The Official, Unofficial Story of How That Came to Be
Ah, the Bundt pan.
The word conjures images of deliciousness—lemon drizzle cake, chocolate swirl, cinnamon raisin cake, and, of course, coffee cake. I don’t bake so much, and I don’t like coffee, but I understand the appeal.
But it’s not just cakes you can bake in a Bundt pan. A cursory Google search landed me on a list of ‘not cake’ recipes, including but not limited to: sausage, egg and cheese breakfast bread, stuffing, easy pull-apart pizza bread, and, (I’m a little curious to try it), roasted chicken.
But I digress.
As anyone with toddlers knows, everything in the kitchen is potential musical instrument. So it is with the Bundt pan.
Music for People believes that everyone is a musician (and that practice and experience is the only difference between a pro and someone who’s never played before) and that anything can be an instrument—from our body to furniture, from kitchen gadgets to hardware implements.
The Bundt pan has been front and centre at Music for People workshops as long as I’ve been associated with the organization. Its presence has represented, for me, the essence of One Quality Sound (link to Bill of Musical Rights). It is accessible to anyone, no matter what their background. Anyone can be a Master of the Bundt pan.
It is the “Unofficially Official Instrument” of Music for People.
The Origin Story
As many origin stories of this nature, I had to do a little digging. And by digging, I mean asking our Musicianship and Leadership Program Grads, more than 100 of whom have been involved for 25 years and more and who trained directly with David Darling. A few of the Grads hearken back to the very early days of the organization and, for them, their memories and their stories, I am very grateful.
So, here’s the story.
David was once a member of the Paul Winter Consort. One of the percussion members was Bob Becker, co-founder of the world-renown percussion ensemble, Nexus, a master xylophone player and someone who explored and mastered myriad instruments and styles from around the world.
In the early days of Nexus, many of their instruments were found objects. Bob scoured department and hardware stores for unusual-sounding implements. At that time, they were often made of high quality materials, which produced exquisite sounds.
The Bundt pan was one of the ‘instruments’ he discovered. In those days, they were made of heavy cast aluminum and they had a clear pitch and made a beautiful, resonant sound when struck with a soft vibe mallet. Bundt pans today are made with thinner aluminum or other metal alloys, producing a different quality of sound, but still—they make the point that anything played with intention and curiosity can be a musical instrument suitable for use by anyone, pros and beginners alike.
It was Bob who introduced David to the Bundt Pan, while they were both part of the Consort.
And so, the Bundt Pan made its way to Music for People.
“Imagine if, in your office, you had a Bundt pan and every couple of hours struck it and listened.” ~David Darling
Bundt Pan Stories
In addition to finding the source of the Bundt pan’s use in the MfP setting, I asked them what the Bundt pan meant for them and how they’ve used it in their workshops, classrooms, recording sessions and in daily life.
You’ll see how the Bundt pan’s vibrations continue to sound and re-sound through the MfP community. Many of these stories come from memories from more than twenty years ago. The Bundt pan story is a sticky one!
“At one point, in the context of talking about ‘putting your true sound out with integrity and commitment’, he held the edge of the Bundt pan and struck it, creating a dull thud sound, which was immediately squashed, and said, ‘most of us are going through life like this.’
“He then held the center core of the pan and struck it, and, of course, the true ringing of the unrestricted Bundt pan expanded in the space with beauty and grace, ringing forever…
“His point being, we must be in our true vibration, with complete commitment to that moment and, with presence and integrity, release our authentic sound into the universe. No holding back, no fear, knowing the integrity that sound will be a gift to all others, honored and expanding with the same respect and focus with which it was initiated.”
***
“After one of the MfP weekends I visited my mother’s kitchen in Buffalo, New York, and noticed she had a heart shaped Bundt pan I. It was a really heavy one with terrific bell-like tone. I took it out of the cupboard and hit the edge. Heaven. I bring it to every music workshop. It’s used frequently.”
***
“I remember DD saying to get a good tone you must live on the edge of the Bundt.”
***
“Many years ago I made a coffee cake and baked it in the Bundt pan. My daughter, who was about 8 at the time, said, ‘I thought that was an instrument!’ “
***
“David once played a bowl gong and said, ‘Ninety-year old antique Tibetan bowl gong’, followed by the Bundt pan. ‘Twelve dollar Bundt pan from Walmart.’ There wasn’t much difference between them.”
