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Konabob
`Olu`olu
USA
928 Posts |
 Posted - 09/08/2005 : 12:56:19 PM
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Some of you already know about the Kona Walkingstick bass.
It is basically a single stick of koa with nylon strings on a fretless surface.
It has an adjustable removable leg. The sound is picked up by a piezo transducer
and sent to an amplifier.
The four string version is tuned just like any other standard bass: E-A-D-G.
The three stringed version is tuned to Taropatch G (G-B-D) which means
that beginners can quickly learn to back up other musicians by simply playing
bar chords (one finger - straight across) and plucking the two outside strings.
It is easy to play in any key. But please do not think that open G bass has
to be simple or basic. There are many tricks that allow you to back up not just Hawaiian
music, but jazz, swing, bluegrass, and other types of music.
In teaching 'slack key bass', I find that most guitarists and ukulele players pick up a bass and try to strum it. While there are situations where you might do this, it is helpful to remember that a bass is primarily used to keep rhythm. This is why the pakini bass with just one string works: even though they are hard to play in tune with the other instruments, they can sure keep time! Using a couple of alternating notes on an upright or bass guitar will give you a recognizable rhythm that the other instruments can latch onto.
On the Walkingstick you would be alternately plucking the outside strings. Pluck or thump, my friend, pluck or thump! And learn to dampen the strings. Nice short notes are a lot easier to use for holding the group together than long sustained ones.
Hope to hear from some of you.
Aloha,
-Konabob
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Konabob's Walkingbass - http://www.konawalkingbass.com
Taropatch Steel - http://www.konaweb.com/konabob/
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=Konabob2+Walkingbass |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2005 : 11:00:29 PM
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| Cool, I get to be the first one to post here! I've been considering getting a Walkingstick since I first heard about them...I've yet to get to the point in my slack key playing where I have any idea how to kanikapila but I can usually hear the bassline (or make one up when I can't) and figured that bass might be a better fit for me when playing in a group. I'm looking forward to meeting you at the Southern California Ukulele Festival next month and having a chance to see the Walkingsticks in person and in action (and maybe even adopting one)! |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
Edited by - cpatch on 09/08/2005 11:01:13 PM |
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thumbstruck
Ahonui
USA
2168 Posts |
Posted - 09/09/2005 : 03:09:09 AM
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| Always easier to jam with a bass. It's like having a plate to put the plate lunch on. |
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Konabob
`Olu`olu
USA
928 Posts |
Posted - 09/09/2005 : 07:12:05 AM
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There are a couple other things I have noticed about jamming with a bass. One bass can support a whole lot of ukulele or guitar players. You tend to have a large influence over the tempo of the whole group - so play responsibly :) The other thing I noticed is that because you are underneath all of the other music, and 'out of the way - so to speak' you can always hear yourself. I don't like to play loud, but I also don't like to be straining to hear myself at a jam!
Aloha,
-Konabob |
Konabob's Walkingbass - http://www.konawalkingbass.com
Taropatch Steel - http://www.konaweb.com/konabob/
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=Konabob2+Walkingbass |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 09/09/2005 : 07:44:24 AM
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| What do you use for an amp? |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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Konabob
`Olu`olu
USA
928 Posts |
Posted - 09/09/2005 : 08:44:52 AM
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I have 2 amps. The first one I got for free. It is a Yamaha YST-SW60 - an old stereo subwoofer. You can usually find them at garage sales for cheap, or on ebay: http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&satitle=Yamaha+Subwoofer
The subwoofer packs a punch and gives a deep powerful sound to the bass. I have played several theaters using it, and it fills the house. The other nice feature is that it has heavy filtering built right in, so you don't get ANY finger noise. Downside: I had to add handles to it, as it is not designed to be lugged around.
The other amp that I use is this one: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002D0K00/102-3626269-2992166?v=glance
Which works well, looks professional, and has rechargeable batteries built right in. I can play it for up to 4 hours without recharging.
Nice to be able to play at the beach, in the pines, or wherever. Since it does not have the heavy filters built in, I can get more harmonics
from this amp. I usually turn the bass up to 10 (or 11) and set the treble and midrange to 0.
The pickups on the newer Kona Walkingsticks put out a pretty big signal so you can get by without a preamp/eq.
I keep one of these in my gig bag, as it gives me a little extra control over tone and volume when I want it:
http://www.bosscorp.co.jp/products/en/GEB-7/
I am hoping other Walkingstick players will let us know what kind of amps they are using. There are certainly many
that will work. Just make sure you take your stick to the music store and try several amps before you pick one out.
Smaller speakers tend to distort badly.
Aloha,
-Konabob
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Konabob's Walkingbass - http://www.konawalkingbass.com
Taropatch Steel - http://www.konaweb.com/konabob/
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=Konabob2+Walkingbass |
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duke
Lokahi
USA
163 Posts |
Posted - 09/09/2005 : 1:21:13 PM
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I love my Kona Walkingstick. I don't play it in a group setting at all, but want to. With this new category at the 'patch, I'm hoping to get motivated and really learn this baby. I use a Cambridge Soundworks powered sub-woofer that makes my stick sound like the biggest upright bass in the universe. The sound is huge, but also subtle. Like Konabob, I need to figure out a way to get handles on it. It's rather unwieldy.
