On the subject of pan tunes, my friends, a thought recently came to me.
Do you realize that the both the sound of modern soca and the creation of pan tunes were results of the diminished participation of the steelband on the road at carnival?
Here's why.
In the days when steelbands ruled the roads, the best calypsonians in the land had one eye on the calypso crown and the other eye on the road march prize.
So they created songs that told stories capable of winning the calypso crown, but were also structured to appeal to the steelbands.
Because in those days, the steelbands determined the road march.
Today, however, the roadmarch is no longer determined by the steelbands, it is determined by the DJs.
No longer was it necessary to compose a pan friendly song to compete for the road march.
So calypsonians, especially up and coming young singers, starting composing music to please the public's demand for DJ music on the road; the "wave yuh flag and wine" type of music .
Certainly not the best type of music suited for a percussion instrument such as the pan.
In effect, modern soca music.
Hence the necessity for steelbands to create a new genre for the pan, The Pan Tune.
Ironically, this DJ friendly type of music is not suited to tell the type of stories told by those steel pan friendly calypsos either, so a third genre, a sub genre of calypso, had to be created.
The Social Commentary calypso.
Replies
Glenroy, from reading what is being said on this topic,your quote "more efficient ways to mobilize reasonably sized steelbands even assisted by amplification to a certain extent where necessary,...notice I said amplification, not synthesizers"...for me has thrown the entire blanket over this topic. For me there is nothing else to read on this topic after you have closed the show. People don't really have a problem with the amplification of normal steel pans, but with the synthesizers that other people want to replace them with. Sidd if Bertie Marshall was still around, I feel certain he would have been amplifying pans tuned by him and not have them replaced by non pan electronic instruments.
You and me could be friends, Andre. I ready to drop Cecil. What a civil, focused and tolerant response. Peace and Respect to you too!!!
Everybody beating up on Cecil today. Lord have mercy!!! All Cecil wants is for PAN to roll on the road again for Carnival. Cecil is NOT on an "anti e-pan direction" -- he just sees an erosion of the acoustic pan's market place (specifically the steelband's market place) and he is bewildered by the big push to use electronic pans on the road for Carnival and in Panorama and the music recording industry.
Cecil does not do like the Ghost and go back and take conversations completely out of context and repost them. So don't encourage him in that non-sequitur irrelevance. Cecil is a straight up guy who tells it bluntly the way he sees it. No political agendas, no malice, no ambitions to be on stage, no plans to run for the presidency of Pan Trinbago, no legacy to fulfill!!!
He is a genine PAN PURIST!!!
Andre,
Don't get me wrong by brother, if I sound anti e-pan uncle PHI or cousin pan app it is not my intention to dog anyone invention, however when people try to say the future of the steelband is these things playing side by side I have a problem with that. The way I see it is, if used in a steelband what's the use of having other pans since all you have to do is turn up the volume, everyone that's on the volume trip comparing the steelband to a brass band and DJ. The steelband has a different vibe, some people are saying it dead and others want to kill it.
This is my objection to everything, as I've said before the steelband flourish before they had amplified music all they have to do now is remove loud music from around the steelband.
The noise a DJ make is not good for the ear.
Cecil: I say yuh sleeping already; I gone answering for you!!!
Claude,
You are a true friend but "doh worry yuh head over me, study for your self but not for me, Because ah young, and ah strong, and I aint fraid ah soul in town, so doh worry yuh head over me" ah bet yuh did not remember that.
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