|
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, WI: In June 2007,
the Prime Minister launched the G-Pan at a lavish function at the University of
the West Indies. Among the thousands invited and gathered there were
steelband Arrangers, Tuners, Players, Administrators and Supporters
The instrument was described as
‘superior’ to what exists now. The drums we now use are twenty-three (23) inches
in diameter, the drums of the G-Pan are 26.5 inches. This allows for a larger
area for note placements and a wider range of notes on each instrument. The
chemical composition of the ‘ordinary’ drum is not necessarily controlled;
whereas that of the G-pan is done to specifications.
At the moment the Trinidad and
Tobago National Steel Symphony Orchestra (TTNSSO) is the only band in the
country that uses them exclusively. The TTNSSO has had limited public exposure
so the population at large cannot form an opinion on the value of the G-Pan.
There are two issues I will
like to address about this ‘new’ instrument, the G-Pan. It has nothing to do
with the instrument itself, it has more to do with matters surrounding this
‘invention.’ One is about ‘Awards’ and the other is about ‘Tests.’
There is absolutely nothing
wrong in giving awards to persons for work they may have done on a project. When
I heard that a scientist was in receipt of such an award for being the
“Inventor” of the G-Pan, I thought that there was a mistake.
Steelband instruments are
made/created/manufactured/produced by Tuners, they are a special breed of
humans. The process of tuning involves the following steps: sinking; drafting;
shaping of notes; grooving; leveling; raising of notes; initial tuning
(pre-chroming); fine-tuning (after chroming). It starts with the selection of
appropriate drums for the instrument to be tuned and one must have access to all
the proper tools for each stage of the process.
The
organizations/institutions
making these
awards must
know that a
scientist
can
participate
in this
process at
an advisory
level not as
a
‘pan-maker.’
If there is
an award for
the advisory
role played,
then nothing
is wrong
with that
either. But
to award him
as the
“inventor”
is
misleading.
Bertram ‘Birch’ Kelman and
Roland Harrigin are the tuners who made the G-Pan instruments that were launched
at UWI and that the TTNSSO uses. What is so wrong in giving them the highest
awards for their efforts in the G-Pan project?
A few weeks ago there was an
announcement that five steelbands, four from North and one from East, were
offered ranges of G-Pan instruments for use in the 2010 Panorama Championships.
The news story said the pans will be “tested” at Panorama.
I find the following:
-
·
These bands will have an advantage in the competition
-
·
Pan Trinbago should veto this move to maintain a level
‘playing field’
-
·
Organize alternative events to promote/showcase the G-Pans
There is no doubt that these
g-pans will add to the volume and power of these orchestras, thus giving them an
unfair advantage over the rest of the bands.
There is nothing wrong with an
individual orchestra experimenting with ‘new’ instruments. The entire steelband
movement benefited from the experimentation done by Desperadoes to produce the
Quadraphonic, the Harmony Six, the Nine and Twelve Basses. These were the
band’s initiatives, they financed these projects themselves and it became
available to the rest of the steelband movement soon afterwards. Many
steelbands today use these Desperadoes’ inventions in their orchestras.
If the government is financing
experimentation then five bands alone, out of eighty-seven (87) competing at
Panorama, cannot enjoy the benefits of these instruments. That is less than six
percent (6%) of the competing conventional bands which will be given an
advantage over the rest, courtesy the government of Trinidad and Tobago.
It is absolutely wrong to give five out of eighty-seven competitors an advantage
in any competition; that will contaminate the process.
It is in the interest of the
Panorama and all its member steelbands for Pan Trinbago to intervene and
convince the leadership of the bands involved to forego this government offer
for the moment. They are from some of the most successful orchestras in the
history of the modern steelband. They have all won the Panorama Championships on
more than one occasion, so they know that they don’t need any G-Pans in their
bands to be competitive in Panorama.
I will like to suggest that
after Carnival there should be a programme of public performances in all the
regions of Pan Trinbago, showcasing the G-Pans. They could be given to the same
orchestras to do the concert series, presenting the ‘invention’ to the
population.
Finally I will suggest a
Command Performance by these orchestras at the National Academy of the
Performing Arts (NAPA). Invite steelband arrangers, tuners, players,
administrators, sponsors and other artists and musicians to this new facility to
hear the ‘new’ pan.
In that way the population at
large and the stakeholders will have an opportunity to measure for themselves,
the true value of this range of instruments.
by Nestor
Sullivan - Independent Commentary
Nestor
Sullivan
Manager
Pamberi Steel Orchestra
San Juan
Trinidad and Tobago W.I.
Leave a comment
on the
When Steel
Talks
Ning forum |
