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LovinLK
Lokahi
USA
112 Posts |
 Posted - 08/14/2007 : 6:10:30 PM
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This is from Wikipedia:
There's also some good info on the liner notes of George Kuo's album "Nahenahe" about at least his tunings. Led Kaapana once told me that on the Big Island, each family had their own tuning so the different variations of slack key are way beyond what is in this article.
Slack-key guitar is a fingerstyle genre of guitar music that originated in Hawai‘i. Its name refers to its characteristic tuning: the English term is a translation of the Hawaiian k#299; h#333;‘alu, which means "loosen the [tuning] key". Most slack-key tunings can be achieved by starting with a classically-tuned guitar and detuning or "slacking" one or more of the strings until the six strings form a single chord, frequently G major.
History
In the oral-history account, the style originated from Mexican cowboys in the late 19th century. These paniolo (a Hawaiianization of españoles--"Spaniards") gave Hawaiians the guitars and taught them the rudiments of playing, and then left, allowing the Hawaiians to develop the style on their own. (Musicologists and historians suggest that the story is more complicated, but this is the version that is most often offered by Hawaiian musicians.) Slack key guitar adapted to accompany the rhythms of Hawaiian dancing and the harmonic structures of Hawaiian music. The style of Hawaiian music that was promoted as a matter of national pride under the reign of King David Kal#257;kaua in the late 19th century combined rhythms from traditional dance meters with imported European forms (for example, military marches), and drew its melodies from chant (mele and oli), hula, Christian hymns (h#299;meni), and the popular music brought in by the various peoples who came to the Islands: English-speaking North Americans, Mexicans, Portuguese, Filipinos, Puerto Ricans, Tahitians, and Samoans.
The music did not receive a mainland audience during the Hawaiian music craze of the early 20th century, during which Hawaiian music came to be identified outside of Islands with the steel guitar and the 'ukulele. Slack key remained private and family entertainment, and it was not even recorded until 1946-47, when Gabby Pahinui cut a series of records that brought the tradition into public view. During the 1960s and particularly during the Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance of the 1970s, slack key experienced a surge in popularity and came to be seen as one of the most genuine expressions of Hawaiian spirit, principally thanks to Gabby Pahinui, Leonard Kwan, Sonny Chillingworth, Raymond K#257;ne, and the more modern styles of younger-generation players such as Keola Beamer, his brother Kapono Beamer, Peter Moon, and Haunani Apoliona.
Many currently prominent Hawai'i-based players got their starts during the Cultural Renaissance years: Cindy Combs, Ledward Kaapana, George Kahumoku, Jr., his brother Moses Kahumoku, Dennis Kamakahi, Ozzie Kotani, three Pahinui brothers ([Bla, Cyril, and Martin), and Owana Salazar. These artists, and slack key in general, have become well-known outside of Hawai'i largely through George Winston's Dancing Cat Records record label, which has most often showcased the music in solo settings.
One indication of slack key's increasing visibility beyond the Islands is that when The Recording Academy instituted a GRAMMY Award for Best Hawaiian Music Album, the first three winners were slack key collections produced in Hawai'i: Slack Key Guitar, Volume 2 in 2005, Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, Volume 1 in 2006, and Legends of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar—Live from Maui. Players from outside Hawai'i have also taken up the tradition, for example, Chet Atkins (who included slack key pieces on two of his albums), Yuki Yamauchi (a student of Ray Kane's and advocate of Hawaiian music in Japan), and Canadian Jim "Kimo" West (perhaps better known as guitarist with "Weird Al" Yankovic).
Techniques and Tunings
K#299; h#333;‘alu is often characterized by the use of an alternating-bass pattern, usually played by the thumb on the lower two or three strings of the guitar, while the melody is played on the three or four highest strings, using any number of fingers. Many k#299; h#333;‘alu players incorporate various embellishments such as harmonics (chimes), the hammer-on, the pull-off, slides, and damping. Slack key compositions exhibit characteristics from indigenous Hawaiian and imported musical traditions. The vamp or turnaround (a repeated figure, usually at the end of a verse) is descended from the hula tradition, and other harmonic and structural features are descended from h#299;meni and from the hula ku'i encouraged by King David Kalakaua.