Thanks for making this category, and thanks Konabob for the inspiration to get started with learning to play slack key bass.
Duke |
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melloaj
Aloha
United Kingdom
6 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2005 : 10:40:55 AM
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Thanks for setting up the new forum!
Love playing the walkingstick, it's permanently set up. Currently playing through an old Yamaha compressor and GEB-7 to my guitar practice amp (which really isn't man enough for the job).
Also learning the ukulele, which is a whole new world of pain for my fat fingers.
Andy |
:: Andrew Mellor
:: web http://ramrodnewell.servebeer.com:8080
"Alla rivoluzione sulla due cavalli!"
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Konabob
`Olu`olu
USA
928 Posts |
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melloaj
Aloha
United Kingdom
6 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2005 : 10:53:28 PM
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Yep, I'm from an area called Teesside, in the North-East of England. It's a relatively industrial area - not so much as it used to be, though - but surrounded by very picturesque countryside (if you can see through the smog!). We're also very close to the sea, and the coastline is beautiful and very rugged in these parts.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?N2CB627CB
Not currently playing in a band, although I do write songs, and am hoping to get myself motivated enough to record a few in the near future. Bands I've played for in the past have been pop-based, but the songs I've written lately have been more in a folk/country idiom, for which I think the Walkingstick will be ideal.
You're right in thinking the ukulele is popular over here, but more usually associated with the "music hall" style of entertainment. This lot have been doing the rounds of music festivals this summer, and causing a bit of a stir:
http://www.ukuleleorchestra.com/index2.html
Cheers,
Andy
quote:
Originally posted by Konabob
Hey Andy! Good to see you here on TaroPatch. You are in the UK, right? What kind of music are you playing with your stick?
I know that the ukulele is really popular in the UK, but is Hawaiian music part of the deal, or what?
Aloha,
-Konabob
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:: Andrew Mellor
:: web http://ramrodnewell.servebeer.com:8080
"Alla rivoluzione sulla due cavalli!"
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Konabob
`Olu`olu
USA
928 Posts |
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MahinaM
Lokahi
USA
389 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2005 : 6:24:36 PM
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Hey, I just got back on TP after being away for a while and found this new forum! Thanks Andy for putting this one in! Great to see other bass players (and wannabe's) here. BTW, I LOVE my Walking Stick Bass! Geez, if I can play it, ANYONE can! Konabob has a great DVD he gives you with a beginner's lesson on it. I still need lots of practice, but I can fumble my way through a few songs, and even sound half-way decent! It really is a hit at all of the kanikapilas I've had, and a blast to play.
I bought a Roland KC-150 as a multi-purpose amp (because I use it for other instruments and a mic) and really like it for its size and punch. However, I'm not an electronics whiz like some fellow TP'ers, so I really am not one to ask about the technical merits of this particular amp and don't have anything to compare it with, since it is my first one. Playing bass has made me look at music so differently too and has added another dimension to my musical world.
Maggie
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melloaj
Aloha
United Kingdom
6 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2005 : 01:43:17 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Konabob
Wow, just about on the other side of the world from Kona! I checked out the Ukulele Orchestra site, and was intrigued with the reviews of their CD. Have you heard them play?
Haven't heard them myself, unfortunately. I'll have to keep an eye on local events, and see if they play anywhere close by.
quote:
I also checked out your old bands. Takes me back a few years. I actually tried to play the electric guitar in college. It was a cheap one, and sliced up my fingers so badly, I gave up playing music for 30 years. Thank God for nice fat nylon strings!
It was great putting those web pages together, and especially listening to old tapes. There's quite a bit of music gone missing after all these years - house moves, broken or lost tapes, losing touch with other band-members - so I thought I'd better preserve what I _could_ find. Even if nobody else ever listened to it. I'd love to get playing more these days, but family and work take up a lot of time.
I know what you mean about the strings - when I was playing electric bass, I'd end up with very sore fingers on both hands - but there's just something about an electric 6-string. I like to use different tunings, for playing with a bottleneck, etc., so I'll definitely be hanging about on this site looking for tips.
Weren't the very first 'electrified' guitars built for playing Hawaiian music?
Andy |
:: Andrew Mellor
:: web http://ramrodnewell.servebeer.com:8080
"Alla rivoluzione sulla due cavalli!"
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Konabob
`Olu`olu
USA
928 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2005 : 06:41:16 AM
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I bet you will be able to find musicians if you look around - Seems like you meet a few, they introduce you to their friends, and the next thing you know... you know hundreds of musicians.
I don't know about the first electric guitars, but the concept of playing a guitar with a steel bar is attributed to Joseph Kekuku in 1889. If you are ever inclined to do so, take the leg off your Walkingstick and play it like a lap steel using the side of your left hand instead of a steel bar. There is a guy here in the Big Island who plays his that way as he has arthritis in his fingers!
Aloha,
-Konabob |
Konabob's Walkingbass - http://www.konawalkingbass.com
Taropatch Steel - http://www.konaweb.com/konabob/
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=Konabob2+Walkingbass |
Edited by - Konabob on 09/13/2005 06:43:34 AM |
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