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Global - What is a ‘Pan Tune?’ This question has been asked many times before. Many learned people say there is no such thing. Others say it is that tune that allows the arrangers, and by extension the panorama orchestra/band - to best showcase their musical and performance abilities for the great event. There has never really been any hard-and-fast definition of what this entity (‘Pan Tune’) is. It’s been for the most part, a blurred line that has been left up to personal interpretation and/or taste. |
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African, Melanesian, and Tropical Americans have a history of using drums for communication, where their phrases have a linguistic translation. Maybe the listener still needs lyrics to readily associate an emotion or meaning to a song… Maybe the lyrical is an aspect for an arranger to show their ability to twist a listener's imagination from what they expect to hear as they sing along with the band.
I think only keenly-aware people can connect to instrumental music as a listener where the majority needs lyrics… spoonfeed them the meaning of the song. Not much different than those that take time to "enjoy reading the book" and those that "wait for the movie to come out".
I see a trend developing though… in years past when certain performers would bring music that was desired by arrangers while other performers' music was not, now it seems that singers that were considered as just "jump and wave" artists are bringing a selection or two each year that could be considered as pan songs. Songs that have creative chord progressions, baselines and melodies that will challenge a steelband's mastery and sound like magic to a listener.
What makes a "pan tune" to me? A Soca that has a level of sophistication that will provide enough challenge for a band to enjoy playing.
The simple statement of DJ says it all. The creativity of an arranger can take a tune no one ever considered to be a "pan tune" and make it the best or one of the best. EG High Mas by Bradley for Nu Tones and Du Du Yemi by Puckerin for Starlift.
No one but these two arrangers saw the value of those tunes for pan and panorama,both winners.
Pan Times,
Are you trying to show me that the lyrics make these songs because I don't think an arranger pays much attention to the words it's the music that catch their attention.
To answer your question I would say yes on both counts, did Andy have words to Last Word, do you think lyrics could have made the song better?
Cecil while the music is paramount, the great ones consider every aspect of a tune in terms of connecting with the audience and telling a cohesive story. Of course there are arrangers who are not "arranging" in the strict interpretation of the format. They are in reality "composing."
Lyrics would not have made the 'Last Word" better, but it would have given further insight into what the music may have been about.
I've witness Trinidad All Stars perform "Woman on the Bass" in several countries. Whenever the chorus came around the audience instantaneously went into song regardless of nationality. So in this regard, lyrics made the song better. In addition, it enhanced the connection between Trinidad All Stars rendition and the audience.
A few years back a steel band was performing David Rudder's - "Trini To De Bone" at a Panamanian parade. Every time the Trini To De Bone refrain came around the large Panamanian crowd jubilantly sang out-loud in conjunction. Clearly the lyrics added to the experience.
Pan Times,
Point taken.
My opinion of a Pan Tune is that it has very little to do with words and everything about the music. Ray Holman was forced to put words to his tune in order for his band to play it, now I don't think it is necessary for you to have words, ah Pan Song is about the music.
Cecil just out of curiosity. Do you consider "Woman on the Bass" a Pan Tune? And, would "Pan In A Minor" have been as great if Kitchener had released it without lyrics, vocals and a title?
Yuh preach yuh OWN sermon this Sunday Morning, DJ!!! You should expand on that!!
The subject of 'pan tunes' is a very upsetting one for me personally. Now I don't expect everyone to agree with me and thats fine, but I grew up hearing songs I cared about, played wonderfully on pan and expanded on by these genius arrangers who were able to take seemingly simple sing alongs and turn them into orchestral masterpieces that you sing along with, dance to, dissect, and enjoy over and over again. The point is, there was no divergence between party songs, competition songs, songs for panorama etc. There was no groovy soca, power soca, chutney soca, kaiso, pan song etc, there was simply 'calypso' that everyone enjoyed at carnival time.
Somewhere in the mid nineties, soca took a dreadful turn where melody and chord structure were cast aside in favour of hook lines, drum beats, and an increase in tempo. This left steelbands in a lurch as there were not many tunes of substance to enter competition with. Thus, the 'pan tune' was born, where the concentration was now on giving arrangers material to work with - complex chord structures, harmonies, and other advanced ideas that fed the arrangers creativity, but with one small problem - mass public appeal became largely non existent, as 'pan tune' composers left mass appeal to the soca artistes, to concentrate on arrangers.
Today, there are signs mainly through the sub genre known as 'groovy soca' that songs with public appeal may once again attract top arrangers to select them for panorama. Last year for example, I recall bands in the large semi finals performing Bubble by Iwer George, No Getaway by Blaxx, and Black Man feeling to party by Stalin. Deltones created quite a stir a few years ago with I'm Not Drunk by KMC, and there was much euphoria when Desperadoes came down the drag with Benjai's Trini in 2011.
I hope that this trend will continue. I hope that the pan tune composers will concentrate more on creating good carnival music and less on trying to compose melodies that can only have relevance on pan. I hope that I can relive the days of Despers and All Stars going toe to toe with Blueboys Rebecca and The Hammer, NuTones Ooh La La, Renegades Pan in A Minor and so on. Music people cared about, on the instrument we care most about, the Pan.