-
WST - “When
did you first become
involved with the steelpan
instrument?”
S.
Cupid - “I
became involved with the
steelpan instrument as
a young teenager growing
up in Trinidad
& Tobago.
I joined the St. Augustine
Senior Comprehensive School
Steelband1 (a.k.a.
then as the Mean Green
On Steel) and became
captain.
We did several international
tours to France and Scotland.
Conventionally, I played
with the likes of Pamberi,
birdsong, Invaders, All
Stars and Renegades to
name a few.
Pan Trinbago’s Richard
Forteau has known me since
the 80’s, following
my career and ambitions,
mentoring with helpful
guidance and advice.”
-
WST - “Currently
you are also the Musical
Director of the Toronto
All Stars Steel Orchestra.
This organization has had
some unique experiences;
will you share some of
those?”
S.
Cupid -
“With pride, I must
say that I enjoy teaching
the musical art form with
the instrument known as
the steelpan.
My students of the Rosedale
Junior Public School2 along
with parents and teachers
have been so enthralled
with all that it has given
them, they created an alumni
where
T.A.S.S.O. (Toronto
All Stars Steel Orchestra)
was born, to continue and
expand their horizons.
T.A.S.S.O. has performed
at many events, including
music festivals, competitions
and charity occasions across
the Greater Toronto Area,
where they have racked
up many prestigious awards
and accolades.
Internationally, they have
participated at the Aberdeen
International Youth Festival3 in
Aberdeen, Scotland (twice,
as invited back), as well
as the Australian
International Music Festival
(AIMF)4 in
Sydney, Australia where
their achievements were
equally up to task and
historic.
The moniker
“All Stars”
is not by coincidence as
they have earned that title.”
WST - “You’ve
spoken of the Sydney Opera
House competition in Australia,
where your group came away
with the gold award. What
is that competition all
about?”
S. Cupid - “The Australian
International Youth Festival is
a worldwide festival held
in Sydney annually. To take
part in that festival there
is an audition process, where
we had to present music CDs/DVDs
along with an extensive bio
of the band which was scrutinized
by the management of the
AIMF selection committee.
Our performance repertoire
had to consist of ninety
minutes of music. If selected,
bands have the opportunity
to represent their country. There is also a competitive
aspect of the festival where
each band has to present
about twenty minutes of music.”
WST - “What
was the experience like
for Toronto All Stars?”
S.
Cupid - “By
far, T.A.S.S.O.’s most
unique events were its
participation in international
music festivals.
In 2004 and also
in 2009, T.A.S.S.O. won auditions
to represent Canada at
the Aberdeen International
Youth Festival which takes
place in Scotland every
summer. In 2007, T.A.S.S.O.
won yet another audition
to represent Canada, this
time at the Australia International
Youth Festival in Sydney,
with the tour climaxing
at the world-famous Sydney
Opera House. The festival
hosted twenty-two bands
from as many different
countries. T.A.S.S.O. was the
only steelband in the competition,
where they performed at
the Sydney Opera House
and were presented with
the GOLD award for that
aspect of the festival. After the winning performance
at that venue, the management
indicated to me that it
was the first time a steelband
had ever performed there.
Playing at the Sydney Opera
House and receiving such
a prestigious award at
this venue was very mind-blowing
to T.A.S.S.O. ‘Steelpan
is the national instrument
of Trinidad and Tobago’ has
to mean more than just
mere words. So more must
be done to have steelbands
touring out of Trinidad & Tobago
promoting the country,
culture and tourism.”
-
WST - “You
are the inventor of the
world’s first electronic
synthesized steelpan
- what lead you to invent
this instrument?”
S.
Cupid - “Wise
words say that “necessity
is the mother of invention” and
in my case, it was exactly
that catalyst which provoked
the birth to the e-pan. The
idea was conceived back
in my youth more than
25 years ago. Subsequently,
while I was on tour with
St. Augustine (Green
Machine) school band
in Europe, as happens
often in these cases,
in playing and recording
steelpan music in pan-yards,
that is where I noticed
that the quality
often came up lacking
in the delivery of the
truest steelpan sounds
and tones when miced.
