Please do something for the Pan Tuners, especially for the ones that are still alive, Anthony Williams, Neville Jules, Ellie Mannette, Wallace Austin, Bertram Kellman, Roland Harrigan and a bunch of other tuners which are too numerous to mention.
Since you all cant do anything for Pan, do Something for the Tuners.
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Bede I think this is a great topic of discussion because there are professional Pan Tuners of quality and distinction who were blessed with this distinguished talent like most of the names you mention and not forgetting the late Herman Guppy Brown and there are amateur Pan Tuners. To me these fellas are irreplaceable and you will see a change in the tonal quality of the bands that depends on these professional Pan Tuners when there time expires on earth. Plane and simple my people. There are 170 plus steelbands in the mecca and not enough quality Pan Tuners to go around. Pan Tuning is a dying breed and the work is very hard and tedious and lonesome. I grew up living close to Birch Kellman and I have a lot of admiration for his true dedication and sacrificing sleepless days and night tuning thousand of pans. RIP Herman Guppy Brown. Respect !
Are you kidding me? what do we have to do with pan tuners are they tuning the pans for free? not at all, some of them are charging big money for their work. Are these pan tuners putting aside some of their earnings for the rainy day? where do we expect this money to come from. Is there a pan tuners Union in Trinidad or any where else in the world?. This subject is not a bad one to discuss, but lets look at the facts. A person decided to learn the art of making and tuning pans, then they charge a price for their work and the labor and skills they have acquired over the years, what else do they now want?. money from who and for what. I know some of these guys and has been to their homes, am talking about BIG MANSIONS and that's all well and good they have earned it by their trade, making and tuning pans. Some of them has decided to drink away their financial gains and waste their money on SHIT now they are looking out for a hand out, give me a brake. What about the many composers who spend their own money to make tunes for panorama, who pays them? when a band comes in the finals and goes on to be in the first three top positions, do they give those composers a little small change or even a thank you? just THINK ABOUT IT enough said.
TRUE.......but...................oh!...oh!
Don Clarke, you make some good points here, the top tuners today should never have to ask for assistance with the money they make, it's only the pioneers I think would need help.
We keep forgetting entertainment is a BUSINESS, you also need business management skills to ensure you're financially compensated for your work. Pan Trinbago is NOT a Union it's a cultural organization. The members have no protection or guarantees for their service, Panorama is contract work for steel bands and their members, they plan for the next panorama not for retirement, illness or death. There should be be a Pan Tuners Union to set standard rates and fees for their services.
The composing business for PAN is a hustle for some, it's like Chinese counterfeit products it's cheap and of poor quality.
odw, if one hundred dollars can be kept back from each player every year and let the bank invest it could be the start up of something they all can benefit from.
Form a Youtube post by Emile Borde... Pan tuners are the real fathers of 'Pan' and Trinidad & Tobago is the birthplace of these Tuners , this small tribute seeks to bring awareness to our distinguished and unsung heroes of the 'Pan Culture' which has already left a giant footprint on the landscape globally. Thank you gentlemen your works have made the world a better and fun place to be.
Music performed and sung by Emile Borde.
Why not put something in place to get young people to learn to skill from the veterans mentioned.
UTT has a pan tuning course which is being tutored by Tony Slater. I know quite a few of the guys enrolled in this programme.There are different levels to the programme. Since NAPA was closed the programme moved to UTT John Donaldson Technical Institute Campus. So you can check it out.
Bede I saw you left out Gerard Clarke, wah happen he rich already or wah?
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