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Russell Letson
`Olu`olu
USA
504 Posts |
 Posted - 07/20/2003 : 12:45:30 PM
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A remastered "Pure Gabby" from Dancing Cat was in the works but release was prevented by a disagreement about who controls the rights. I understand that it's a bit complicated, with at least three parties involved, and I doubt that Cord International would have any better luck resolving them than Dancing Cat did. Meanwhile, there's still the original version on CD--and the LP (with very nice, *full-size* liner notes and the second interview disc) still shows up in used vinyl venues.
About Atta: He is indeed a wonderful guitarist, very jazzy and sophisticated, and he seems to be less appreciated outside the Islands than he should be, perhaps because there is so little of his playing available and visible outside of the Gabby Band sessions. There is only the one solo album ("Atta"), plus the "Livin' On Easy" sessions (which George Winston thinks are mostly Atta's arrangements). (He's also proving hard to research, since so many of his family are gone as well.) But Cyril considers him a major influence (listen to those chords!), so his spirit, and his tunings and those snazzy chords, are still with us.
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ohanabrown
Lokahi
281 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2003 : 05:41:58 AM
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Russell, you said a handful about "Atta".
When Atta passed away, His son ( Atta, jr.)
Could play just about everything his dad
could.
But theres one person that can play everything
Atta knew, and also all the tunnings Atta played.
That was Atta's nephew who lives in St. George.
Originally from Waianae I heard he's playing and
if you closed your eyes, you would think Atta was playing.
His name is.... Wayne Reese... There's a "Gabby tunning"
and also one called, "Atta's tunning."
Lucky if you can count on your fingers
how many can play "Atta's tunning.
Im so greatful that someone recorded Gabby and Atta's
music. Today we have the honor and privilege to hear
two of the great masters, sharing what they loved to do.
They played these type of music in the late 40's early 50's. Gabby and Atta were certainly ahead of there time.
Malama Pono
Kevin
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Kevin K. Brown |
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2003 : 11:27:49 AM
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Ozzie and I had a long talk about Atta's C. Sarah has played two tabbed songs in that tuning (One was Ozzie's and one was Keola's, I think). It is a very interesting tuning, and to prod Oz into doing a few more arrangements' I just did an analysis of the tuning that I will send to Oz (it is a multipage thing, with tab and fretboard maps, so I can't post it here, but I might figure out some place to put html versions of it, if anybody is interested.
Basically, what Atta did was to tune Leonard's C / Taro Patch so that the C chord on the 1st and 2nd frets became totally open - giving CGEgce. So, you get that chord for free. It is a little strange because the two open chords are inversions, not the "root" CEG, with the low chord having a very large 6th interval. Like all tunings, you give up some things and you get some things. What you get, besides that C chord near the nut, is parallel 6ths all over the place - on 3 sets of strings, *and* the expected 3rds on the top 2 strings. Moreover, all the fingerings are the same (except for 1 position you all know because it occurs in Taro Patch - at the 10th/11th frets). With all those 6ths, you get some really intersting sounds. ALL 3rds and 6ths fingerings are the same and just like the 3rds in Taro Patch. So, easy to remember. IV chords (F) are dead simple, too. IV7 (G7) are not, because you gave up the D's "behind the nut", but you can get them. Also, you do not get the drone 5th (higher G) that corresponds to the 4th string D in TP, unless you are willing to use the 3rd string as a "pedal" note. You can do that or arrange around it - most C arrangements, I have seen, don't have that drone alternating bass, because they share the same characteristic - like Keola's C, and even Leonard's C.
Also, the extra tension of the 3 raised strings seems to bring some stiffly braced guitars to life.
So, that is the short version. Try it out and see for yourself.
...Reid |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2003 : 11:48:57 AM
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| Reid, I can convert the material to PDF and make it available from my Web site no matter what form it's in if you like (even if it's handwritten). Let me know. |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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Russell Letson
`Olu`olu
USA
504 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2003 : 6:33:24 PM
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Kevin--thanks for the reminder about Wayne Reese. George W. and Ben Churchill have both pointed me his way as a source for the Atta section as well as for his own sake as part of the tradition. He's on the short list for an interview when I get back to work on the book in a few weeks.
And thanks to Reid for that thumbnail description of the characteristics of Atta's C--makes me want to retune and start noodling. But right now I'm still digesting George Kahumoku's C-wahine, so in the interests of reducing neurological and muscular confusion to a minimum, I'll save it for September.
