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ongchua
Akahai
USA
92 Posts |
 Posted - 05/26/2003 : 2:53:37 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Stacey
Mahalo nui loa for starting this wonderful thread from which I am gathering such valuable information!!!!!
'A 'ole pili kia, Stacey! I'm glad I could make a contribution.
Mahalo nui loa everyone for all the advice! This is really helping out.
I've redirected my homepage setting to my guitar practice blog. Those among you who have the yen to be taskmasters (or are curious about how the rookie is progressing) can now see if I'm slackin' or slacking. (But go easy on me; I still have a family, a job and other personal projects.)  |
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RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2003 : 5:44:18 PM
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As to the finger pain.
The ultimate goal is to develop calluses - using a water soak just soften's the skin and works against your long range goal. I would image alcohol does that, at least applied topically. Mybe a little internally could take the edge off.
Raymond |
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slackkey
Lokahi
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2003 : 7:56:50 PM
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 Aloha Ongchua! (Hans)
My advice to you is to journey as far as you can. We all started off in slack key one way or another. My successs with with Kiho'alu began about 5 or 6 years ago! My journey began when "Bruddah" Kevin (Ohana Brown)invited me to join them at an area on Maui called the "Bailey House Museum".
My instrument back-ground was the Ukulele only. Well, I did play some guitar, but only contemporary music. It wasn't until I joined them all at "Bailey House Museum", that I began to learn all the basics of Kiho'alu.
Importantly, the bass-line or 5-4 6-4 5-4 6-4. This gave you the beat, and like the metronome device, the timing. Try it....pluck your bass strings in he order of the numbers given. Then play some slack key Cd's or cassettes, and listen....you'll almost everytime hear the bass-line...
Keep the desire to learn always.....At times you'll get fustrated as normally anyone trying slack key for the first time will.....I did! But I always remembered the basic approach. I kept working at it over and over and over again!
The key Ongchua (Hans).....is never give up! Do what I did....Join others like Stacey's gatherings! Have you seen the photos? They're a mixture of experienced, as well beginners! You'll be surprised what you can learn from all of them!
It don't matter if you've being playing alot of slack key, or just begining the journey! Get together with Stacey's "kanikajammers".
Or with a group of "Kiho'alu Slackers" in your neck of the woods! Or continue to do what you're doing to learn.
Remember...take it Baby steps at a time....Don't try to learn too much all at once!. Practice your basic bass-line (5-4 6-4 5-4 6-4). Following video istructions are good too! Learn from others who play slack key alot (Stacey's Group). Never be fustrated trying to learn....practice1 practice! practice!
Hey! Learning Tablerture is good too! BUT! Better to try NOT to play exactly like the Artists who distributes them.....Use them as guidelines only to help you understand.... THEN! Be SPONTANEOUS! Play the Style that is your own, and no one elses!
Keep srtiving to learn! Make mistakes! Don't be embarrased by them! I still make mistakes! But I keep going and going and going! Just like that Energizer Bunny. Have fun with it Hans!
Take care! God Bless! Lets's all together help to Perpetuate The 'Art Of The Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar". Hope to jam with you soon!
slackkey (Bill Pellazar) |
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wdf
Ha`aha`a
USA
1153 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2003 : 10:21:23 PM
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Slackkey Bill is right on the mark here. Use tab as a basic roadmap of a tune. Begin by learning a very basic version. It doesn't have to coincide with the tab. When you are very comfortable with it begin adding (or subtracting) to express your own feelings. It has been said about Clarence White (albeit a bluegrass flatpicker extraordinaire and not a slack key player) that it was the notes he didn't play as well as the ones he did that made him a legend.
IMHO, Ray Kane is of the same caliber in our genre. |
Dusty |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 05/26/2003 : 11:06:52 PM
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| Oh man, I was listening to Ray in the car today...he is truly amazing. Some of his songs sound so simple musically, but the more you listen the more you realize that the expression and aloha he coaxes out of the strings are as complex as the range of human emotions. |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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cmdrpiffle
`Olu`olu
USA
553 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2003 : 01:00:26 AM
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Cause I have to add something...
