| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Kapila Kane
Ha`aha`a
USA
1051 Posts |
 Posted - 09/07/2004 : 01:57:10 AM
|
I'm chipping away at "Ku'u Lei Awapuhi", with a strong influence from Makana's "Ki Ho Alu" version in Eb.
On Maui he mentioned playing in Eb tuning...which should be like open D, only slightly torked!
So, I'm tackling it in open D --more better for my voice and guitar!
Makana's scales in thirds are pretty cool--and quick!
Since he took with Sonny, would he likely be using a 2,3, or 4 finger right hand?
And does he use nails only?
He varies from a soft brush to a hard, pick-like percussive sound. Any thoughts or slants?
Also like Hapa's version alot.
And what about Emily Taylor's history?
I'll try a google search, but my first WILD GUESS would be perhaps a missionary influence.????
|
|
|
Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2004 : 02:18:46 AM
|
In his concert on Sunday Makana used a metal thumb pick. Viewing angle and distance made it hard to tell for sure, but I think his fingers were bare.
I'm not sure how many fingers he used, but I'd guess p,i,m,a. It's what I would expect and I didn't see anything that surprised me, but again, distance and angle...
|
Pauline |
 |
|
|
Kapila Kane
Ha`aha`a
USA
1051 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2004 : 02:34:24 AM
|
Thanks Pauline,
The crazy thing was I was buying his cd's half-way through his short set...dumb...
The pick makes sense, based on the sound (but never would have thought of metal!) and I suspect
pima also...
I have stuck to the traditional pima folk-style--and occassionally get my thumbpick out-- (plastic!)...but I still gravitate back to the naked thumb.
Anyways, I'll probably end up doing it like Sinatra did--MY WAY!
Anyway, it seems I tried before to find some Makana enthusiasts, and came up empty...no matta, I still think his musicality is way cool.
G |
|
|
|
Karl Monetti
`Olu`olu
USA
756 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2004 : 12:54:27 PM
|
Gordon,
I posted something about Makana's version several months ago and was surprised that nobody elose at that time was so struck with his version of that song as I was. Just listening to the recording, I figured it out in Keola's Fwahine tuning, but had to lower the tuning down at least 2 or 3 steps, which, I guess , would have put it at Eb like you said. Since then i have also figured most of it out in taropatch, but hadn't thought about dropping open D to Eb. Do many players use open D for slck key? I have only met one, Kalani Smythe on Maui, who did. He showed me a few things but I have forgotten most of it. In the tablature Ihave seen, i don't recall anything in open D.
You said you also sing this song; where do you get the words?
|
Karl
Frozen North |
|
|
|
`Ilio Nui
`Olu`olu
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2004 : 1:15:39 PM
|
Karl,
John Keawe uses DADF#AD on Aunty's Rose Garden and a number of his tunes. Cyril also uses DADF#AD and DADF#BD. In a recent workshop with him he spent a little time showing us chord structure. I haven't worked on Makana's song, but it is a way cool tune.
Dave |
|
|
|
RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2004 : 1:17:37 PM
|
| Both Steve Sano and Keola Beamer also have wonderful versions of this song. |
|
|
|
Peter Medeiros
`Olu`olu
546 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2004 : 3:15:26 PM
|
Karl,
I lost your email address. Although we won’t be meeting until December, consider this your first lesson from me. The tuning that you are describing is called a Sevastapol tuning. Layed out from low string to high string it is usually DADF#AD. To play it in Eb, all of the strings are moved up a half step – EbAbEbFAbEb.
This was one of Joni Mitchell’s primary tunings. Others who used it were Leo Kottke, John Fahey, John Renbourne (w/ Pentangle), Bert Jansch (w/ Pentangle), John D. Loudermilk.
Here’s a little history from my perspective. I may be mistaken but I am guessing that Ku`u lei Awapuhi was used sometime in the late forties as part of a sound track for the grade B movie “Bird of Paradise.” The tune was older though than that according to my Dad.
However Ku`u Lei Awapuhi doesn’t become a benchmark piece until twenty years later during the Hawaiian Renaissance. In Hawaii, Ku’u Lei Awapuhi was recorded was by the group Olomana. The group was originally just the duo of Robert Beaumont and Jerry Santos. The album was called Seabird.
