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wrenblue
Aloha
USA
13 Posts |
 Posted - 03/24/2009 : 04:09:53 AM
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Hi everyone,
I am a newbie beginner to slack key and I am waiting for my first book to arrive by Ozzie Katoni & Dennis Ladd, "Guitar Hawaiian Style". I read the reviews and it appears that this one would be good to start with.
I've played guitar over 35 yrs (classical/fingerstyle) and I am excited to start learning a new genre.
In addition, I am going to Swannanoa Gathering this year and taking Patrick Landeza's slack key class.
How did you all get started?
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mike2jb
Lokahi
USA
213 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 04:53:07 AM
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Hi, Renee, and welcome again. I think you'll hear a big variety of answers from members of this forum, but I also started with Ozzie's book. However, I had no prior experience with guitar or music of any kind (except listening  ).
I think if you don't have a teacher available right where you are, Ozzie's book is a great place to start. I would personally encourage you to listen to as much Hawaiian music as you can, slack key as well as other styles, and then to try to get away from the tabs as soon as you can get a few of Ozzie's pieces under your belt. Others may, of course, have different advice.
Patrick is also my teacher, and I'm sure he will be a great resource for you when he comes out to North Carolina. Wcerto has posted a video of her husband on another thread here, playing one of Patrick's songs that I bet will part of your first lesson, so have a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvH3EaR0ypY
Good luck. Glad you're excited to be learning; I still am. |
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wrenblue
Aloha
USA
13 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 05:37:35 AM
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Hi mike2jb,
Thanks for your reply. I like to hear about what got people started. I know many of us have to learn from books if we don't have a teacher in our area. My book should arrive today.
Thanks much for posting the youtube link--what a lovely song! I look forward to learning songs like this. |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 05:53:50 AM
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Hi Renee, welcome to TP. I also got started with Ozzie's book, with a little fingerstyle guitar experience beforehand. His new video is a nice supplement to the book, although with your background you probably won't need it.
I also agree with mike2jb's comments on listening to as much slack key as you can. |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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wrenblue
Aloha
USA
13 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 06:08:17 AM
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Hi Craig,
Thanks for the welcome. So far I have the CD "Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar" but I have a list of others I want to get of Sonny Chillingworth, Keola Beamer and others.
As it turns out my Grandmother used to play Hawaiian steel guitar back in the 1930s. I have her old Oahu guitar and a stack of sheet music from that time. I never thought I'd be interested in Hawaiian guitar but now I can't believe it's only now come to me how great it is. |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 08:19:47 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by wrenblue
Thanks for the welcome. So far I have the CD "Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar" but I have a list of others I want to get of Sonny Chillingworth, Keola Beamer and others.
I second John's recommendation to get Mark Nelson's book and CD...the CD is a great collection of old-style slack key tunes and the book gives you the advantage of having tab for all of them!
quote:
As it turns out my Grandmother used to play Hawaiian steel guitar back in the 1930s. I have her old Oahu guitar and a stack of sheet music from that time. I never thought I'd be interested in Hawaiian guitar but now I can't believe it's only now come to me how great it is.
Funny how things come full circle like that sometimes. |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
Edited by - cpatch on 03/24/2009 08:20:06 AM |
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wrenblue
Aloha
USA
13 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 08:24:03 AM
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Hi again,
Thanks very much for your replies. I forgot to say that I have also ordered Mark Nelsons' book & CD --that one is expected to arrive next week sometime. I am looking forward to that as well.
I like your advice, John, just play what I like and dont' look back. Nice advice, thanks. |
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Ben
Lokahi
USA
122 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 10:25:18 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by wrenblue
Hi again,
Thanks very much for your replies. I forgot to say that I have also ordered Mark Nelsons' book & CD --that one is expected to arrive next week sometime. I am looking forward to that as well.
I like your advice, John, just play what I like and dont' look back. Nice advice, thanks.
Welcome to the patch!