Hans, I agree with Bill, Slackkey. He knows what he's talking about.
About the rubbing alcohol....heres the real deal.
You can, and it may help, for a short time. Starting fluid for a car works even better.
The basic idea is to hyper-dry out the skin on the fingers. Remove all moisture and oils from the skin. The sensation is that the skin is tougher, because it is dry. Do it for a couple of days, maybe 6 times a day, and the skin will be white and chalky looking, and very tough and dry.
Also very stupid. Yer not gonna do any longterm damage, but as so many others have eluded to in this thread.....repetition builds strength.
If you are a new(er) guitarist....your finger tips are going to hurt. Period. For a time. Not everyday, but for always to some degree. I suppose my finger tips are dead really as I play a lot. But I can always find something to do to make em hurt the next day.
Using some of the coated strings may help, and light guage steel strings and the least painful...Nylon classical trebles are the most so.
As for your original question , my only advice would be to play what makes your heart sing. Dont try to copy a 'standard' just because everyone plays it. Experiment with whatever style of music that you want to produce.
A couple of days ago I worked out an up tempo version of Hialawe, and then amused myself for a couple of hours playing an all acoustic version of Queens 'Fat Bottomed Girls'
Cause thats where my interest went that day. Could have been KihoAlu, or classical.
Keep your self open. I read every response on this thread and could'nt agree more with every single one of them.
Its the sum total.
Have fun, and because I missed when you came in, Aloha, and welcome.
........'ain't no beauty queens in this locality'...
Cmdr |
my Poodle is smarter than your honor student |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2003 : 01:43:52 AM
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| Bicycle, bicycle... |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2003 : 6:04:13 PM
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hi ongchua, i was reading all the great advice on this thread and have been wondering if i can offer any further advice.
i think that tab is important if you don't have anyone nearby to show you. playing with kevin brown or bill (slackkey) pellazar is more informative than tab because it helps you get into the style, but you can learn a lot of good stuff from tab. for example, mark hansen's transcription of leonard kwan's "ke`ala's mele" is a primer for drop C turnarounds.
about two years ago (yikes! time does fly) i started taking some lessons from a hawaiian who teaches using a modified hawaiian method. in the old style, i hear, the student didn't ask questions - he or she just watched the kumu and would go home and try to put it together. eventually, the student would succeed (or pick up the nose flute, maybe). my kumu would allow me to ask questions, and he'd try to write stuff down, but his notation is pretty hard to follow. so, he taught me to look for structure in what he was doing. i have only taken five lessons from him, each about a month or two apart, but it was probably the most important thing i've done.
third, playing with the waihe`e gang is different from playing with my mainland braddahs. in maui, you sing as well as play. that means that you learn to play "rhythym" slack key as well as to improv when it's your turn to pa`ani (which i still can't do in drop C  - sigh). starting to work on those kinds of songs was the third most important thing i've done.
the second most important thing was to take brah bill's advice and to stop leaning too hard on the tab. oh, and his advice to play in the morning when the sun's coming up and the birds are singing, and to play with a tune you know and keep trying to make it sweeter.
okay, pau with the advice, |
Keith |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2003 : 6:45:08 PM
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| Keith, is your kumu local? |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2003 : 7:10:26 PM
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craig - no, he's up in los angeles. that's why i've had only five lessons from him.
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Keith |
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ohanabrown
Lokahi
281 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2003 : 12:14:47 AM
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Aloha T/P Ohana's
Keith is very modest, My personal opinion, Keith did Hi'ilawe great! And he sang too.
And he also played it in drop C.
Keith, Suzie, We all had a great time.
Mahalo for finalizing the tab's.
I took it to Ed, he never heard the song
and it took him 15 maybe 20 min. to get the whole song. The Cd was the clincher, And seperating them by measures was good too.
Was great talking to you that day, And tell
suzie the cookies, made all of our day.
See you in June...... Aloha, Malama, Pono!
Kevin |
Kevin K. Brown |
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