Paul Francis
I must admit that after many years of annoyance and frustration I am fed up to the back teeth with the incorrect use of the term steel drum to describe Pan. For a simple extreme example of this I quote from your piece on Lord Kitchener that I received today 'But most important of all was Kitchener’s marriage of calypso with Trinidad’s other indigenous musical form, pan, music played on steel drums.
He composed and sang songs to be played on the steel drums during Carnival season. In 1944 he composed his first pan calypso, “The Beat of the Steelband,” which initiated a wonderful alliance between the steel drum movement and the calypsonian.' The use of both terms especially in the some sentence is not only annoying but also confusing and only goes to demonstrate ignorance and or stupidity or both.
I have never been to drumarama nor taken a steel pan to be tuned by a drum tuner but I have been to a drum yard but only found second hand steel drums there, no steel pans.
For your edification a steel drum is described by it's manufacturing industry as "a tight head drum", is a secured container design for carrying liquids and granuals around the planet safely.
The steel drum historically and currently is the raw material that steel pans are made from. Once this making process has been applied they are no longer steel drums in their original form they have become steel pans, or pans for short.
When the whole of Trinidad and Tobago officially declare that the descriptive name of these musical instruments has been change from steel pans to steel drums I will accept the change and comply with it. However in the meantime I would respectfully ask panonthenet, whensteeltalks and all others to respect Trinidad and Tobago's description and refer to these musical instruments as steel pans or pans and not the incorrect description of the instruments raw material.
He composed and sang songs to be played on the steel drums during Carnival season. In 1944 he composed his first pan calypso, “The Beat of the Steelband,” which initiated a wonderful alliance between the steel drum movement and the calypsonian.' The use of both terms especially in the some sentence is not only annoying but also confusing and only goes to demonstrate ignorance and or stupidity or both.
I have never been to drumarama nor taken a steel pan to be tuned by a drum tuner but I have been to a drum yard but only found second hand steel drums there, no steel pans.
For your edification a steel drum is described by it's manufacturing industry as "a tight head drum", is a secured container design for carrying liquids and granuals around the planet safely.
The steel drum historically and currently is the raw material that steel pans are made from. Once this making process has been applied they are no longer steel drums in their original form they have become steel pans, or pans for short.
When the whole of Trinidad and Tobago officially declare that the descriptive name of these musical instruments has been change from steel pans to steel drums I will accept the change and comply with it. However in the meantime I would respectfully ask panonthenet, whensteeltalks and all others to respect Trinidad and Tobago's description and refer to these musical instruments as steel pans or pans and not the incorrect description of the instruments raw material.
Replies
I HATE HYPOCRISY!!!
PanOnTheNet/ WhenSteelTalks NEVER has, and never will - use the term "steel drum" or "steeldrum" in any content we personally pen/write, or content of which we have editorial control.
Our organization officially refers to the instrument as "steelpan" or "steel pan" or in some contexts, "pan" - and the grouping generally as "steelband" "steel band" or "steel orchestra."
PanOnTheNet/WhenSteelTalks - Thanks for your stance on the issue of what the instrument should be called. I agree with, and appreciate, your avoidance of the terms "steel drum" and steeldrum". Those of us who play the instrument, and those who make/tune the instrument would not refer to the instrument as a "steeldrum" - which is, in reality a "55-gallon industrial container made from steel sheets".
I am FULLY AWARE of the WHENSTEELTALKS position on THIS ISSUE.
But I spent YEARS and YEARS in CALIFORNIA -- spending THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of my DOLLARS and TIME, thanks to PATRICK ARNOLD, who died a few days ago -- PROMOTING STEELDRUM MUSIC in CALIFORNIA. So I will never ever let go of the term we used IN THE WEST to describe THE MUSIC.
And without any meaningful administration of STEEL PAN music on a GLOBAL SCALE and BEVERLEY RAMSEY MOORE stealing MILLIONS from PAN TRINBAGO ... what's in a name if the product is offering nothing to benefit the "STEELPAN" MOVEMENT (a term I only use rather niggardly in this discussion and I constantly refrain from) if it only confuses and dilutes THE BRANDING of OUR STEELBRUM MUSIC on a GLOBAL LEVEL.
Be careful, my brother, Your statement "Beverley Ramsey Moore stealing millions from Pan Tribago" might possibly be grounds for her taking you to court for "defamation of character". Keep safe.
