A close clash of steel

Four-and-a half-points behind Despers is bp Renegades, and PCS Nitrogen Silver Stars five points adrift.

Don’t be fooled, anything can happen on a final night and everyone goes to the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain, with some measure of “bias”. The judges are constantly “under the gun” as each steel orchestra plays and completes its eight minutes performance with that feeling of “victory is ours”.

Maximum points for adjudication is 100 with the following criteria: arrangement 40 points (introduction, harmonisation and reharmonisation, melodic development and motivic development); General performance 40 points (interpretation of song, dynamics and balance of the orchestra); Tone –ten points (tuning and blending of pans, tonal quality and consistency of tuning) and rhythm – ten points (put together all beats and good tight ensemble playing).

For the benefit of those of us who judge the performances of our bands along with the others, the following information will be very useful.

Arranging is the art of giving an existing melody musical variety.

The arranger makes sure that every aspect of a music piece is well-harmonised, from the instruments down to the tempo.

In music, an arrangement is a musical reconceptulisation of a previous composed work. It may differ from the original work by means of reharmonisation/instrumentation (new concept), melodic paraphrasing, orchestration or development of the formal structure.

Of course, an arranger puts his style on the piece with the melody, a group of notes played one after the other and is what people often remember the most. This is referred to it as the tune. There are melodic slopes that are high, low, fluent, fragmented and some going up and down.

Then there is harmony, a group of notes, except these are often played together, what we call chords. These chords are usually behind the melody, and played softer.

Finally the rhythm makes the music go and flow, it puts together all the beats short, long, soft, and loud, keeping the orchestra tight.

It is obvious that the judges not only look out for all this put together, but their sense of hearing must also be perfect to assimilate all what is being done by the arranger on any given piece.

Now to the other steel orchestras that are in the final, it will be foolhardy to think that Phase II Pan Groove does not have a chance.

With an arranger like Len “Boogsie” Sharpe anything is possible.

Supernovas will come to prove that last year’s second place was no “fluke,” and will try to go one place better. Republic Bank Exodus is on a high with a certain degree of energy brought to the band by arranger BJ Marcelle, and is looking to take the title back to the east.

T&TEC Tropical Angel Harps from Enterprise Village in Chaguanas surprised everyone and jumped to sixth place going into the final round. We will wait to see if they can improve tonight.

CAL Invaders is 11 points behind the leaders and have been working hard to move up the ladder to that number one spot. MHTL Starlift is trying, and it seems that arranger Robbie Greenidge is finding it hard to impress the judges with his musical masterpiece. Some say it it too sweet for Panorama.

Skiffle is the only steel orchestra from the south in the final, and will try hard to represent both themselves and the entire southland with their performance.