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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
 Posted - 01/26/2005 : 1:21:34 PM
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And if you drop the E to D and the A to G but leave the rest, you've got a cool G6. Drop the D a step further to C and you have another C Wahine that Uncle Ray Kane uses for his "Hi`ilawe."
I love Dennis's explanation of Wahine tunings, but let me add that speaking technically, a Wahine tuning contains the Major 7th, the note one half step below the root. In fact the result is exactly as he describes. One finger on that string makes a Root (or Tonic or I) major chord, possibly with a little help. Pick up that finger and possibly put it down somewhere else, you've got the Dominant or V chord because the Maj7 is the 3rd of the V. I'm sure that clears everything up <grin>.
Fran
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E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi
Slack Key Guitar in California - www.kaleponi.com
Slack Key on YouTube
Homebrewed Music Blog |
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Stringbreaker
Akahai
USA
62 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2005 : 1:25:57 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Antoine
Yes Crazy, it's really a good method to describe and compare tunings. Also it helps remember the fingerings if one keeps in mind the steps between the strings.
Thank you! I actually do not remember most of the time what tuning I am in anymore without checking with my tuner. I check the frets to compare and make sure I am in focus and go on from there. I think of the game as "Hide and Seek" as all the notes are my friends, but by changing the tuning they are hiding in plain sight. Once I find them I am off and running. If there is a 4 or a 7, or any of the common intervals I work them without thinking, as my hands know what to do with a fourth or fifth or a whatever pretty much automatically. I have found a few intervals I still can't do that with, but very few people actually want a flatted fifth (6, that is) in their tuning. I have experimented with E G# D E B E (4 6 2 7 5) but it never felt right to me. I also spent a lot of time recently learning about 8 (sharped 5th) with D Bb D G C F (8 4 5 5 5). This one is a lot of fun to play with. Try the capo at fret 2 to show it as E C E A D G.
Stringbreaker |
Crazy Man Tuning |
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`Ilio Nui
`Olu`olu
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2005 : 4:30:26 PM
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FYI,
I just happened to be reading through the liner notes of Keola Beamer's Mauna Kea album to see what tuning he used for `Ulili E. To quote the passage, it says "In this Wahine tuning, the guitar is tuned to G Major "Taro Patch", but with the lowest string dropped to C..." Or as he later calls it "Dropped C". Then interestingly enough, he plays the song in G. Watevaz!!!!
Dave |
Edited by - `Ilio Nui on 01/26/2005 5:02:02 PM |
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Larry Miller
Akahai
USA
65 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2005 : 6:46:20 PM
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Not to be politically incorrect or offensive, but the explanation I heard a long time ago was that the term "wahine key" meant that it was so easy even a girl could play it. Anybody heard that one?
Am I in trouble yet?
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Whee ha!
Larry M |
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wdf
Ha`aha`a
USA
1153 Posts |
Posted - 01/27/2005 : 10:01:47 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Larry Miller
Not to be politically incorrect or offensive, but the explanation I heard a long time ago was that the term "wahine key" meant that it was so easy even a girl could play it. Anybody heard that one?
Am I in trouble yet? You Betcha!
Wahine tunings are more complex and mysterious - like wahines. |
Dusty |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 01/27/2005 : 10:13:05 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Larry Miller
Not to be politically incorrect or offensive, but the explanation I heard a long time ago was that the term "wahine key" meant that it was so easy even a girl could play it. Anybody heard that one?
I heard that in reference to Double Slack (DGDF#BD). I think the explanation was that with one finger on the 3rd string for the tonic, major chord, the player can play I, V variations in one position. Good for players with smaller hands which wahines tend to have. |
Andy |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 01/27/2005 : 10:37:15 AM
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As I mentioned above, Dennis Kamakahi said that wahine tunings meant "easy to play", but there's nothing easier than straight taropatch, which is a kane tuning.
You can play a simple song like "Ka Manu" in G wahine without changing chords through the whole song.
Jesse Tinsley
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Larry Miller
Akahai
USA
65 Posts |
Posted - 01/27/2005 : 5:40:05 PM
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Ha! Whee ha Swing is in G wahine, and it's (so far) the most difficult pirce I've ever encountered. I saw Sonny play it dozens of times, and I still can't figure it out.