This was regardless of
differing venues, but
more so in less acoustic-friendly
environments and
even came into question
with recording sessions.5
As a matter of fact it
crystallized in my mind when
I was returning to a venue
in Paris, when our band was
setting up; I noticed and
heard the distinct
difference in delivery
between our bands and
others. Our “miked” steelpan
was much more difficult
to clearly hear than
other “miked”6 bands. I
thought to myself, we
Trinis could do better
to showcase our talents
and started working on
a solution. My
idea evolved more and more
towards a solution but
was secretly recorded
and purposely kept dormant
over time.
During
that incubation period,
continuous research and
development was well
documented under strict
non-disclosure/trade-secret
agreements and a utility
patent applied for. The e-pan
invention was published with
my IP rights fully
protected, where the records
are logged and lodged in
public domains for
inspection.
I strived diligently and
purposely not to repeat the
errors of the past by making
sure the horse was before
the cart and all the “t’s”
were crossed and the “i’s” dotted. The
rest, as they say, is history.
The E-Pan is a stand-alone
instrument and that is
what I have PATENTED.
You do not need any external
sound modules or computer
for the E-Pan to work.
The E-Pan has MIDI capabilities. When
you have purchased an
E-Pan, it comes with
built-in tones already
embedded in the chip. You can scroll from trumpet
to violin, guitar to
flute, piano to organ,
even saxophone if you
desire. The E-Pan
also has built-in speakers
so you do not need to
go out and buy any additional
speakers. Everything
is integrated into this
one unit. If a player
will like to hook-up
to external house speakers/
amplifiers/mixing boards,
the unit comes equipped
with ¼” jacks
for audio in and audio
out.
There are also ¼” jacks
for sustain pedals and
octave control pedals.”

WST - “You
have secured worldwide
patents on your invention. That is a major achievement. Are you considering licensing
agreements in the future?”
S.
Cupid - “Indeed,
the IP rights of the
e-pan invention are protected
under WIPO7 conventions,
where my e-pan invention is
known to go way beyond
the miking/amplification
of the steelpan. I
am all for licensing
my product following
established business
protocols. However, wise
words say that imitation
is the sincerest form
of flattery and copy-cat
versions have latently
surfaced since my invention
was first introduced.
Amongst them; the E.S.D.,8 the
panKAT9 and
the P.H.I.-pan,10
all claiming to be first-at-bat
while being cagey and
dishonest when I approach
them to discuss the situation.
But short of negotiated
agreements, unfortunately
the lawyers will argue
their cases to defend
their interest of their
respective clients and
the courts will decide.”
-
WST - “What
has been the overall
reception to the E-Pan
to date??”
S.
Cupid - “The
E-Pan has been very well
received by Pan Trinbago
(the world governing
body of steelpan), pan-fans,
the media and especially
by the steelpan community
at large, at home in
T&T and abroad globally.
I have been respectfully
welcomed in all quarters
as inspirational and
congratulated for being
a true pioneer with this
revolutionary electronic
steelpan. Even some of
my detractors have individually
and secretly admitted
that what I have accomplished
is far superior and can’t
wait to get one.”
-
WST - “You
have expanded the family
of the E-Pan with the
recent introduction of
the double seconds E-Pan. How has that been received
so far?”
S.
Cupid - “Rave
reviews - particularly
by panists who play the double-seconds
(pictured below) and
have their own distinct
playing-style,11
and thus
appreciate the comfort
of familiarity, yet extension
of new features to explore
and create. The interest
in the e-pan has increased
by more than “double” (pun
intended) since it’s
intro, so I’m very pleased.”

-
WST - “Do
you plan to further expand
the family of E-pans?”
