Can someone refresh my memory as to why Steelbands stop rolling on the ground and adopted these long racks, does it have anything to do with sound? it can't be because there's no one to push pan and certainly don't look like progress. then why?
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Rain down here too boy, but I will be here until September. Desperadoes is going to Tobago for the Tobago leg of Pan in the Countryside. I am taking my family.
The point I am making is, what is progressive for some is counter productive for others and vice versa.
Point taken Ian.
Cecil,
How are things up North?
Man's progress is always at some detriment.
Case in point; Panorama first prize increased 150% from 2006 to 2007. That is progress, but to the detriment of the other Pan Festivals (lol)
Ian,
Lots of rain boi, other than that giving thanks for each day. Salah Montreal International Steelpen Festival is next week and I am looking forward to it.
I don't see steelband on these racks as progress, 50 players on a rack, back in the day there used to be close to 100 players rolling on the ground, ah not buying steelband as ah combo side, steelbands used to have over 1000 people playing mas, wah happen? I've said it before on this forum "we want Carnival Tuesday for steelband alone on the road, bring back steelband from the grave-yard they have it in.
Did I say that I believe that all steelbands should be rollin on the ground? All bands did it back in the day so why change, do I hear someone saying that young people can't play pan rollin?
also, there are not as many people willing to push pan as there used to be. youngsters now find pride in alternative ways. the simple joys have now been updated to much more complex ones!
Mervyn, as far as I know in the late half all the pans were tied together and pulled by a tractor, from the time you start changing up stuff to accomodate young people you in trouble because they don't know what they want. The difference between old-school and now is we try too hard to accomodate them, when all they are looking for is guidance.
I would say that you have hit the nail on the head by your choice of words.
Often 'modernization' is seen as the same as 'progress' and they are not always the same thing,
The new methods of moving pans on the road is more modern and 'efficient' but, in adopting it, the steelbands have eliminated an entire feature of the steelbands. As a young boy, before I actually started to beat pan, I felt a sense of pride, of belonging when I pushed pan in my favourite band. When the strong robust men who were kinda in charge of this aspect of the band on the road recognised you, you were elated,
As a panman, when a woman came and pushed your pan for a while it was a statement to the world about your relationship (even though sometimes you had to say, with Sparrow, "doe back back on me'!) lol.
But really, it IS more efficient now, and less labour intensive. But oh for the days!
I suppose that when pans were taken off the neck of the tenormen we had a similar tinge of nostalgia?
Noel, we share the same experience, I was dissapointed when I saw all the steelbands moving this way, to me it took away something from the steelband, as for being efficient I would say not all that much. We have to be carerful of what we do in our quest to bring steelband up-to-speed.