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kapua
Aloha
USA
4 Posts |
 Posted - 03/29/2004 : 11:51:17 AM
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Went to a Luau last weekend and was suprised by an appearance of Ernie Cruz and Dwight Kanae. Never heard of either of them, but they where quite good and I really enjoyed the show. Dwight is really an amazing picker. I only play slack key, but was wondering if other Hawaiian music like hula ensembles or popular music like Keali'i Reichel is played in slack key or standard tuning. I have never even seen sheet music for hawaiian music other than slack key books. Is there a fake book for popular hawaiian music?
Thanks - Joel
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Sarah
`Olu`olu
571 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2004 : 12:15:44 PM
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Aloha e Joel,
quote:
was wondering if other Hawaiian music like hula ensembles or popular music like Keali'i Reichel is played in slack key or standard tuning
Some do play in standard tuning. Keali'i does, I think. I'm sure others do, and sometimes it depends on the song, and sometimes, one guitarist will be in standard and playing along with another guitarist who is in, say, Taropatch. Kind varies!
aloha,
Sarah |
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Darin
Lokahi
USA
294 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2004 : 12:57:39 PM
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Ernie's album "Portraits" won him male vocalist of the year, a couple years back. It's a nice piece of work, and the instrumentation is the same as a live performance. It's also mastered by one of the premier mastering houses in California (Bernie Grundman). It can be found at http://www.mele.com/v3/info/2160.htm or support Andy by getting it through the amazon link at http://www.taropatch.net/support/
Oh, and Ernie plays almost everything in standard. There are two slack key piece on the album. |
Darin
http://www.hawaiiguitar.com/ |
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ohanabrown
Lokahi
281 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2004 : 1:06:14 PM
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Aloha, Kapua
Sarah is right, Keali'i's guitarist does play standard tunning.He has three in case the others can't make it. I know all three, and they do play standard. They are very good,if they need to make it sound like slack key, even if there in standard,they could still create that sound.
In fact, before Keali'i even thought about recording, he asked me one day if i could teach him a little slack key, between his schedule and mine, we never had the time to meet. ( Keali'i was with the Maui Historical Society,and Teaching Hula.)
But who know's what would've come out, Hey! slack key or standard, Keali'i made a name for himself.
Ernie and Dwight? What more can i say but, They've made there own mark in the music field, They are SUPER! musicians, and they play in standard.
My son and i went to a back yard party in Moorea, who else but Ernie,he was there too. So we went to our car's "bust" out the guitars, and played till the next morning.
Me Ke Aloha
Kevin |
Kevin K. Brown |
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RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2004 : 4:49:21 PM
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I'm assuming you're talking mostly about an instrumental approach to slack key, 'cause if your just strumming chords - use an alternating base pattern and it's not an issue. You can play most Hawaiian music in an instrumental slack key style. In fact, you miss out on playing a lot of very beautiful music if you limit yourself to just the "standard slack key repetoire."
Practically, the only limits are the keys the music is written in, bou can transpose to a key you can play in the tuning you use. However, sometimes a song doesn't sound as good in different keys - got to play around a bit. Minor keys are a bit harder, but most Hawaiian music isn't written in a minor key.
Some of the songs are much closer to chant. This makes it a bit more difficult to play as an instrumental piece - the interest of the song is carried by the words. You then can either develop different ways of playing that theme (variations,)using different positions, chords, picking patterns, rhythms, ornaments, etc., combine it into a medley, or compose a new theme to alternate with the original (Keola Beamer does this better than anyone else I've heard.)
There are a few different collections of some of the older songs, but I've not seen a "fake book" and they tend to be more geared for the ukulele - but hey, with a little work, you can adapt those pieces, too. - There certainly would be a market for that, a small but defintive market. Do some on line searching and you'll get a few hits = be a good place to start. |
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ohanabrown
Lokahi
281 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2004 : 7:29:47 PM
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When i first played guitar, i learned to play, in slack key. I never took the time to learn the standard tuning. I got into slack key so deep and 30 years later, I still can't play the guitar in standard tuning.
While growing up playing slack key, I loved getting together with my friends. They would play standard while i was in slack. As the night went on they would "shift" gears and started going into, Minor's, Diminish, G#dim.- Fmaj.7 - Gmin7 - C aug - Emaj.7 - and all those funny chords, and that is when i would lay my guitar down.
Because i was in slack, I could'nt follow them, until one night while jamming, I stood up and stopped the session, and said, "Hold that key" don't move your fingers! and i would hold whatever, & however, my fingers could go until it sounded exactly like there's. ( positions were different but it sounded the same.)
I did that over and over and over, Today i can follow anyone that is playing standard, while im in slack, and if they decide to "shift" gears i would be right on the side with them.
I know in slack key you don't have to play minor's, Keeping it simple is the way to do it but, It's when your playing with someone that doesn't play slack, and there going all over the place that's when, Knowing how to play those other chords in slack comes in handy.
Especially for those that never learn to play standard. I think those that can play standard, have a little more advantage, you know where the keys are, all you gotta do now, is figure, where you can find it in slack key.
Me Ke Aloha
Kevin |
Kevin K. Brown |
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huiohana
Lokahi
115 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2004 : 12:42:19 PM
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Aloha Kapua,
Just in case you did'nt know, Ernie Cruz was in a very popular group...Ka'au Crater boys. They were pretty good covering Hawaiian music, country, oldies and ukulele instrumentals. He was with this guy named Troy Fernandez, but has since reinvented the group. I suggest you get the "older" c.d.'s for they were the best(in my humble opinion, of course.) Aloha No...Keali'i. |
Edited by - huiohana on 04/03/2004 1:17:58 PM |
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