S.
Cupid - “Definitely. Much to the chagrin and
annoyance of family and
friends who lecture me
to slow down and tackle
“one
thing at a time,”
I am constantly in an “innovation” frame
of mind. I am excited
when I think of all the
enhanced versions of
the e-pan, awaiting production
in the future (double
guitar E-pan, six bass
E-pan). Wise words say,
good things come to those
who wait and patience
is a virtue.”
-
WST - “Where
and how can one purchase
an E-Pan?”
S.
Cupid - “I
have been approached
by various retailers
to resell. Thus far I
have had discussions
to authorize: in T&T
at Simon’s Musical Supplies,12 in
Canada at Long & McQuade
Musical Instruments,
and of course on the internet
via the
NAPE Inc. - Online Store.”
-
WST - “Beyond
the existing steelpan
players who are already
acclimatized to the traditional
steelpan, do you think
you will be able to attract
new users to the E-Pan,
with this [E-Pan] being
their first musical instrument?”
S.
Cupid
- “It has already happened.
The e-pan has generated all
sorts of interest from
practitioners, whether
expert, novice and even some
converts. I have observed
that the younger “GenNeX” artists
have their national pride
intact, but alongside,
they have a “post-colonial” conscious
sense that they are also
“World
Citizens” and that
Hip-Hop is an urban world-beat.
With that in mind, they
tell me that my invention
is helping them to embrace
“pan” as
a mainstream musical
instrument, so look out
for it. As expected,
this will naturally grow
once more and more panists
are “seen and heard” using
the instrument.”
-
WST - “For
some, the ability for
the traditional panist
to access voices other
than steelpan - enhances
the creativity of the
panist. Do you
expect your instrument
to contribute to the
demand for the exceptional
panist - say a Len “Boogsie” Sharpe
- performing on the E-Pan,
but being able to access
additional ’voices’ while
utilizing your invention?”
S.
Cupid - “You
are absolutely correct! The E-Pan is now going
to enhance the creativity
of the panist on the
whole. Generally, the
E-Pan is going to contribute
to the demand for ALL
panists (not just exceptional
panists) as the note-layout
for the E-Pan is exactly
the same as the standardized
traditional pan (circle
of fourth and fifths),13 in
the exact same position,
size, shape and style,
chock-full of design
advantages and features which
are well thought-out
and appreciated by panists. Let me say that part
of my dream, hope and
great expectation was
to see the E-Pan in the
hands of these very panist-musicians
you mention. I know they
will “go crazy” creating
new compositions and
arrangements when they
fully explore all the
aspects this instrument
offers. Virtuosos like
Len “Boogsie” Sharpe14 and
Duvone Stewart15 (amongst
others) have demonstrated
this thus far.
As I’ve
repeatedly said from
Day 1, this addition
to compliment the family
of steelpan instruments,
will give back lost work
to the panist employing
the extended versatility
the electronic steelpan16 offers. Folks
sometime forget that
is exactly what transpired
when the steelpan work
was made scarce as the
electronic keyboardist
took over. Most calypsonians
use the pan tone on the
keyboard when recording
in the studio so the
pan man/woman lost a
lot of work. The average
listener doesn’t
know this. Now with the
E-pan this can change.”

-
WST - “In
terms of music education
there seem to be endless
possibilities. How
has the E-Pan done within
the educational system?”
S.
Cupid - “The
E-Pan is breaking new
ground in the educational
system where steelpan
is concerned. Already
there are some schools
which are going to be
implementing these in
Canada. For example,
the ability for a band
to be practicing in utmost
silence with the E-Pan
for those in close proximity,
yet not necessarily in
attendance, will be facilitated
by the use of a plug-in
headset. Using the audio-out,
the E-Pan can be hooked
up to a central computer
which the teacher will
be using to monitor who
is playing what. The
entire band can play
in unison under the watchful
eye of the teacher, with
all the audio coming through
headsets.
