I have a confession to make, pan people.
I've come to realize that my perceptions on the steel pan are derived from my relationship with the pan, and I'm thinking that the same applies to just about everyone else on this forum.
I "beat pan" from the mid sixties into the early seventies, until circumstances prevented me from continuing.
During that time, I played the cellos, and tenor bass pans, and always saw myself as a member of a band, or team.
I was not a "crackshot"
So when I think of pan, I think of the steelband first, and the individual player secondly.
I get the distinct impression that many of the members of this forum played lead instruments, instruments that are capable of standing alone, and therefore see themselves as individual players , not necessarily associated with, of dependent on the steel band.
Some. and I emphasize some of these individuals , see themselves capable of being successful panists with or without the steel band, and it may be that some of them see such things as synthesizers and samplers not as potential threats to the very existence of the traditional steelband, but as tools to be used to enhance their individual performances and careers.
As a result, in discussions an subjects such as the afore mentioned synthesizers and samplers, their interests and mine tend to diverge.
Thoughts, anyone?
Replies
Greetings and Wow! The level of this discussion is doctoral quality. I am so proud of my pan family Guidance Dr. Lance Seunarine
In the early days of football you had a center-forward - today you have strikers - from beat pan to play pan.....
Glenroy, We all beat pan back in the day, remember now no one showed you how to play the pan, they taught you the tune, so you beat the tune. These days things are different they teach you how to play the pan.
You are correct about the Steelband, my concern is also about the Steelband, these days it looks like some people are caught -up trying to promote the "instrument" and are not too enthusiastic about the "orchestra"
Cecil: Go down to Trinidad and get three good good tenor men and one good good double second player and then add four more good players and teach them the E-pan and then add I good drummer and one great arranger and all of ah sudden you have your ORCHESTRA ready to tour the world and spread PAN MUSIC to the far corners of the globe.
You said it "spread PAN music" like Sidd all you want is the music NOT the pan.
Greetings: The Rasta man has his own terminology; We created pan and we have our language too. I grew up saying : "beating pan, Duduup, ping pong." So I too, agree with you that we should use the terminology that goes with pan. Guidance Dr. Lance Seunarine
Pan, synths and samplers - what about this: I See Aysha
I could write more, but my perspective is from outside - looking in.
Best regards, WerNer
The potential is U-N-L-I-M-I-T-E-D!!!
I like it Werner, I really do..
You would note that the synthesizer doesn't replace the pans, it complements them.
Very interesting, and appropriate, I may add use of a synthesizer
BTW, You would not believe the amount of negative feedback I've gotten (even today) for my insistence on using the expression "beating pan' instead of the more benign and PC "playing pans".
I must admit that at times I use the expression "playing pans" according to the context, but I refuse to be politically Correct and not say "beating pan" when I feel like it.
So when queried I give the following reasons:
1)
Out of respect for the creators of the art form.
That is the terminology they used, along with such things as "tenor pan" also called a "ping pong" but probably changed for obvious reasons, and duddup".
We all know what the Jamaicans mean when they say ".riddim". No one ever says to the Rastaman, "Excuse me, sir you shouldn't say "riddim", its"rhythm"
2)
Out of respect for the roots of the pan
The steel pan came, not from the European tradition of playing music, but from the African tradition of drumming, via the tamboo bamboo.
3)
We created the art form so we should also be able create the terminology, and not have to conform to any foreign linguistic standards.
In other words, we should be able to call it whatever we damn well please.
I hope that answers some questions.
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