treble and bass clef since their notes cover both ranges. For the most part, quads can beef up any melodic line, strum, or join lower instruments with counter melodies, etc. I like to think of the quads as the woodwind section, covering all ranges from very low to very high.
The quads can strengthen any part. The extreme range of the quads requires careful stick choices. If the quad is being used in the higher range, the rubber wrapping around the stick would be less and similar to the seconds. If the quad is being used to strengthen the cello range, a thicker rubber wrapped stick is required.
Guitar - Double Guitar - Grundig - 2 Cello
The guitar pan is a higher bass-clef-reading instrument whose role is mostly strumming chords and supporting cello licks every once in a while. In Trinidad, guitar pans are used to create the rhythmic excitement in strumming chords. Guitar pans are not readily used in the United States.
3 and 4 Cello
The three and four pan cellos read bass clef and use ledger lines for their higher notes. They act like the cello section of the orchestra. Sometimes they play counter melodies, are used for melodic variations, perform ostinatoes, and even strum or arpeggiate chord changes. Assigning more open voicings is more indigenous to the creation of good sound quality. Open 5ths (Root and 5th simultaneously) are very characteristic notes for the cello strummer.
Bass
The main role of the bass is to provide the bottom, or the fundamental harmony of the chord structure. The simplistic rhythm of the bass will help determine the style of music being performed. Unlike other instruments which perform two different pitches simultaneously, in more complicated rhythms; the bass normally performs the root and fifth of the chord in octaves when physically possible. The bass may provide some melodic punches or “step wise walking”, but quickly slips back into its root and fifth function in the stylistic matter of the tune.
Replies
Invented by PANArt's Felix Rohner and Sabina Schaerer in Bern, Switzerland, the Hang has been researched and developed, refined and tuned to produce an immaculate sound and truly memorable experience. The steel pan drum was the inspiration behind PANArt's development of the Hang instrument (often referred to as a 'drum' due to the percussive way many people play it).
I really hope that you are not the same 'panmaker' who...
a) used to make so much trouble on the old MSN steelband message board; b) the same 'panmaker' who has a permanent beef with with any Trinidadian who dares to have some pride in pan, c) the same 'panmaker' who always has another definition for pan, outside of what is traditionally Trinidadian (like - the Steelpan is not a 'drum.'), d) the same 'panmaker' who was so incensed when I posted warnings and a news link for anyone, especially pan people traveling to Switzerland, because some Swiss were intent on using an electric saw to dismember a man because he was black, and they told him so, that he was not welcome there in Swiss country, e) the same 'panmaker' who gets their panties in a twist over Whensteeltalks and stuff they write...
Dang, the list is so long - you couldn't be that very same 'panmaker' - right?
One never knows - the Stench is just the same.
Oil previously came in steeldrums - and they were drums!! And these were eventually cut, and transformed into 'tuned percussions' or music instruments. But that did not change them from being 'drums' as they originally were constructed and shipped full of oil.
Trinbagonians themselves are the source of this nomenclature. Check David Rudder - last year's Oil and Music; this year - Machel Montano "The Magic Drum" played by Phase II, and yes - there are several older kaisos going back, referring to this as the drum.
Thank you for your respect, but it is misplaced in this case.
All steelpan arrangers must have an understanding of the roles and functions of the steelpan family. However the music is conceived (panyard vibe, computer etc.), the arranger must have a specific knowledge and concept of the instrument and sound so he or she knows what each pan can or can’t do and therefore give out the music accordingly.
This is what I teach my class...I always tell them once they leave my class they can break the rules!
Tenor
The tenor player usually is given the melody with very few double stops. The tenor player is expected to play complicated runs and should be able to improvise over chord changes if given the opportunity. The tenor, double tenor, and seconds players all read treble clef. The tenor player is often compared to the first violin player of an orchestra.
Double tenor
The double tenor player has to be able to move between two pans very rapidly. Their roles in the steelband are numerous. They can double melodies down an octave from the tenor or even strum chords. They usually add harmony to the melody and are expected to play harmonic double stops in conjunction with the melody. They weave in between all of their roles (melody, harmony, and strumming). The double tenor player is often compared to the second violin player of an orchestra.
Double seconds
The seconds player can play the melody down an octave, play harmony to the melody and strum chord changes. When strumming, they are usually given guide-tones (3rd and 7th of a chord) and perform on notes that are under the melody. The seconds player has to be able to move between two pans comfortably. The double seconds player is often compared to the first viola player of an orchestra. The lower notes on the seconds are written in treble clef with ledger lines below the staff.
Quadraphonic
The most versatile pan is the quadraphonic. Quadraphonic pans have the largest range of the steel band, covering the compass of seconds and cellos. The quads fill in the gap and can play just about any role they are given. When arranging for quads, the quad player should be able to read both treble and bass clef since their notes cover both ranges. For the most part, quads can beef up any melodic line, strum, or join lower instruments with counter melodies, etc. I like to think of the quads as the woodwind section, covering all ranges from very low to very high.
The quads can strengthen any part. The extreme range of the quads requires careful stick choices. If the quad is being used in the higher range, the rubber wrapping around the stick would be less and similar to the seconds. If the quad is being used to strengthen the cello range, a thicker rubber wrapped stick is required.
Guitar - Double Guitar - Grundig - 2 Cello
The guitar pan is a higher bass-clef-reading instrument whose role is mostly strumming chords and supporting cello licks every once in a while. In Trinidad, guitar pans are used to create the rhythmic excitement in strumming chords. Guitar pans are not readily used in the United States.
3 and 4 Cello
The three and four pan cellos read bass clef and use ledger lines for their higher notes. They act like the cello section of the orchestra. Sometimes they play counter melodies, are used for melodic variations, perform ostinatoes, and even strum or arpeggiate chord changes. Assigning more open voicings is more indigenous to the creation of good sound quality. Open 5ths (Root and 5th simultaneously) are very characteristic notes for the cello strummer.
Bass
The main role of the bass is to provide the bottom, or the fundamental harmony of the chord structure. The simplistic rhythm of the bass will help determine the style of music being performed. Unlike other instruments which perform two different pitches simultaneously, in more complicated rhythms; the bass normally performs the root and fifth of the chord in octaves when physically possible. The bass may provide some melodic punches or “step wise walking”, but quickly slips back into its root and fifth function in the stylistic matter of the tune.
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