The E-Pan is
also going to help young
panists wanting to use
the steelpan as their
instrument of choice
when seeking acceptance
into university by helping
to ease the limitation
stigma attached to steelpan
in mainstream universities
around the world. This
is especially true as
the E-Pan carries thirteen
(13) octaves. T&T
deserves to lead on this. Furthermore, many schools
have approached me to
incorporate the E-Pan
into their school music programmes and extracurricular
activities, especially
with their front-line
players. T.A.S.S.O. has already
experimented by adopting
and adapting the E-Pan
into their programme
with the classical steelpan side-by-side
integrated electro/acoustic
musical performance. The students
enjoy and get a real
kick out of it, so
I expect the trend to
continue to grow.”
-
WST - “Do
you think the major music
manufacturers like Yamaha
will eventually be interested
in securing a business
relationship with you/your
company as the popularity
of your instrument increases?”
S.
Cupid - “Whether
the likes of Yamaha or
Roland or similar, as
a business-man I’m sure
they’re interested in
any commercial relationship
which will foster mutual
goals to advance the
steelpan and gain a profitable
R.O.I. (Return on
Investment). I’ve already had
some discussions in that
realm. The fact that
I have a good product,
IP protection and sales
will help the cause.
The popularity will rise
exponentially when more
of the well-known, seasoned
panists are exposed to and
seen using the instrument
on a more frequent basis.
I remain confident as
the global market and
financial17 opportunities
are not lost on these
gurus and with the right
platform, I’m sure they
can be coaxed out of
their shyness to become
more involved.”
-
WS - “What
has been the reception
from percussion manufacturers?”
S.
Cupid - “At
this time I have not
been in serious talks
with percussion manufacturers.”
-
WST - “Your
invention should obviously
be a source of immense
pride for the steelpan
community and Trinidad
and Tobago. Has the Trinidad & Tobago
Government been supportive?”
S.
Cupid - “The
steelpan community has
been very excited, supportive
and proud of my achievements.
Many expressed that it
was long-overdue but
well worth the wait. Some, as expected, and
fearful of change, question
the necessity - but even
some of those are converting,
especially since the
steelpan tone is on the
keyboard as I explained
earlier. Those put in
charge of steelpan development
in T&T have not been
welcoming, in the least. In fact it saddens me.
I made the effort as
a native-son-of-the-soil,
ambassador of the steelpan
and emissary of our culture
chosen and sent by Pan
Trinbago to represent
and teach steelpan to
the world outside of
T&T. That landed
me with the T.D.S.B. (Toronto
District School Board).
I proudly and respectfully
returned first with my
hard-earned accomplishments
including my patent-pending
IP protected rights in
hand, to the UWI people. I wanted them to see
what I was doing first-hand,
and garner a good-faith
review to explore opportunities
to advance the steelpan
by incorporating the
improved “steelpan
sounds” I learned
they were working on,
(centred at UWI/SDC18/NIHERST19/CARIRI20).
The reception was lukewarm
and they seemed disinterested. There was absolutely
no mention or talk whatsoever
about the PHI - before
and up to that point,
confirmed by patent searches
at the T&T IPO; no
application filed either.
Matter of fact,
my T&T co-patent application
was accepted as the first
with no others on file.
Later, when the e-pan patent
was granted and I returned
with my prototype as
proof-of-concept in tow,
to try again, I was summoned
into a room with all the
team involved. I was rebuked,
rejected and characterized
as “the enemy” and
lectured down, to say that
they were also working
on a similar project and
they would be protesting
mine to unhinge my patent, n.b. that nothing further
has surfaced in that realm
to date,21 while
in the same breath questioning
if there was any interest
to co-operate. Behaviour
a tad too paternalistic
for my stomach. Meantime
at a later date the PHI-pan
began it’s surfacing and
unveiling, yet seemed to
shadow and mirror every
move I make playing “ketch-up.”
