Local pannist Rodney Small has upped his game, becoming the first pan man in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to own an electronic steel pan or “e-pan”.
The instrument was procured with the help of telecommunications provider FLOW.
The e-pan is the world’s first electronic steelpan and was created by Salmon Cupid, a Trinidadian residing in Canada.
Last Friday on telecommunication company FLOW’s promenade on Halifax Street, Senior Marketing and Corporate Communications Manager at FLOW Nikala Williams handed over the instrument to Small.
“The e-pan was our way of supporting Rodney as not only a FLOW ambassador but as a Vincentian ambassador making great strides in music and the creative arts on a whole,” Williams said.
She added: “We felt that the addition of the e-pan will further enhance his performances and help him to stand out even more among his peers both locally and abroad. We are hoping that the e-pan adds another noteworthy dimension to pan music”.
Thanking FLOW, Small said that it is a great feeling to receive this type of support.
“It shows that there are persons who still have faith in the instrument. With this new innovation it would help to bring more attraction to the instrument especially in this new world of technology. I want to publicly thank FLOW for getting me the e-pan and I would certainly use it to help develop and uplift the art form and enhance my performances,” Small said.
Speaking about the benefits of the e-pan, Small said: “You can play and it writes or scores your music for you. It has tones of a number of different instruments.”
The established pannist also praised the invention.
“I think it’s a good look for the steel pan art form because the world is swiftly moving to the world of technology. However the real deal, the oil drum, would always be priority.”