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Bertie Marshall Speaks on the Steelpan
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As a young fella
Staff Article
Interview Recorded: March 13, 2005
Posted: March 18, 2005
I started to tune pan from the time I got into it, because I wasn't satisfied with what I was hearing. I was a young fella going to St. Phillip E.C. School up by the fly-over. Is around there I used to see "Spree" Simon and them with their pan and the fires and thing. That's why I tried to light fire with an old pan, I nearly burn down the house. I was a little boy, and because I so small then, I not checking to see what rubbish scatter on the ground. I was trying to bring back the ole pan because I wasn't satisfied with what I was hearing.
Tuners couldn't tune long time. They used to put notes on the pan and call it notes. They dentin-up the pans and putting that, and calling it a note. And they used to tune it differently, inside out. Long time pan was so. It was after, Ellie come and change that style of thinking and start to sink it in. Pan wasn't so as you see it now, it was entirely different, and it didn't use to sound good neither. I used to play the harmonica, and the notes I hearing, I tell him, "well play 'C'", he used to call me Dr. No for that reason, "but dey say yuh talking too loud, dey go bus yuh face yuh know". I say "but dem pan out ah tune". But they say, "yuh eh have too say it so hard". And they use to call Invaders Sweet Pan. I remember them days as a little boy going Tranquill breaking biche and going down in The Yard, because we had to go down, because we use to hear that they have 'sweet pan', that was the people talk. That's why you see, I does claim the people was tone deaf. Because they use to call me 'Dr. Know', that is what caused me to start to 'tune pan', because when you hearing the nice note on a 'mouth organ'. I trying to get it on the pan, but I know a pan can't sound like a 'mouth organ'. But is two different instruments anyway. And is so I start to tune; I tuning because I didn't like what I was hearing. I tuning, and at the same time I learning to beat the pan. I used to get problems with beating a pan long ago, because of the stupid sound I heard coming from it. The notes wasn't sounding right, and what I getting on the harmonica, well, you understand what I mean, dat is a real instrument you know. Harmonica, Rich in harmonics, that is why they call it harmonica.
I got involved with the harmonica, at about fourteen or so. I use to walk from Laventille to Tranquill on Ariapita Avenue long ago. I remember I 'break biche' for a whole month and take the money from the school fees, and buy a 'mouth organ'. I use to 'break biche' in the La Peyrouse Cemetery too, seeing the grave diggers digging and with that you could spend nearly a whole day watching to make up time, because I didn't know 'breaking biche' does have so much time. You hide your books and you gone down there. I used to 'break biche' all behind the Electricity company, they used to call the place 'Hot and Cold'. I use to 'break biche' there, but sometimes oil used to come on your skin from the machines. I remember that. I was still a little boy.
I started playing, with Harmonites and I use to end up tuning for Ebonites too, with ah fellah name Karl Greenidge ('Bumpy nose') who is Robert Greenidge uncle. In them days you could tune eight tenors in a day, because the men not taking time to tune it, they just putting notes anyhow. That was the long-time band. That is why I tell you, it used to sound like it was more rhythm-like, and with a big set of iron, more rhythm, not musical. If you play back ah old Invaders record, you will see what I am talking about. "Cobo Jack" playing Lieberstrum and melody in 'F', you will hear how pan used to sound in those days. It is easy to remember that, because of the recordings, you will understand what I talking about and why I introduced the harmonics, and pans get refined, so, that you could play with other instruments.
Long time when I playing with instruments, I remember Harold De Freitas and Frankie Francis give me a 'Catechism' and tell me I must learn the chords and music, because that is what you are trying to play there. It had plenty tuners in that time, and anybody could have tuned pans in those days, because you didn't have any harmonics. When I started to tune, they condemned it. They said, "whey it is yuh making, basin or what, yuh sinking it too deep!" I realize when you 'sink' a pan deep, you get the octaves clearer, so I was using what was making sense and logic. Pan long time didn't use to sound close to any instrument. If a pan playing, it use to sound in 'ah kinda way'. That is why you have to listen to that recording, with melody in 'F' and Lieberstrum. I think they still have that recording. That is what caused the confusion. You have to call it confusion, because they wanted to 'beat meh up'.
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