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brooklyn
Aloha
USA
30 Posts |
 Posted - 12/28/2007 : 7:32:07 PM
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Santa showed up today with a Koaloha D-VI. (More like Santa gave in and encouraged another musical instrument to be brought into the home.)
Please don't banish me to the uke talk section, dear admin! I was looking for an old thread where taropatch folk were listing what note each string on a Koaloha D-VI should be tuned to-- if one wanted to play in taropatch tuning, C Wahine, etc. (I need help with the part of the equation re: if you bring the string up to the 5th fret, what note should it be?)
Right now the D-VI is tuned ADGCEA and I'm playing "standard" guitar chords remembered in the back parking lot in my brain. The Koaloha D-VI is a beautiful instrument. I am playing an off the shelf model, not a custom, but this baby sounds so sweet!
So if you have a D-VI, can you also please share what kind of strings you are using? Thanks for your help.
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2007 : 7:39:23 PM
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Hey Brooklyn,
Congrats! Hey, I wanna see! I got to play one at the KoAloha factory but want to see it again. |
Andy |
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
Posted - 12/29/2007 : 06:50:54 AM
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Brooklyn, learning the notes up the fretboard is a pretty important part of developing your knowledge of the instrument. It's certainly worth 10 minutes a day for a week or so to drill this info in (sorry for the lecture, but ...)
And the notes at the 5th fret are the first ones you should learn after the ones at the nut. Google around and find an example of the circle of fifths like this one: http://www.charlieburrus.com/MathInMusic/Circle%20of%20Fifths.GIF
Now, pick a note, say the D on the first and last string in taropatch. Move one to the left on the circle of fifths, and you'll have the note you should tune that string on your D-VI. Same pattern for each note on the guitar - one to the left on the circle of fifths gives you the note on the uke.
There's lots lots more useful information in that circle, by the way. Most songs can be minimally harmonized with three chords - the I (tonic), V (dominant), and IV (subdominant). In the key of G, that's G, D, and C. Look at G on the circle. One to the right is D, one to the left is C. Want to transpose into Eflat? It's right there for you.
How about those vamps? V->I or II->V->I or VI->II->V->I --- just move to the right on the circle and you'll be backing up through the vamp. These patterns are used over and over throughout western (European) music, from classical to jazz to pop to Hawaiian to blues to rock to country.
Well, sorry for getting carried away, I just love the circle of fifths and all the fun stuff you can learn and do with it.
Fran |
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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brooklyn
Aloha
USA
30 Posts |
Posted - 12/29/2007 : 06:52:28 AM
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hey Andy, you can even borrow the D-VI if you like! After your sensitive stylings, the D-VI might cry when it has to come back here and subject itself to country western songs and bumbling attempts at slack key.
send me an email, you can do a drive-by over here and we can reprise our memorable duet during the smashing of the pinata at the ohana party. |
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brooklyn
Aloha
USA
30 Posts |
Posted - 12/29/2007 : 07:02:04 AM
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Fran,
Mahalo for the excellent advice! I was trying to understand how the shapes of the chords for uke and guitar are related. And then wondering why if I am making "standard tuning" chord formations on the D-VI, how that makes sense to my ears. Your explanation is opening up a whole new world.
Thanks for taking the time to reply and educate the chang-a-langers among the patch denizens.
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 12/29/2007 : 08:21:57 AM
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Brooklyn,
I have had a D-VI for some time now. You can take any of the slack key tunings you would like to play around with and find the same "relative" tuning (for the shorther scale length) on the D-VI. The easiest way to "figger" it all out is to take the guitar tuning as reference and "add" five "semi-tones" or "half-steps" to it. For example, if you wanted to play in TaroPatch. On the guitar it you would play in G TaroPatch and on the D-VI it would be C TaroPatch. (Imagine putting a capo at the fifthh fret of the tuned guitar and you have your D-VI tuning) Here is how:
(Guitar) - - - - - -(D-VI)
D - D# - E - F - F# - G
B - C - C# - D - D# - E
G - G# - A - A# - B - C
D - D# - E - F - F# - G
G - G# - A - A# - B - C
D - D# - E - F - F# - G
So the top (higher pitch) strings are almost the same as a tenor ukulele (low G) with the first string lowered from A to G. Then the bass strings (5&6) add in the alternating C and G. All the tablature you have in G taropatch for guitar will work on the D-VI but you will be playing songs in the key of C Major vice the key of G Major.
If you want to keep your tenor ukulele familiarity and still have some slack key you can transpose Keola's C (C Wahine) Tuning up for the D-VI. Here goes:
(Guitar) - - - - - -(D-VI)
E - F - F# - G - G# - A
B - C - C# - D - D# - E
G - G# - A - A# - B - C
D - D# - E - F - F# - G
G - G# - A - A# - B - C
C - C# - D - D# - E - F
Notice now that the top four strings are the same as a low G tenor ukulele. Adding in an alternating bass strings for C and F. Now you are in an F Wahine Tuning or FM7 Tuning (F/A/C/G) and you will be familiar with many of the four string chord forms from the ukulele, such as F, Bb, and C7.
 COOKING WITH GAS! |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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Darin
Lokahi
USA
294 Posts |
Posted - 12/31/2007 : 12:18:40 PM
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I think the "Worth" brand of strings works really good for the treble side of the D-VI. I think I have D'Addario Pro Arte strings on the bass side. If you call the factory and ask for Paul, he should be able to tell you which strings work best.
Congrats on the D-VI. They're kinda hard to come by. |
Darin
http://www.hawaiiguitar.com/ |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2008 : 08:27:46 AM
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Darin,
I have the same setup on my D-VI. I think Daniel Ho has been trying something a little different lately -- not sure what. The KoAloha Family is working hard to keep up demand and Paul is swamped with custom orders. The D-VIs are indeed a rare commodity. Paul sometimes chimes in here as "KoAloha". |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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brooklyn
Aloha
USA
30 Posts |
Posted - 01/03/2008 : 08:54:46 AM
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Mika ele, mahalo nui for the lesson about slack key tunings for the D-VI. I have been playing stuff from the Ozzie book and a couple of Keola's handouts from camp and the Koaloha D-VI just sounds so sweet.
The portability of the D-VI is great.
It fits in a tenor uke case and I can take it on the subway to work and play at lunch time. While on the subway I can listen to Darin's excellent CD (it drowns out the crazy people.) The danger of Darin's CD is that it is so hypnotic, you can easily miss your subway stop!
chang a lang!
brooklyn
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Keoki Kahumoku
Akahai
USA
93 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2008 : 12:18:36 PM
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| D-VI is a mini guitar or as i would say "guitarlele". you can always take strings off and add as you need or feel comfortable with. It can be tuned to almost any slackkey tuning and standard as well. |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2008 : 11:42:42 AM
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Keoki,
Do you now have a D-VI. Your Dad has one, no?
Yamaha makes and sells a "Guitalele" in Japan.
I think I'm going to change my lowest two strings again. The top four low-G Worths sound way better and the whole is a little disconcerting.
Good to see you in Costa Mesa and Congratulations on another Grammy! |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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