The mimicry has reached
curious levels as some
wonder why I ever bother
to expose what I’m doing
and contemplating, as it
seems, to telegraph the
moves which are copied.
I am constantly being contacted
by observers who find it
ironic that their technology
is reluctantly piggy-backed22 on
mine as defined prior art23 (with
mis-leading characterization)
as they attempt co-patent-application
in WIPO domains to validate
and justify the T&T
IPO. Since that time,
I have challenged them
and requested from the
T&T Government to reconsider
the positioning and bias
towards a select few, and
instead consider practicing
a policy of “open-mindedness” towards
all steelpan people which
is less patronizing, especially
ordinary unconnected citizens,
all dedicated as we are
to our nation.
I have a
long way to go in my life,
but methinks the judgment
on which certain steelpan
pioneers were elevated
shoulder-to-shoulder and
made more deserved lacked
credibility in the first
order, never mind the last.
Smacks more of the plain
politics as usual24 some
continue to practice in
the zeal and zest to make
up for lost ground. I have
presented my case to the
PMO, and while impressed
with my achievements and
through my direct information
better able to grip what
the e-pan vs. the rest
is about, they have not
yet offered me any kind of
support or assistance but
have taken it under advisement
and are now looking into
it further. As we move
along, I appreciate and
understand better the frustrations
felt by steelpan pioneers
like
Ellie
Mannette and
Bertie
Marshall.”
-
WST - “The
inventing of any product,
and then developing and
marketing the item is
a mammoth undertaking.
You have essentially
done all of this by yourself. What keeps you going?”
S.
Cupid - “Essentially
and unequivocally, faith
and trust in God along
with a firm belief in
myself and the support
of family and friends.
The Holy Scriptures tells
the story of David vs.
Goliath because that’s
what I feel I’m frustratingly
up against at times.
We all know how that
story ended so there’s
lots of hope for me,
right. What people need
to understand is how
the process of protecting
IP rights works. One
cannot disclose and publicize
an idea then apply for
a patent when prior art
and patents already have
existed. I am Salmon
Cupid, the inventor and
patent holder of the
world’s first and only electronic
synthesized steelpan,
born and bred in the
Republic of T&T,
which means any accomplishment
on my part reflects and
redounds on my home and
native land.”
-
WST - “What’s
next for Salmon Cupid
the inventor?”
S.
Cupid - “Well,
as I work on other enhanced
versions, with features
like layering down and
sequencing, I recognize
that this is a “block
and tackle” game
full of politics, so
I’ll continue to promote.
I’ve been also championing
a cause for some time
now, urging all the powers
that be to record the colour and tones of all
the major/master steelpan
tuners, before they “move
on.” Although I
still feel strongly about
that, I have somewhat
changed my approach as
I clearly recognize that
when the authorities
finally act, it will
be reported that, that
is what they always wanted
to do and it will be
done in such a way where
it will not be made accessible
to the general public
(like myself) which is
willing to pay through
licensed royalties, for
the steelpan tuners to
benefit from the additional
revenue stream. This
has exited the tuners
as they will gain and
not lose work with this
innovation.
Once again,
I may have to record
these tones independently
to be on the safe side, especially with the current track
record. God willing,
the sky’s the limit and
I intend to continue
my journey taking pan
to higher heights, teaching,
arranging, composing,
innovating and doing
my best to motivate the
next generation of steel panists.
Stay tuned because as
we all know, “When
Steel Talks, E-verybody
Listens!” You can
follow “E-Pan Man” on
Facebook to keep abreast
with the development
of the E-pan. Thanks
for your time and interest
in allowing me the opportunity
to get the word out.”
Following is
additional and supplementary
information and suggested reading
as provided by Salmon E. Cupid:
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Contact Salmon
Cupid -
asksalmon@napeinc.com
1 (416) 617-0860
Inventor of the World’s
1st Electronic Synthesized
Steelpan
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