Things I started with: Daniel Ho's book (not much traditional style ki ho'alu there, but there is a lovely and accessible Taro patch arrangement of Ke Aloha O Ka Haku, aka The Queen's Prayer, that would lend itself to your work as a music practitioner with hospitals and hospice); Ozzie's book; Keola's books & videos; Led's video. I'm another big fan of Mark Nelson's book. Also, check out Keola's website http://www.kbeamer.com/ for some on-line lessons. Look for links to on-line lessons at Mark's site, too. And I almost forgot that John Keawe has a couple of very nice instructional DVDs.
John's advice is spot-on. Play what speaks to you. |
MÄlama pono
Ben |
Edited by - Ben on 03/24/2009 11:59:32 AM |
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kawika
Aloha
USA
33 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 11:02:38 AM
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| Sometime around 1989 I started to listen to KPOA radio Lahaina. They played all traditional Hawaiian music in those days and I wanted to learn to play some. I took a class in beginning slack key taught by the late uncle Manu Kahaiali'i. After that I learned more from the late uncle Sol Kawaihoa in Wailuku. Both these teachers have been my greatest inspiration. |
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 1:27:11 PM
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When I started with Ozzie's book and had worked through three or four pieces, I started trying to develop my own variations, but I wasn't certain if slack key "allowed" improvisation or if I was supposed to play a piece note for note.
Then I got a Ledward Kaapana instructional video - he provided the answer in a dazzling demonstration of "playing from the heart." So now I try to make each tune and each performance reflect the moment, with as much authenticity as I can muster.
A bit later I managed to connect up with Patrick Landeza and he gave my playing a huge boost. Patrick always insisted that the best way to be a better player was to listen to more and more Hawaiian music of all kinds, learn as many songs as possible, arrange vocal pieces, learn to accompany singers, learn to sing myself. None of those things were easy, just finding singers to play with took years, but every thing Patrick ever told me turned out to be 100% accurate.
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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vscotth
Aloha
USA
39 Posts |
Posted - 03/24/2009 : 1:48:15 PM
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Hi Renee,
A couple more thoughts. While books, CDs, DVDs, and tabs are all useful learning resources, it goes without saying that learning in a lesson or workshop setting is preferable, for a number of reasons. Trouble is, we're stuck here on the (really) big island, and -- depending on where we live -- don't often have access to live learning situations like that, at least on a regular basis.
You mentioned that you would be taking a class with Patrick Landeza. Patrick is an outstanding teacher -- I think you'll enjoy that experience and get a lot of it.
If you can manage the time and cost, though, I would strongly recommend getting over to Hawai'i for one of the week-long workshops that are scheduled on a yearly (and sometimes more often) basis. George and Keoki Kahumoku, Cyril Pahinui, Ledward Kaapana, and Keola Beamer, among others, sponsor Hawaiian music camps on the various islands each year with class sessions available for all levels of students.
In addition to slack key guitar, these camps typically offer instruction in ukulele, along with classes that focus on native Hawaiian culture, such as lei making, hula, Hawaiian language, and chanting. So not only do you have an opportunity to sit in small-group sessions with some of the most accomplished and respected slack key players alive, but you also have an opportunity to begin to develop an understanding and respect for the cultural origins of the music and the spirit of aloha that play such an important part in the performance of slack key. And in addition to the organized activities, there are also the spontaneous jam sessions and kanikapilas that help students develop their solo chops and the confidence to play in front of other people. Last but not least, the camps represent an opportunity to establish some great and potentially long-lasting friendships with your fellow students.
I have to say, it just knocks me out to think about being able to spend many hours over the course of a week, learning from these incredible musicians, all of whom are so obviously dedicated to passing on the tradition of slack key to their students. Speaking as a banjo player, it would kinda like being able to spend a week with Earl Scruggs, Bill Keith, and Don Reno.
