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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
 Posted - 05/18/2002 : 8:59:06 PM
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Aloha e Jumpin' Fleas,
I am not a `uke player, but, if I were, I would get this book:
"How To Play Slack Key Ukulele - Hideo Kimura"
It is at www.islandbookshelf.com under "backlist" music books.
Years ago when the shop, Mele `Ukulele, opened in Wailuku, Sarah and I were invited to its opening - a non-stop day of music and food and stuff. One of the guys who came and played was Wilson Kanaka`ole from Hana. We were never introduced, but I still remember him vividly. He played `ukulele like nobody I have ever heard. He *never* strummed. He always fingerpicked, sometimes at a blazing speed - whatever was appropriate - and he always fitted in perfectly with the slack key players there. And he took slack key leads, too. I don't know anything about the book, but if it gets you part of the way to where Wilson was, the $9.95 is dirt cheap.
...Reid
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 05/19/2002 : 10:00:44 AM
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reid,
i have this book along with a few others of heeday's. his books are really useful, but for me this was the least useful of the bunch...
i'm not sure i agree with his suggestion of slacking the A string (which puts the uke into an open C taro patch tuning). there's no problem with doing this, but there's no need. with only four strings and plenty of easy to grab inversions, that one change doesn't help me a lot. and, tuned normally a uke is in F wahine tuning, it's a great key to play in (i've worked out simple versions of "wahine ilikea" and "isa lei" in the key of F). but, C isn't hard to play as is - most of iz's playing is in the key of C in standard tuning.
working through troy fernandez' playing from the ka'au crater boys is a great way to start figuring out how to compensate for the lack of low strings.
aloha,
keith
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aplenty
Akahai
62 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2002 : 6:39:52 PM
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Aloha kakou!
I only play in slackened tunings on my ukulele...
For lead work/fingerpicking, we use CGEG tuning... can play any standard slack key songs readily... fingers barely need any retraining.
For rhythm work, I like GBDG... depending on your ukulele and the strings you use, this tuning will or won't sound good... depends on tension, etc. On tenor uke it works very well... and 6 string too.
Next article in Aloha Ki Ho'alu is on this topic... due out within the next day or so... if you want to subscribe just send a blank email message to kihoalu-subscribe @ topica.com ... or just visit Topica to look at past two+ years of articles...
http://www.topica.com/lists/kihoalu/read
Aloha,
Sandy
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slackkey
Lokahi
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2002 : 4:36:15 PM
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Eh wasssssup Sandy!
Bill here (slackkey) from one Island jump-away! Dakine....az pretty good Girl! Slackkey ukulele? One upon-a-story....wen I use to play da 'uke alot, a very good friend of mine during a Camp Maluhia stay over in I 'tink wuz da yeeyah...Ahhh...as too long ago fo recamembah.
Anyways, he wen teach me 'dis tuning on da 'uke....All he did wuz drop
da A to one G. Who knew (I nevah!) Dat, dat wuz slack key! Da funny 'ting about it wuz dat only wen I started learning da Slack Key Kika, I realized it wuz!
Every now and den, I would pick-up my Daughter's 6-string Lili'u ( wuz mine befo), and I would tune da buggah slack key, fo 'JUS PRESS!!!!! But I get mo plenty good-fun kanikajammapila on da kika! BTW! What part Big Island you from?
Well, anyways, keep 'JUS PRESS'N on da 'uke! Bum-bye all us guys 'koh-cham! ha! ha! ha! Take care, God Bless, Good Health and Prosperity to you and yours! A Hui Hou! Malama Pono!!!!!
slackkey (Bill)
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