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RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2003 : 6:58:56 PM
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Reid,
I would encourage you to take up on Craig's offer. It is a tuning that has interested me for a while & I wuld rather study your work than have to generate it for myself.
thanks
Raymond
San Jose |
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BreezePlease
Akahai
Japan
86 Posts |
Posted - 07/23/2003 : 10:59:44 AM
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Reid,
Interesting analysis of Atta's C. Would be interested in finding out more about the provenance of the tuning. I've always viewed this as part of a kind of "Gabby triad," together with the C6 Maunaloa and C Hi'ilawe. IIRC, all the strings remain the same except for the 2nd (skinniest), which moves from A (in C6), to B (Hiilawe), to C (Atta's).
I remember hearing in the distant past from a long-forgotten source that the C6 came from pedal steel. Could it be, further, that "Atta's" C came out of this in a kind of natural progression stemming from a move from a more bluesy sound, to a more countryish sound? Anybody have any info?
Got my tit caught in the C6 wringer last autumn, and took a while to extract. Would be very interested in seeing your material on the tuning.
tanks for the thoughts. -dean
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 07/23/2003 : 1:03:03 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by BreezePlease
Got my tit caught in the C6 wringer last autumn, and took a while to extract.
And the award for the most interesting expression of the week goes to... |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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Sarah
`Olu`olu
571 Posts |
Posted - 07/23/2003 : 1:35:27 PM
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yeah, Dean, just how did you do that? Inquiring minds want to know.... 
.... or, on second thought, maybe they don't! 
-Sarah |
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 07/23/2003 : 1:55:20 PM
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Aloha e Dean,
I have no knowledge of how Atta came to do what he did, or the lineage of the tuning, if any. However, as a sort of Occam's Razor, I still vote for the fact that it was simply an attempt to make the C chord at the 1st and 2nd frets simple to play. That chord is a workhorse in any slack key song in C, and very often used in Taro Patch, too (as in Ozzie's Molehu). Ozzie calls that "Home Base" for Leonard's C in his book. And, it ain't so simple to plop all three fingers down at once on the 1st, 2nd and 4th strings - I often get it confused with a common D7 fingering, and/or the 3rds on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings. Now, I suppose, an accomplished player might just be able to do anything, he, or she, wanted, but the whole history of Open/Alternate (I hate that word in this context) tunings seems to be to change things so that what you want to do is easy to do. My mana`o, FWIW.
And, Craig, I'll take you up on your offer if it is still open. Very generous of you. I am still working on it and we have some heavy duty family activity coming up this week, so it might be about 10 days or so before it is in shape for Release 1.0. It will be about a 10+ page MS Word Doc with embedded pics. Can handle?
...Reid |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 07/23/2003 : 2:07:52 PM
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| Reid, the offer's open whenever you're ready. Just email me the Word file. |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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BreezePlease
Akahai
Japan
86 Posts |
Posted - 07/24/2003 : 10:39:38 AM
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Sarah, 'as what happens when you get a little too ho`alu... ;-)
Reid, tanks plenty for sharing the fruits of your work. What kind of stuff are you finding plays well in Atta's C? Any specific songs?
Also, are there any C6 Maunaloa (CGEgae) mavens plying these waters: I'm looking for a nice clean 1st position Dm. I got a Dm7 down there that I use, but haven't been able to flesh out a playable straight Dm. Can anyone help?
tanks -dean
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 07/24/2003 : 12:15:35 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by BreezePlease
Also, are there any C6 Maunaloa (CGEgae) mavens plying these waters: I'm looking for a nice clean 1st position Dm. I got a Dm7 down there that I use, but haven't been able to flesh out a playable straight Dm. Can anyone help?
Hey Dean,
The tuning applet and Chord House are ideal for this type of thing. Does this help?
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Andy |
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BreezePlease
Akahai
Japan
86 Posts |
Posted - 07/25/2003 : 05:30:27 AM
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Tanks Andy,
I can't get the site applet to work for me (PPC7500, OS8.6): it chops off a part of the fretboard. My bad, I think.
The Chord House chord generator tells me what I already knew: I need to grow another finger; or hope that one of cpatch's famous "tonics" also works on the kind of fat, stubby digits that stick out of my hand.
I was kinda hoping that someone who actually uses the tuning to play music would be able to share some wisdom on what they do when they want to grab a Dm down in the 1st position. I tend to use the standard Hawaiian FEITCTAJ (F____ 'Em If They Can't Take A Joke) approach and just do a mutated (hamojanged) Dm7. It would be nice, tho, to have a clean Dm down there...
Looks like the Chord House engine is going to come in real handy; thanks.
-dean
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