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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
 Posted - 01/28/2009 : 3:38:16 PM
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quote:
Ainokea if you no like my pidgin but no let dat stop you from getting to know somebody with true aloha in his heart,das weyah we wanned fo' go.It turned into a gathering place which was the initial intention!!!!!
ummm, people.. I was making a joke. Like I put up a smiley and everything, OK?
After all-- you gotta admit that the title of the thread kinda begs the question I asked: as in "Have you found the answer: Does posting in "Broken English turn people off?"
Uhhh, I'm smart enough to know that that is not the intent of the thread. I know that it is a place for people to just post whatever the hell they want too. I just find it funny that there are 85 folders related to that original question.
So please don't get all pissed off and call me tight assed for making a joke.
I don't give a fig if you post in pidgin, swahilli, or gullah. I don't join in that particular thread because I don't speak pidgin and I never lived in Hawaii and so I don't find I have anything to add to the happy banter. Sorry.
But that's just me.
Duke, I completely fail to see how you could take it so far as to think I don't like you for speaking pidgin. Sorry, buddy, but maybe you need to ease up a bit on the triple strength lattes.
And that, too, is a joke.
And what the hell does any of this have to do with Wanda's original question???
Insert as many smiley faces as you need to smooth this over.
I'm going to shut down the computer, go down to the house, build a fire and fix a martini.
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Edited by - Mark on 01/28/2009 3:39:43 PM |
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rendesvous1840
Ha`aha`a
USA
1055 Posts |
Posted - 01/28/2009 : 4:38:02 PM
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What I told my brother was really more related to my own current abilities as an aspiring slack key guitarist. I have tried some in standard tuning, playing in A,and I'm sure it can be done. Not by me, on 1/28/09, but maybe by summer? Depends how dilligent I am in practicing it, and how many songs I can comfortably sing in A. I have fingerpicked in standard tuning since I was a teenager, but much more in the style of Mississippi John Hurt,and Elizabeth Cotton. I never heard slack key until 5 years ago, and never tried to play it until 3 years ago.
The fact that so many players over all these years have used open G and come up with so many different results is a matter of listening. What you like to listen to is going to have a strong effect on what your playing sounds like. Here on the mainland, what Hawaiian music got popular was mostly written by people familliar with pre-depression jazz. Looking at the Hapa-Haole songs as an example, the chord structures are much more jazz influenced than the folk music of Hawaii is. Intricate chord progressions, altered chords, etc. Very sophisticated musically, but very simplistic poetry. (Pricess Popoli Has Plenty Papaya's)The Hawaiian folk songs are just the opposite- Simple melodies, much less use of minor chords, usually no more than 3 or 4 chords to a song. But the poetry is frequently loaded with layers of kaona,and sophistication. A word nut like me is captivated by every song. That's why the question about Nawiliwili on another thread. We have two variations of the lyric, each of which indicate at least the possibility of a different Pi`ilani spoken of in the third verse. This is standard fare, for oral tradition.
But this listening experience is also why Chet Atkins' version of "Hawaiian Song", while possesing the right notes for Opi`i Moe Moe doesn't sound Hawaiian. Chet played jazz, albeit distilled through the country fingerpicking style of Merle Travis. It came out as Chet. He never claimed to be playing slack key. He played Chet Atkins style. And I'm not sure anyone else played his style better.
I believe it was Sonny Chillingworth who said slack key could be played in standard tuning, if you plaed the right notes. But didn't Auntie Alice label him (along with Gabby) "hopelessly modern"?
Wow, lookit all them words I put in here? I may learn to type yet!
Paul
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"A master banjo player isn't the person who can pick the most notes.It's the person who can touch the most hearts." Patrick Costello |
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Peter Medeiros
`Olu`olu
546 Posts |
Posted - 01/28/2009 : 4:38:09 PM
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Ah No worry Mark. Das why we get da bad economy -- we can blame everyting on that. Da bad economy has gotta be good fo something right! So while you're having your toot have anudda won on me and just be glad we're all on top of da food chain for now at least.
I sincerely apologize for hurtin your feelings. But while I'm at it I tink I'll finish da bottle of merlot I'm using to cook da beef stew no sense wasting it. So here's a toast to da TP crew whoeva and whereeva you may be, no scadem and go for it.
Waz cold last nite 55˚ had to turn on da ka‘a heata. Could be a lot worse right now, at least I'm not in Ohio or New York. You guyz must be freezzin you olos. |
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rendesvous1840
Ha`aha`a
USA
1055 Posts |
Posted - 01/28/2009 : 4:43:20 PM
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It got a little warmer today, maybe 28 degrees, but choke snow stay all over. This morning, the TV said possible 10-12 inches. I'm afraid to turn 'em on again, might be more bad news for tomorrow.
Paul |
"A master banjo player isn't the person who can pick the most notes.It's the person who can touch the most hearts." Patrick Costello |
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slackkey808
Akahai
USA
50 Posts |
Posted - 01/28/2009 : 10:19:43 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by sirduke58
quote:
originally posted by Mark
But other slack key tunings don't do that-- neither the Bb that Sonny Lim plays,
Sorry to disagree with you Mark.I'm no expert on this tuning cause I only play 1 & 1/2 songs in Bb Maunaloa.Punahoa Special(See YouTube) & Rev. Dennis' Ohana Slack Key and I use an alternating bass.The bottom 4 strings have the same relationship to one another as C6th Maunaloa & the 5th & 6th string notes are inverted.I can practically play almost anything I play in C6 in Bb also.The thing is with these tunings you have to drop your thumb to the 3rd string as part of the alternating bass scheme as in C6.
