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hwnmusiclives
`Olu`olu
USA
580 Posts |
 Posted - 02/08/2008 : 05:58:24 AM
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Amidst all of this equipment in my home studio, surprisingly I don't have a video camera hooked up. This is probably not an accident as I am not nearly as photogenic as Jesse Tinsley and would prefer to be heard and not seen. 
So Wanda is never going to find these clips at YouTube as they are audio only.
I have been off and on seriously ill for over three months now. I have worked a lot from home and have spent the time when I am not working instead listening to or making music. I have at times been unable to talk let alone sing. So, encouraged by the folks at another forum, HSGA (Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association), I have after a decade picked up the steel guitar again. I have been particularly encouraged by Basil Henriques who has become a tremendous mentor to me. (OK. Many of you probably recall our less than congenial meeting on this forum last summer. Well, you never know where life is going to take you, do you, now?)
Here are some tunes I have done on the steel guitar with a few notes about each.
Adventures In Paradise - I was inspired by a version by Jerry Byrd from a very rare bootleg tape from my collection. It dates back to 1975 when Jerry performed in St. Louis on the evening he was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. Like many others, Jerry plays a wrong note in the bridge - the result (as we have discussed here many times) of learning by listening to others who got it wrong before us. So I followed suit. If you ever desire to learn this song, don't learn it from this version. Find some sheet music.
Kewalo Chimes - Written by guitar innovator Freddie Tavares, this is also inspired by a version by Jerry Byrd from 1955. It is played without a bar using the technique known as harmonics which instead of a bar in this case are played using the pinky finger of the left hand. I dropped a few of these more than 270 harmonics along the way but didn't bother to go back and pick any of them up.
Nuages - Perhaps not a tune you would expect to hear on a steel guitar, this haunting melody was written by jazz guitar pioneer Django Reinhardt.
On A Coconut Island - Inspired by the steel guitar duets and trios on the CD entitled "Islands Call" (played by Jerry Byrd, Barney Isaacs, and Alan Akaka), I recreated the arrangement but not the smooth playing of any of these three gentlemen. There are three steel guitars on this track but not played at the same time.
E Lili`u E - This is based on an arrangement by Benny Kalama from the 1960s which featured two steel guitars played by Barney Isaacs and Danny Stewart. There are two steel guitars here dubbed together - three if you count the one I used to mimic the vibes from the original arrangement.
Lei `Ilima - I really wanted to sing this one but just couldn't. The classic version of this Charles King song was recorded by Mahi Beamer and his sister. I recreated their vocals on separate steel guitars - playing lead on one and the obbligatos on another. On the last verse, I added a third steel guitar for kicks.
To Make You Love Me, Ku`uipo - On good days I get some of my voice back. So this is one of the few vocals I was able to squeeze out. This is inspired by great vocalists like Ed Kenney and Lani Kai. There is one vocal track (in my condition, backing vocals were not an option) and two steel guitars.
Ho`omalimali E - The other vocal I managed. This arrangement is from the CD we had been talking about on this forum, Barney Isaacs' "E Mau." Since it's out of print, I decided to try to recreate the arrangement note for note. I missed a few of those, too. But I did get the harmony vocals in this time.
I hope you enjoy a few of these.
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Join me for the history of Hawaiian music and its musicians at Ho`olohe Hou at www.hoolohehou.org. |
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Ron Whitfield
Aloha
USA
23 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2008 : 9:37:21 PM
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Sounding good, Bill. Been a fan of your playing since you did that fine rendition of 'Sand' at the Hale'ku years ago. Thanx for sharing.
Sure would like to hear that JByrd tape. It was usually in a live setting that Jerry would really shine bright in expressing himself. And there are far too few examples of such. |
www.hwnsge.5u.com - www.jerrybyrd-fanclub.com |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 02/09/2008 : 12:27:25 AM
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Bill,
Sounding great my friend. |
Andy |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 02/09/2008 : 03:08:27 AM
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| Bill - sweet sounds to match your sweet personality. And, pal,. you are mighty photgenic! You have music in your soul, in your heart. Thank you. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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brooklyn
Aloha
USA
30 Posts |
Posted - 02/09/2008 : 09:28:32 AM
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Bill,
Hope that you get well soon. Thanks for posting the songs.
You sound great on steel! What tuning are you using and what kind of steel are you playing?
Feel better!
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hwnmusiclives
`Olu`olu
USA
580 Posts |
Posted - 02/09/2008 : 10:11:09 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by brooklyn
What tuning are you using and what kind of steel are you playing?
Tunings?... Guitars?... I'd have to go track by track. But I'll try to generalize.
I have been playing C13th the longest. So you will hear C13th on nearly every song. Kewalo Chimes is in this tuning.
Nuages and Adventures In Paradise are in a modified B11th that I call A6/D9. The intro and ending are in CMaj7 which was very popular with Jules Ah See. It is simply C13th with the middle C tuned down to B.
Coconut Island and Lei `Ilima use both the C13th and B11th.
E Lili`u E and Ho`omalimali E use both of these tunings plus a third, E13th, which was very often used by Barney Isaacs. It is jazzier than most Hawaiian tunings.
And Ku`uipo is done in B11th and G13th. G13th is a very low tuning with similar intervals to B11 and was one of the many tunings used by David Keli`i.
Adventures In Paradise, Kewalo Chimes, E Lili`u E, and Lei `Ilima were done on a 1940's Rickenbacker DC-16. Nuages, Coconut Island, Ku`uipo, and Ho`omalimali E were done on a 1948 Fender Dual Professional.
Thanks for the well-wishes, all.
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Join me for the history of Hawaiian music and its musicians at Ho`olohe Hou at www.hoolohehou.org. |
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Sarah
`Olu`olu
571 Posts |
Posted - 02/10/2008 : 07:28:13 AM
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Bill,
So sorry to hear youʻve been ill. Reid and I hope you feel your old self very soon. You are all the more amazing for being so productive during this time.
Your playing is beautiful, and with wonderful variations. It transports me exactly where it is supposed to! *sigh*
And by the way, you are mighty photogenic, and mighty modest as well :-)
me ke aloha,
Sarah |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 02/10/2008 : 6:14:42 PM
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Wow! Great arrangements and played so clean! Beautiful.
It's almost like you're channeling the spirit of the exotica era. Amazing.
Jesse Tinsley |
Edited by - hapakid on 02/10/2008 6:18:18 PM |
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2008 : 03:53:26 AM
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Bill, I keep listening and listening to all of these cuts and I almost refuse to believe what I am hearing. Simply astonishing. When you get better and get your voice truly back, could you please do a multitrack singing falsetto, playing the acoustic guitar, playing the steel, the backing uke and whatever you need to do to sound like the complete band you are. That would be the Grand Slam.
Just lovely, my friend. (If you need meds, just come to Doctor Reid :-)
...Reid |
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alika207
Ha`aha`a
USA
1260 Posts |
Posted - 03/01/2008 : 02:36:15 AM
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| Simply nani! Mahalo for all of the music you've shared with us all. |
He kehau ho'oma'ema'e ke aloha.
'Alika / Polinahe |
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