Wahine indeed! |
Whee ha!
Larry M |
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Stringbreaker
Akahai
USA
62 Posts |
Posted - 01/28/2005 : 07:26:37 AM
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My take on Wahine tunings is that the very thing that makes them easy to play allows them to support very complex technique. I've spent enough time in Double Slack to know it will be years before I come close to tapping into the possibilities I've seen in there. Just because a tuning is said to be easy doesn't mean you have to limit your approach. Besides, maybe it is good to have something easy to play in so you can work on singing at the same time. Maybe be able to pop out that shining little lick without breaking the pattern?
Stringbreaker |
Crazy Man Tuning |
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gypsysoul
Aloha
USA
11 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2005 : 8:15:36 PM
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Hey, great thread here. Yep, the pitch relationship between the strings (the "tuning" name) and the actual pitch they are tuned can be two different things. To answer jwn's question, there are only five fret numbers needed to define a tuning, once you have the first (highest pitch) string right. Left to right, the numbers are the fret you have to push on to match the open pitch of the next highest pitch string. You probably won't ever use a tuning with a "1" in it, but there are tunings with a "2", like C Mauna Loa. Folks like me who don't use tuners, find it easier to tune up by remembering the fret relationship of the other 5 strings to string 1. And if you do get a buzz on string 6, just tune all your strings higher and it will go away! If the buzz only happens when you are fretting that string, not on the open string, I think it might help to raise that end of the bridge a bit.
I enjoy playing Leonard Kwan's Ke'ala's Mele (not very well). He did a whole CD on that one theme and I think I read that it was also used in a movie theme. Anyway that was Leonard's C, CGDGBD.
Jus' press - and smile!
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doug |
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Stringbreaker
Akahai
USA
62 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2005 : 10:32:18 AM
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The "By the numbers" method is a good clean system, and is independent of pitch. Will Ackerman (founder of Windham Hill records) uses a variant of this system with the numbers reversed and capo position attached, and Joni Mitchell was reputed to also use the numbers with a pitch description for the bottom string. In her system taro patch would have been 5 7 5 4 3 - D. My book is, of course, based on this system of relationship between strings. As for tunings with a 1 in them, these are not for the faint of heart: try 5 4 7 1 7 with a D# in the bass: spelled D# G# C G G# D#. I have had good results with this one. Doing this with the D bass tends to leave my second string flopping about unless I beef it up to a .017 or .018 and I hate changing out strings just for one tuning. Maybe I'm just lazy...
Stringbreaker |
Crazy Man Tuning |
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Antoine
Aloha
France
28 Posts |
Posted - 02/01/2005 : 11:38:36 AM
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Aloha !
Today I've received Mark Hanson's book/CD Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, and he says that in Wahine tunings, one of the slack strings is a major 7th, for example in a G Wahine, the 3rd string is a F#, instead of the G of Taro Patch. I've tried it, it' fun to play !
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Antoine 'Ilio Wela |
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Stringbreaker
Akahai
USA
62 Posts |
Posted - 02/01/2005 : 12:28:10 PM
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A variant of the G Wahine tuning D G D F# B D (5 7 4 5 3) is D G D F# A D (5 7 4 3 5) and has the advantage of being useful in the key of D as well as G. Or you could see this as a spin off of Open D (D A D F# A D - 7 5 4 3 5). I know that D Wahine (D A D F# A C# - 7 5 4 3 4) is also a lot of fun as well. So I am guessing that to combine the two approaches and get (D G D F# A C# - 5 7 4 3 4) might work well for this too. Also, try looking up some of the Mauna Loa tunings: F G C G A E (2 5 7 2 7) is really pleasant to work in if your guitar can stand the F on the 6th string. http://www.dancingcat.com/skbook5-hirecordingsc30.shtml is a list of published tunings from Dancing Cat Records. The Dancing Cat site is possibly the best source of material on Slack Key I have ever seen. On a related page they actually define the various types of tunings including Wahine, Mauna Loa and several other sorts. Check them out.
Stringbreaker |
Crazy Man Tuning |
Edited by - Stringbreaker on 02/01/2005 12:29:20 PM |
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