Thursday, January 31 2008

THE PIANO has the keyboard, the acoustic guitar has the electric guitar, and now the steelpan has the electronic pan.

“I want to make it clear that this is not a replacement for the pan,” said Salmon Cupid, creator of the e-pan.

“This is an addition to the steelpan family. It’s just to add a flavour to get the steelpan and to put it on an even playing field with the rest of the instruments today. I don’t expect to see this on Panorama but maybe in the studio or large outdoor performances where ‘micing’ can be a problem.” The e-pan can be plugged directly to a mixing board or an amplifier which solves the problem of bad acoustics or improper microphone setup.

It even has a CD Rom so one can insert an audio CD and play along or record what is being played. With a touch of a button, the octave can be changed giving it a much larger range than the traditional.

And, since the e-pan is touch sensitive, you can even use your fingers to play.

In addition, the e-pan has nine preselects which allows you to play the piano, trumpet, violin, guitar, saxophone, drum beats, special effects — everything a keyboard can do.

Although there are a few instruments that can create the sound of the steelpan, Cupid still felt the need to develop the e-pan.

“One of my main reasons for dong this is because when I was growing up, pannists used to get work with calypsonians in the studio but when they could press a button and the keyboard man playing pan, we lose the work. I mean, all the big-name guys still getting the work but it’s not trickling down to the small men. Now the keyboard man can lose some work,” he joked. Cupid is a Trinidadian steelpan teacher based in Canada. He was the captain of the St Augustine Senior Steel Orchestra for a few years and when Pan Trinbago wanted teachers to go abroad in order to spread steelpan to the masses, Cupid jumped at the chance to be an ambassador.

He said he has been working on his e-pan for approximately 12 years and the main reason it has taken so long to develop and patent the e-pan is because he has no financial backing.

“The US patent alone cost me US$ 400,000. I have to accumulate the money and then a patent takes two to five years to be granted according to the level of intricacy.” He has already been granted his patent in the United States and has his patents pending in Canada, Europe and Trinidad and Tobago. However, there is a lot more research and development to be done and he is hoping that the government or corporate companies answer his call for funding. He said the creators of the G-pan are fascinated by his invention.

“I took it to the All Stars and the guys there love it. So far, everyone I have shown is very impressed, positive and supportive,” he said. “This has given me the encouragement to go on.” Cupid also sent out a plea to the pan tuners. “Please. Please go to the studios and digitalise your sounds,” he begged. “Save your sound on a computer before you pass on and leave this earth. Because when you pass on our grandchildren will not know the Butch (Kellman) sound or the Roland Harrigan sound. Help your legacy to live on. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. And the main thing is the pan.”