Nearly all slack key requires retuning the guitar strings from the standard EADGBE, and this usually (but not always) means lowering or "slacking" several strings. The result will most often be a major chord, although it can also be a major-seventh chord, a sixth, or (rarely) a minor. (There are examples of slack key played in standard tuning, but the overwhelming majority of recorded examples use altered tunings.) The most common slack key tuning, called "taro patch," makes a G major chord. Starting from the standard EADGBE, the high and low E strings are lowered or "slacked" to D and the fifth string from A down to G, so the notes become DGDGBD. As the chart below shows, there are also major-chord tunings based on C, F, and D.
Another important group of tunings, based on major-seventh chords, is called wahine (Hawaiian for "woman"). G wahine, for example, starts with taro patch and lowers the third string from G to F#, making DGDF#BD. Wahine tunings have their own characteristic vamps (as in, for example, Raymond K#257;ne's "Punahele" or Gabby Pahinui's 1946 "Hula Medley") and require fretting one or two strings to form a major chord. A third significant group is Mauna Loa tunings, in which the highest pair of strings are a fifth apart: Gabby Pahinui often played in C Mauna Loa, CGEGAE.
There are many slack key tunings--George Winston has identified fifty[6]--with some tunings only commonly used for a single song, or by particular players. The most common tuning is Taro Patch, which is a G-major tuning. Mike McClellan and George Winston have developed schemes that organize the tunings by key and type. The chart below follows their categories and naming conventions.
Common slack key tunings
Common Slack Key Tunings Notes Used
G Major or Taro Patch D G D G B D
G Wahine D G D F# B D
D Wahine D A D F# A C#
Open D D A D F# A D
C Major or Atta's C C G E G C E
Mauna Loa C G E G A E
C Wahine or Leonard's C C G D G B D
C 6 C G C G A E
Old Mauna Loa C G C G A D
Open C C G C E G C
F Wahine C F C G C E
Open F C F C F A C
Double Slack F C F C E A C
Notes
^ For example, Elizabeth Tatar, "Slack Key Guitar," in Hawaiian Music and Musicians, ed. George S. Kanahele, University Press of Hawaii, 350 - 360. ISBN 0-8248-0578-X
^ "Slack key wins first Hawaiian Grammy," by Tim Ryan, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, February 14, 2005
^ "'Masters' of the Grammy," by John Burger, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, February 9, 2006
^ "Slack Key Snags Third Hawaiian Grammy" by Derek Pavia, Honolulu Advertiser, February 12, 2007
^ Tatar, "The Technique" and "The Chant Tradition" sections of "Slack Key Guitar" in Hawaiian Music and Musicians
^ George Winston's on-line Short History of Slack Key Guitar, "Chart of Recorded Tunings"
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Lovin' Lee is my favorite pasttime!!
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jmk
Lokahi
USA
115 Posts |
Posted - 08/14/2007 : 8:34:05 PM
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Very interesting thread. I haven't had time to read all the posts yet, but as a hula dancer I can't help responding to the
"I don’t see to many hula dancers smiling when the guitarist plays a “pa’ani”.
When I'm doing a hula, I am pleased to have have a solo'ist take a pa'ani during my hula. Gives me a chance to catch a breath, keep time to the music and enjoy. Please do the pa'ani |
Nahenahe |
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noeau
Ha`aha`a
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 08/14/2007 : 10:54:28 PM
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Lots of good things have been written here. I like Peter's thoughts about whether a teacher lends a player credibility. He may be right , he was one of my teachers and I'm grateful for it. I do know that I have had many teachers even if it was only one song or one tuning or one style of Hawaiian music. I learned from them all. I still learning. In the past all of my teachers were Hawaiian. You know why? Only Hawaiians mostly played music where I grew up. I had a couple of filipino friends who were excellent musicians they played rock and roll and top forty. But they played music and I learned from them too. Today where I live I learn from haole players. They play good too. And they have Hawaiian hearts.
Music is an never ending experience and we learn from everyone as much as we can. I'm no Ozzie or Makana but people don't walk away when I play. When they smile I feel like a million bucks. You can't put a price on that. Recording artists reach more people and they influence everyone too. Guys like me I jus pres and have a lot of fun doing it.