In 1966, Jerry learned the song in ninth grade for the annual Kamehameha Schools Song Contest. If I’m not mistaken our song leader for that one piece was Keola. Needless to say as freshmen we didn’t have a chance at winning, because as adolescents our voices were changing which really affected the quality of tone.
Although, I used to jam with Jerry Santos ,and Liko Martin I don’t remember teaching Jerry this tuning, more than likely he picked it up from Cindy Combs – we dated occaissionally. Cindy sang on the Seabird album and developed a good working relationship as a composer. She was really into Joni Mitchell at the time. I did show the tuning to Keola when he came back from Barnard College, and I also think I may have shown it to Kapono – that was about 70 or 71.
Anyway I digress. Back to the tuning, if you know the taropatch tuning you will know the Sevastopol. Because the interval relationships on strings 5, 4, 3, & 2 of the Sevastopol are the same as strings 4, 3,2 &1 of the taropatch, you can transpose the fingering.
The root (I), subdominant (IV) and dominant (V7) are on the same frets, but it is just that they are on different strings. Strings one (D) and two (A) I like to call wild strings, but when each is paired with the third string (F#) they become useful for movements in sixths and thirds. For this tuning the pairings go like this:
1). 6 & 5 = open & closed 2). 6 & 4 = closed & even 3). 5 & 3 = closed & even
4). 4 & 3 = closed & even 5). 3 & 2 = closed & even 6). 3& 1 = closed & even
7). 4 & 2 = open & closed
My methodology has been really consistent over the past thirty years and many of my students use it in their teaching, albeit without any idea or acknowledgement of where these ideas came from. From the beginning this is something that I drill religiously into my students, and that is movements by sixths and thirds. One of the skills that they have to master is memorization of all the open, closed and even positions with your eyes closed. To turn this into a wahine tuning just drop the first string to C#.
Peter Medeiros
|
Edited by - Peter Medeiros on 09/11/2004 04:19:30 AM |
|
|
|
Peter Medeiros
`Olu`olu
546 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2004 : 3:57:44 PM
|
Karl,
Actually on the bass strings, the relationship between the D and A is a fifth in the sevastapol. In taropatch the relationship is a fourth D and G on strings 4 and 3.
I think in pictures rather than actual relationships. I find this is actually the easiest of all the open tunings and I've played it for years.
peter |
|
|
|
OHIO-HAOLE
Akahai
USA
86 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2004 : 03:37:37 AM
|
 For what it's worth, when I saw Makana here in Cleveland on the wonderful shores of lake erie...he appeared to be doing the p,i,m,a,thing with his picking...but I remember a moment when we heard a twang and he smiled and said ooops broke a pick...then he seemed to go into his pocket for another and then kept right on going.I'm wonderin if he was using alaska plastic pics? Anyway his set kicked butt!....Aloha......Ken. |
|
|
|
Kapila Kane
Ha`aha`a
USA
1051 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2004 : 02:58:05 AM
|
Just checked in--WOW...so there are others.
Well, I'm still liking using open D to imitate some of the Makana sounds, but have to admit being green sometimes...
On Maui this summer the Alasta picks were popular with some on ukes, but didn't seem like my cup of Kona.
If you play in straight open D, the taropatch paterns transfer over 1 string, so there's no "wasted knowledge", only a reverse of root/5th in da bass--and of course a extra string on top!
I still prefer the DADF#AD at this time for my current explorations on this tune, but will listen to reason(s). But speak loudly! No Hawanawana please.
Nice to hear about Makana, other fans...and this song.
Makana also has a slightly 'progressive' but intriguing version (in E) on his "Koi Au" cd...
Sometimes I drop out of the patch for a while...(86'd ya know) so occassionally a common interest seems like a dead topic...but if at first you don't succede...well, that's being a musician!
Glad to see I'm not always out where "the busses don't run"!
Hey, Keola's in Denver Saturday, maybe a request is in order!
G
I started with words from our Maui songbook (Thanks Ed!)
but also found found most of Makana's very similar to Mika'ele's--Advanced book for S.K. guitar.
Or am I thinkin of "Na Ka Pueo"?
Another great cut on "ki ho alu".
Too much Kryptonite,
"MUST...
STAND...
UP!"... and get to sleep.
Mahalo,
G |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Topic Locked