First Encounters with the Bundt Pan
“Shortly after my first MfP workshop in 1999, I appropriated my dear late mother-in-law’s Bundt pan, which I keep around me for when the mood strikes— such a wonderful sound!”
***
“I remember finding the Bundt pan at my very first MfP weekend, and came home and started playing all of the household metals I could find.
“I took fishing line and a triangle beater and a vibraphone mallet into a hardware store and came home with some amazing sounds; I discovered, for example, that a large iron garden spike (looks like a regular nail on steroids) makes a passable triangle sound.
“I began scouting thrift stores, yard sales, and the cabinets of relatives and friends for old Bundt pans and now have an octet. They are among my prized percussion instruments.”
How To Play the Bundt Pan
It’s as easy as, well… cake!
Hold the centre “handle” or core of the pan in one hand and turn the pan upside down, as if you were emptying a baked cake out of it.
If you have access to a soft vibe mallet, great; if not, improvise and experiment. I’ve used wooden dowels, a finger, something metal. “There are no wrong notes!” And no way to be wrong. Each “mallet” will produce a different sound.
Strike or tap the edge of the Bundt pan with your mallet. Or, you can think of “inviting” a sound of the pan with your mallet.
Let it ring. Let it sing! It sounds One Quality Sound!
Depending on the quality of the pan, the hang time will be significant.
That’s it! You’re now a Master Bundt Pan Player!
Now, as there are no wrong notes, and no wrong way to play the Bundt pan, you can also listen to the sound it produces when you strike different parts of the pan. Go play!
Now That You’re a Master Bundt Pan Player, How Can You Use It?
“They sound best when played at the rim with soft vibraphone or marimba mallets; ask friends who play mallets for their worn-out ones or splurge and buy a pair. I even built a stand that held four pans so I could use them in the score I did for a modern dance piece.”
***?
“I’ve used them to do ‘sonic smudging’ for people who can’t be around sage or incense.”
***
“It’s lovely to station people with pans around a room. Minimal playing can set up a lovely resonant space in the center for meditation.”
***
“People who love dancing and movement have also had a wonderful time combining the pans with movement.”
***
“When I was clearing out my late in-laws’ vacation house, I came across a stack of large, stainless steel mixing bowls in the oven. I struck the largest one on the rim, and was floored by the sound that came forth.
“So, I rigged up four of these, in different sizes, on cymbal stands with cymbal arms holding acoustic guitar pickups in close proximity to their rims so I could amplify and record them…. I was so taken with the result that I wanted to record it through my processor rack at home, altering the processor settings on every repetition, and recording it to a cassette recorder.”
***
“I have had student process into the hall with Bundt pans in several of the pieces I have composed for my Contemporary Seminar and I always use (the pan) in my improvisation classes. It is great for feeling flow and the breath in with the prep, and out with the relaxed stroke (gently, with a SOFT mallet on the LIP—edge.)”
Why Collect Bundt Pans?
“I take my pans to every workshop. They are the perfect instrument to give to people (especially women) so they have a no-fail improvisation experience. They are a great confidence booster, even for the most anxious participants.”
***
“They are simply the best, and much sturdier and easier to manipulate than singing bowls or similar instruments. They certainly helped me realize that just about anything can be a percussion instrument and they may be to blame for my large collection of metal percussion.”
***
Try This at Home, and Join Us on March 4 for “World Play Your Bundt Pan Day” (first annual)
By now, I imagine you may have already opened cupboard doors in your kitchen or gone into the garage in search of great sounds. If not, now’s your chance.
At MfP we encourage as much of that as possible. We also encourage scouring yard sales, thrift stores, your friends’ cupboards, and antiques and collectibles shops to expand your collection. Be forewarned, though; it can become an addiction. You’ll find cool sounds in many places. And you don’t need to fork over large sums of money.
Now that you have a percussion ensemble, whether it be made of one or a hundred and one instruments, play, record, video, share, gather friends, go play in your front yard, and bring your instruments to a Music for People workshop!
And if you care to, tag us @MfPImprov on Facebook or Instagram stories. We’d LOVE to hear what you create.
In the meantime, March 4 is the First Annual World Play Your Bundt Pan Day and you are joyously invited to participate.
Author: Sharon Little