Bertie Marshall Speaks on the Steelpan
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More support needed
Trinbagopan.com Staff Article
Interview Recorded: March 13, 2005
Posted: March 18, 2005
It should have had more support toward developing pan along the same lines like me in my time. If the support was there, I would not have this problem now. It was the old time pan beaters that use to beat pan hard. It started there. They didn't have training. They would get a whole committee to go and tell a tuner that the boys don't like how you tuning the pans, because the pans moving too fast. They don't realize is the players that playing too hard, unmercifully hard, and a fellah would prepare a stick to play hard. Going back to Rudolph, I have to say he understood these things, and that is why he paid a man to make the sticks. I don't talk much about his playing, but he was ah fantastic player. He always use to play a lot of ole time tunes. He use to play like two men, if yuh hear him play, he backing his self too, is like two men.
I was involved with the harmonica before I got involved with pan and I love it. Long ago it didn't have much radio around. We had a radio stationed on the wall. Our neighbour like Terry Joseph and them who use to live down the road. They had a piano in their house. Terry could play panio you know, but he isn't a big pianist. What he says about me carrying him to school, is true. His mother and my mother were friends. I had known his mother, father and sister. I will say all of us was poor, but it was we who were poor people. Keith Smith now, stayed for my first boy. He is my compère. Keith, got training from deceased Patrick Chookolingo. A time some of Patrick workers carry me up by his place to play Christmas carols for him and the family. He had a big dober-man where he was living, and he would say, "Mr. Marshall where is your so called compère". He teach me to talk about Keith, nice. Lennox Grant was my good panther too. I used to arrange for Kalyan in their house. I was in the orchestral music as well, because when you could arrange, you could arrange for anybody. I try to develop the pan from my experiences with the instruments in the orchestra . Is Keith Smith and others are who open Kalyan actually.
Looking back at my career now, one of my greatest achievements is bringing the pan closer to orchestras, otherwise pan would not have been qualified. That is why they call everybody in Trinidad, tone deaf. Because it was poor music long time steelband use to play. I around long, so I know. You wouldn't believe what you hearing now, was nothing so before, it was more rhythm. We use to hear 'bout snake oil and thing like that and try and rub our waist to go and 'jock we waist'. If a band coming up, you see all the young boys in front.
Pan in school is one of the best ideas, don't mind I never get that break. The focus should be on teaching them to properly play the instrument and not just to read music. Because remember, guys who could play good, also play too hard. They get excited and they loose control of themselves. They are supposed to be in control of themselves when they are playing. Teaching them music is one thing, to play is a different thing.
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