I know it's not the best of times to be spending on anything that's not absolutely required to sustain life, but if you can afford it, one of these camps will contribute immensely to your appreciation of slack key and your progress as a student.
Best of luck in your journey,
Scott |
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rendesvous1840
Ha`aha`a
USA
1055 Posts |
Posted - 03/25/2009 : 11:17:05 AM
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I started with Patrick's workshop, and am now working with Ozzie's book/CD. Some day I'll get to Patrick's intermediate workshop, hopefully next year.
A word about workshops like Swannanoa: It's easy to try to do too much. At Swannanoa you have your morning session with your chosen teacher. After lunch, you can try other styles with other teachers. By the end of the week, I find myself overloaded and trying to remember what went with what. By some stroke of unseen hand, when I studied with Patrick I decided to focus on one thing only. Well,two,counting the late night jams. Mainly, when I wasn't in class, I practiced what Patrick was trying to get through my thick skull. And instead of taking other classes in the afternoons, I went back to Patrick's sessions. It mostlyt was new students who had other morning classes, and for me was a review of what he had already shown me, but it really reinforced the lessons.
I've come home from dulcimer festivals with a large bunch of tabs, and couldn't remember what the songs sounded like. It can be hard to separate 'Flop-Eared Mule" from "Nail That Catfish To A Tree." Especially if you're over-tired from jamming late every night. Bottom line: When you leave class, and have some free time between, practice the lesson. And listen to as much Slack-key as you can. Try Slack Key Paradise on the internet. www.live365.com/stations/arthadley2
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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wrenblue
Aloha
USA
13 Posts |
Posted - 03/26/2009 : 02:48:04 AM
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Thanks Scott & Paul for your words of wisdom. I would love to travel to Hawaii someday and experience the culture first hand. I hope to do that in the future.
Paul, I have been to lots of music camps and I know what you mean. You can just do too much and really come away not learning much of anything. I focused on the DADGAD class and Patrick's class. DADGAD is close enough to taro patch tuning even though the music is very different. There is also a guitar orchestra I want to do which will focus on learning one song for the week and playing it at the end of the week for the rest of the camp.
I started working in Ozzie's book and taking one lesson at a time very slowly. It looks like a great book to really get down the techniques of slack key in a gradual way. I will work with this book and Mark Hanson's book on my own before I take Patrick's class. Will be a good intro for me.
thanks again,
Renee |
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thumbstruck
Ahonui
USA
2165 Posts |
Posted - 03/26/2009 : 09:18:50 AM
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I learned through jamming. The 3 lessons:
1) Dis yoa t'umb, dis "taropatch", come back in t'ree weeks.
2) Dis da vamp (don't call it a "turnaround", it's either "vamp" or "kaholo"), can go up, can go down, can play any kine 'long as it fit.
3) Dese da chords.
Keep the thumb moving, play the right chord at the right time, and don't forget the vamp.
From the beginning improvisation was encouraged. Plus eating poke, poi, etc.
One of the most difficult things (after getting your thumb to do the alternating motion) is to break free of tabs and/or the way a tune is played on a recording. Feel free to improvise and keep track of your mistakes, they may be useful in another context. |
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wrenblue
Aloha
USA
13 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2009 : 02:37:08 AM
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HI Thumbstruck,
I have been trying to be more improvisational in my playing anyway.. so this is a good opportunity for me to work on that part of my music. While I can and do read music, I always work on internalizing the song so it is not about reading the music... it is about conveying the feeling/mood and sentiment of the music. So far I am on lesson #3 in Ozzie's book. I am taking my time with the exercises and enjoying it. Thanks for your reply! |
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slipry1
Ha`aha`a
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2009 : 1:04:23 PM
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| As for my advice, my Dad always said "The more you do it, the better you get!" Playing music is experiental, rather than behavioral. (See "Growing Up Absurd"). That is, you can't read a book, or 100 books, and be a great guitar player. You jes' press, bra! |
keaka |
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