Arima All Stars tuner hammers out phonic pan

FEELING trapped by the limited range of the middle section of the single pan ensemble, pan tuner Andy Neils hammered out a solution.

The phonic pan, as he named it, is the newest member of the pan family and while it does not have fluctuating octaves, it does have all 12 musical notes. Neils debuted the pan with Arima All Stars for judges, on Friday night, as he hoped the band would make it to the finals and regain their championships.

Sunday Newsday met Neils at Arima All Stars panyard in Malabar, hours before the competition. Neils was tuning the pans in preparation for the night's rendition of 5 Star Akil's Different Me. A pannist for over two decades, Neils, 52, said the phonic pan, taken from the quadraphonic pan (four pan carrying different notes used by large steelbands played by one player), was created to keep the melody and harmony of the single pan sides.

"Single pans are limited in their range. The front pans carry the music and the back have the base and the rhythm section so I decided to put the phonic pan in the middle. Pan arrangers will love it because it brings a voice in the middle. I want to hear the middle pan," Neils said.

The pan, which for now has not been trademarked, can cost as low as $2,000 and the pan visionary has already sold six of his inventions, two to Japan and four in Aruba. After a three-year period working on the concept, Neils made his first phonic pan in one week. Neils said pan arrangers for single pan bands have to be "magicians" with the limits placed on the band and believes the phonic pan has pushed beyond the limitations.

"No other pan have all 12 musical notes. The downside is that the octaves can't change so you don't have range. The single pan is a dying breed. I think we should go this way and incorporate the phonic pan more," Neils said adding that the phonic pan is similar to excellent back-up vocals for any hit song.

Pan tuner Derek Boucaud, who arranges for St James Tripolians, said the phonic pan was an idea bandied about for years and he was happy that it was finally created. He added that there has been some opposition from older panmen who rejected it without even trying it. Boucaud said the new pan is part of the evolution of instrument and can be used to teach music theory.

Pan Trinbago president Beverly Ramsey-Moore told Sunday Newsday that she heard about the new pan but had not heard it play.

"I support the idea the innovation and I look forward to chatting with him (Neils) officially," Ramsey-Moore said.

Also championing a new pan, is veteran tuner Denzil “Dimes” Fernandez who showcased his fusion vibe pan to Sunday Newsday last week. He is introducing the pan through St Margaret’s Boys Anglican School steel orchestra – the 11-time Panorama primary schools champion.

Read more about Denzil Fernandez in Pan tuner's ministry in Features section.