You are right, Mister Francis.
Just like a djembe is made from a tree trunk, and a saxophone is made from a sheet of brass, the pan is made from a 55 gallon steel drum.
The term “steeldrum” used to describethe instrument called a pan is definitely inaccurate.
The term “pan” in Trinidad is synonymous with a tin or a can e.g. a metal container that contained products like sardines, paint, biscuits, kerosene etc were known as a sardine pan, paint pan, biscuit pan, pitch oil pan etc.
The people who started tuning metal containers called the instrument “pan”. That was long before they used steel drums to make pans. They had first pan and second pan etc.
In addition, after the Camboulay and Hosay incidents of the 1880s, drums were banned. So calling the new instrument a “drum” would automatically make it illegal to play.
As pan went abroad especially to the US, certain Trinidadian pioneers had to explain to Americans what a “pan” was, so they called it a “steeldrum” – a term familiar to the Americans.
Now that the Americans use the term “steeldrum” many people are copying it – just as many people are copying the term “soccer” instead of the original word “football”.
The strange thing is that even Trinidadians are now using the Yankee terminology, but, then again, the small-island mentality is that if America does it, it must be good.
Keep safe and stay strong, bro. Greetings from Rudy.
You come on here to INSULT AMERICAN PAN SUPPORTERS on a FORUM that was ESTABLISHED in AMERICA ... even so by a FORUM LEADERSHIP that is ANTI-AMERICAN (even though supported BY AMERICAN $$$).
And you all still believe that YOU HAVE THE TALENT to MOVE PAN FORWARD?
Over 1000 schools and UNIVERSITIES across NORTH AMERICA are taking the instrument to THE WORLD ...show me YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO PAN with you LIMITED EXPOSURE IN EUROPE.
Do you know how many MILLIONS OF YANKEE DOLLARS your FELLOW TRINIDADIANS have sucked out of YANKEE LOVING STEELDRUM MUSIC SUPPORTERS over the decades?
Please, GEORGE RAMPERSAD -- stay in your limited EUROPEAN STEELDRUM LEAGUE which has contributed very very little to GLOBAL PAN MUSIC.
I can't believe that CARIBBEAN PEOPLE who live and prospered in AMERICA are choosing to DISPRESPECT THIS COUNTRY which has buttered THEIR PAN BREAD. But I am not surprised because after MUSLIMS did the 911 bombing of NEW YORK ... TRINIDADIANS living in AMERICA ... CELEBRATED THE BOMBINGS.
Go back to THE TRINIDAD EXPRESS and seek out an article by KEITH SMITH expressing SHOCK when he became aware of THIS HYPOCRISY. Go dig and you will find the article.
STEELDRUM MUSIC ... that is what it is called in AMERICA!!!
Thanks for your remarks, Mr. Gonzales.
I respect your right to freedom of expression even though I might not agree with your point of view.
I hope that you also respect my freedom of expression even though you might not agree with my point of view.
Understanding each other’s level of involvement in the instrument is important in any further discussion.
So, before we continue this discussion, I would like to share with you my involvement in different aspects of the instrument e.g. tuning, arranging, playing etc. and I would appreciate if you would share the same information about yourself with me.
Having established that we will both respect for each others’ opinions, and that we both have knowledge about each other’s backgrounds in relation to the instrument, I could then reply to your post, answer your questions, and comment on your statements.
I hope that you will also be able to do the same.
I am ready to discuss when you are.
Can you document the details of your involvement in the instrument and I will document mine?
Have a nice day.
In CALIFORNIA we call it STEELDRUM MUSIC -- and more money has been put into the ART-FORM in CALIFORNIA than any place else in THE WORLD.
Save that STEELPAN NONSENSE!!! I could live with "PAN" but it is too generic.
STEEL PAN kills the GLOBAL MARKETING of the MUSIC. But then again PAN is just about SUCKING MONEY OUT OF THE PNM GOVERNMENT ... GIMME GIMME!!!
ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS a year SPENT OF PAN ... and most of it is STOLEN instead of PROMOTING STEELDRUM MUSIC.
I whole heartedly agree. In the old days we used to beat pan, now we play pan. Beating it distorts the the tone very quickly.
Ha Ha.
Randi