A natural progression of slack tunings for me for the past 35 years has been to go from Taropatch to Leonard's C to Keola's C. Just retuning one string along the way for each change.The big difference from TP (5th string "Home" bass) to the C tunings (6th string "Home" bass)to me being the inverted bass.And yeah I agree C Wahine is th closest to standard.
I love this place cause I just learned a couple of months ago that tightening the 1st string a full step from Leonard's C gives you what is called Keola's C which I learned today is also called C Wahine. I've been playing these tunings for 35 years & only in the last year I've learned the names of it,thanks to this site.I called TP "G slack" all these years
I personally don't think you could duplicate the sound of kihoalu in standard tuning, especially C6 or Bb songs. You can definitely play Hawaiian music in standard tuning, but that doesn't mean it's slack key. It's still good of course, but different none the less. This isn't a very good example, but I figured out a song "Pauahi O Kalani" in standard tuning (in the key of C) when I was in high school and after I met Uncle Ozzie, I discovered that he played the same song in dropped C. WHOA it sounded so much different and way better than standard, and I think that's due to the fact of the low C. Of course I don't know if you would count that song as traditional slack key but it's as close to Hawaiian as you can get because I'm not sure but I think it was written by her hanai sister, the last queen of Hawai'i, Lili'u'okalani.
I haven't known Uncle Led for that long, but from what I've seen, he plays a lot of his music in a "slack key" tuning. The only things that I know he goes to standard for are "Maunaloa Slack Key" and "12th Street Rag/Sweet Georgia Brown." I'm sure if he's in standard and he invites someone to play along, he probably doesn't change the tuning. From what I've seen he's very good at improvising in taropatch and dropped C, but then again he's good at improvising in any tuning.
And Uncle Duke I just discovered something (not that big), but Uncle Ozzie told me that "E Lili'u E" is played in C6 but when I listened to Uncle Led play it, I realized he's in the Bb tuning. So there's one more song in Bb with alternating bass for us to learn! |
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Momi
Lokahi
402 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2009 : 09:34:00 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by da Pohtagee Sage
byden = Da Vice President USA
Petah, I jus' got busted fo' laffin out loud at dis. (I ste at werk, if dat not obvious arready.) Good ting reedin non-werk stuff is ok at my job.
Mark, I didn't get huhu at your post - I knew you were joking. So was I.
kden, I pau hijacking dis tread. |
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braddah jay
Lokahi
235 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2009 : 12:46:53 AM
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Howzit mark,you said you were joking das cool,sometimes we invoke reactions from others that may not be to our liking.As for me I was joking too,but in a kolohe way.  So what it's all good? Awright.K-den |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2009 : 08:48:51 AM
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quote:
So what it's all good? Awright.K-den
No worries. All good.
Getting back to Wanda's question, and my statement that one cannot play alternating bass in some slack tunings:
I'm working on expanding my meager knowledge of Bb major tuning (F-Bb-D-F-Bb-D).
Now, according to Duke, who has been playing slack a lot longer than I have, this would be one tuning where you can use an alternating bass for the Bb and F chords by using your thumb on the third string.
I gotta say that opened my eyes--I'm so stuck in only using my thumb on the bottom three stings. I didn't think to try that. (Funny, cuz I also recently revisited Mississippi John Hurt's "Candy Man"-- a song I'd played for year's in my own way. Listening closely to the recording, he grabs some bass notes on the third string, too. In standard, BTW)
Which is what I love about this forum--I never fail to learn something.
Onward!
Oh.. what's with: "The Adroit Jeffersonian?" -- although I am right-handed, I don't watch all that much TV.
"We're Movin' on Up..." (gawd, the stuff that gets lodged in one's brain.) |
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RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2009 : 09:10:15 AM
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| I think that the 3rd string bass stuff points out how we all can get caught up in automatic patterns and sometimes not be able to see out of those boxes. (Sorry for mixed metaphor.) I had the opportunity to speak with, watch and learn from Angel Romero two weeks ago. Within about 10 bars into a piece he "violated" a technique he spent a long time trying to teach me. When I asked why, he said, well, it just works better that way. Then he added that the "traditional" techniques were built up over time simply because they worked better most of the time. It's all a matter of being practical and practicing. And, (my comment,) keeping your eyes and ears open. |
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Russell Letson
`Olu`olu
USA
504 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2009 : 09:51:09 AM
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| I recall one of the old-timers (Sonny?) answering the question "Which finger do you use?" with "Whichever one gets there first." |
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Momi
Lokahi
402 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2009 : 6:22:45 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Peter Medeiros
Will I ever be a star or should I quit now and go work City and County?
Gabby did both! So did many of his sons, if I'm not mistaken.
Thank you, Peter. How much tuition do we owe you?  |
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Peter Medeiros
`Olu`olu
546 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2009 : 6:37:45 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Momi
How much tuition do we owe you?
Dolla tree fifty. If you like pichas cos moa. Get kamaaina rate too! We use PayPal. |
Edited by - Peter Medeiros on 01/30/2009 6:39:33 PM |
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Russell Letson
`Olu`olu
USA
504 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2009 : 7:45:32 PM
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Peter, that's an elegant summary. You should write a book. Oh, wait. . . .
But seriously: elegant.
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2009 : 02:47:26 AM
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Petah - you da besest!
I chrai watch you on da movie we have of 3-d Hawai`i slack key or something lidat, but it all hammajang. When it gets to a certain point, da buggah stops. Ahdunno.
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Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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Allen M Cary
Lokahi
USA
158 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2009 : 08:13:19 AM
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Wow--I just learned more about ki ho 'alu in that one post from Peter than in 25 years of playing.
Mahalo nui, 'o Peter.
Allen |
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