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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
 Posted - 03/15/2009 : 7:30:19 PM
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My buddy Kathy Wingert is starting up a house concert series, and she's asked me to be the opening performer. Is it because I work cheap?? Because I play one of her guitars? Because she likes my cooking??
Hey, I don't know and I don't care. It's a chance to play a little slack key, maybe introduce a few people to the joys of Hawaiian music, so I'm looking forward to it.
Kathy tells me there are a few seats left. If you're in the neighborhood and would like to join us for an evening of slack key instrumentals with maybe one or two vocals and maybe one or two hula and maybe one or two special guests, please email wingerthouse at yahoo dot com or contact me through the forum email form.
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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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
Posted - 03/30/2009 : 05:22:44 AM
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I don't want to be bragging in my own thread, but I have to say that the show turned out to be a lot of fun for me, and I hope the audience enjoyed it as well. Bill and Vicki came up from Carlsbad, some folks from the Healdsburg Guitar Festival found us, and Kathy's friends and neighbors and customers filled up the rest of the seats. We had a demo of a harp guitar by one of the country's foremost collectors and players (Kathy builds these monstrosities now). Hey, I can probably put a picture of one in here:
But the highlight of the show for me ... I persuaded Lehua Kaapana Nash and Chuck Burnett to do a couple of numbers to open things up. I've been opening for Ledward for a couple of years now and I've been honored every time, so you can imagine what an honor I feel to have a Kaapana open for me. Since I almost never sing it really added to the audience's enjoyment and exposure to the range of Hawaiian music and slack key.
We had one more special feature that I think made the show. I broke my "no vocals in public" rule and sang "Papalina Lahilahi" so my sweetie could dance, and she did such a beautiful hula that I could barely concentrate on my playing. You know she got a bigger hand than I did for any of my numbers.
Thanks to everyone who turned out and made Kathy's first house concert such a success.
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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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 03/30/2009 : 07:52:49 AM
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How is that harp guitar played, tuned etc.? Anything on you tube to hear it? It is quite the curiosity.
And sounds like you had a great time. I am impressed that you sound like you are so very smitten with Lynnie. That's the way!. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
Posted - 03/30/2009 : 2:11:24 PM
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Wanda, the harp guitar is played like a conventional guitar with the added movement of reaching up to pluck bass notes on the harp strings. Actually there are harp guitars with treble harp strings, but the bass harp is more traditional. There are several ways to tune the harp strings, depending on the key of the song and the number of harp strings. Kathy tends to go whole hog with 7 harp strings, but many instruments only have 4 or 5.
These things were at their peak between about 1920 and 1930, and many of them may have been used just for their visual impact. The harp strings don't have much projection. The Kalama's Quartet CD that I learned "Kaleponi" from shows one of the band members with a harp guitar, but Greg Miner, the collector who was at the show, says he can't hear any of the harp strings actually being played. We can't be sure if that's because of the limits of recording technology at the time, or if the low strings were not used.
There's plenty of harp guitar on YouTube. Stephen Bennett is another "big cheese" in the harp guitar world. Here's a vid featuring him and a big bunch of harpies at a Harp Guitar Gathering:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pawgzVGC9-4
The gentleman to the right of Stephen, playing the harp mandolin, is Greg Miner. Greg maintains a harp guitar museum in his home.
Stephen is the owner of Kathy's second harp guitar, and here's a vid of him playing her guitar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Miy7YjxtAHY
One of the guests at the concert plays slack key on the harp guitar, but I didn't get to hear him play.
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 |
Edited by - Fran Guidry on 03/30/2009 2:16:00 PM |
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T-Dan
Lokahi
USA
132 Posts |
Posted - 03/31/2009 : 12:30:16 PM
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Thanks for posting those, Fran.
Stephen Bennett is great to listen to. He popped up in one of my Pandora stations, and he's also been featured in Fingerstyle Guitar magazine's CD compilations. Muriel Andersen is also a fantastic player...Not slack-key but very nahenahe.
Was this the first house concert you've done? Any plans for more? Really great playing with you over at Auntie Nancy's...
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
Posted - 03/31/2009 : 2:32:53 PM
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Hey, Dan,
We've hosted house concerts here, in fact Muriel has played here twice. But we've given up producing concerts in the last few years. This was the first for me as a performer. In fact, it may have been the first time I was on a bill anywhere. I'm usually either background music or an unannounced opener.
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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