E-pan makes its debut
...Salmon Cupid at the helm
MALISSA LARA
Published: 7 Feb 2010
http://guardian.co.tt/news/general/2010/02/07/e-pan-makes-its-debut
Cupid holds his creation, the electronic pan, yesterday.
Photo: KRISTIAN DE SILVA
An exciting and revolutionary steel pan is here! The first electronic Double Second Steel Pan made its public debut in T&T yesterday. Created by Trini-born Salmon Cupid, who teaches music in Toronto, the pan is advanced in technology. Unlike the original steel pan, the electronic steelpan (E-Pan) has different sounds such as organ and trumpet built-in. In a Sunday Guardian interview, Cupid said it also does not need pan sticks to be played. Instead one’s fingers can be used thereby offering the capability to effect more chords at a time. Cupid, who has been playing pan since the mid-80s, said the pan adds to the excitement for youths and finesse to the instrument.
This plastic and rubber instrument’s finesse did not come cheap as it took Cupid US$40,000 and five years to receive a US utility patent only. He has utility patents in Europe and patents pending world-wide. The research and development was also exorbitant but it was worth it, as he said this advance can take pan to another level. He has big dreams for the steel pan and said, “My biggest dream is to see steel pan at the Grammy’s.” The steel pan when plugged in can be hooked up to an Ipod and the songs can be played through it. The music is just as sweet as the original pan. One can also use the song from the Ipod as a track and for practice.
In addition, a head set can be plugged into the E-pan and thus one can practise, muting the sound from anyone else. Cupid said he has always had a passion for pan and seemed disappointed that he got no calls from the T&T government when he brought the prototype for the E-Pan to these shores more than one year ago. Even when the tenor E-pan was completed last year, he got no support. “The Canadian Government is supporting me more than the T&T Government,” he said. But Cupid is not daunted and continues to show his creation to the world.