Why ask why jus do. If people criticize you no need lissen to dem. If you worry whether you sound Hawaiian enough look around when you play. Are people smiling? Are they tapping their toes? Are the frown lines going down like you was one botox shot? Are they asking you to play anudda song? If you can answer to at least three of those. Then no worry. |
No'eau, eia au he mea pa'ani wale nō. |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2007 : 07:11:19 AM
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For those of you that don't know Peter; as a Professor of Music at the University of Hawai'i it is his profession to study and learn about slack key. He is an outstanding perfroming guitar player (you should hear him play Ulili 'E) and a very giving, understanding, and effective teacher. He is one of those kumu (teacher, source) that (I feel) is a real privelege to learn from. I truly respect and honor his opinions and knowledge in this forum.
Peter, sorry for pulling you into this, but I was trying to be careful and inject some of what I may have learned -- I was inviting you to correct me if necessary. Thank you for your comments and help. PS: I still haven't been able to listen to Auntie Alice N's LP. Whee Ha! is hard -- you have to have an "attitude"! Mahalo Nui! |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2007 : 10:05:35 AM
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Medeiros gave quite a response. Thanks for the effort.
And the lineage issue, something tells me it does matter--sort of like a sensational story about a painter making the art more valuable.
It probably should not, but what ya gonna do?
I asked the original question because I want to prepare for questions about the styles I play. Right now I am playing three songs that I will define as modern arrangements in slack key tunings. The rest I am going to consider as modern or traditional slack key.
My actual question (about specific music) was not answered directly but I was given the answer indirectly from the variety of input.
Just as some are bothered by the "tourist hula" or the pronounciation of Hawaiian words, I wanted to avoid confusion about the various styles of Hawaiian music that I play. The people listening, and the art form deserve it.
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Bob |
Edited by - RWD on 08/15/2007 10:06:42 AM |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2007 : 10:41:42 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Haole_Boy
My actual question (about specific music) was not answered directly but I was given the answer indirectly from the variety of input.
What was the original question? What was I saying? 
I typed quickly yesterday. I was trying to throw some thoughts out for further discussion. Personally, I am not sure how much importance I place on lineage.
Like others have said. In the end, maybe it doesn't matter. The positive thing about our `ohana here is that there is an overwhelming sense of care and sensitivity for the music that we all love and share. |
Andy |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2007 : 10:53:25 AM
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 To answer your original question-- If you ask Ozzie, he will state that he plays slack key, that the songs on "To Honor a Queen" are slack key interpretations. The key is your own statement:
quote:
pretty far away from the styles of Sonny, Kane, and many others
Different styles, but still slack key.
From the liner notes on Ozzie's CD:
quote:
He began creating his arrangements for the album in 1996, combining great respect for the music as written with personal expression, a guiding principle in slack key. "I feel that every artist in an oral tradition sounds different," Ozzie says. "Slack key puts a premium on playing from your heart with your own special touch."
quote:
Hoping to be able to cross over to her Western Music influences while still retaining elements of the slack key tradition, the Hawaiian language phrasing and, most important, the feeling of aloha that prevails in all of her works, was an extraordinary experience for me. I hope my interpretations and some liberties taken of the pieces will be acceptable. It is one individual's attempt to honor a Queen. May Lili'uokalani's memory and music live on and be appreciated forever.
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E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2007 : 11:56:17 AM
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Sorry Andy, you did address the question directly. I forget fast I guess.
To those that are saying "does it matter", well, I understand that point of view too.
Thanks for helping. |
Bob |
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da_joka
Lokahi
361 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2007 : 12:43:36 PM
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eh haole_boy!
saw you one hilo boy eh (on your profile)? right on. anyways, jus wanted fo let you know, your playing is awesome. i jus wen download da 4 songs you put online into my slack key foldah. keep it up eh! |
If can, can. If no can, no can. |
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noeau
Ha`aha`a
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2007 : 6:27:44 PM
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I am not trying to argue here. But geneology is very important but the lineage thing I am attempting to discuss goes like this. No matter who you learn from if you play well you play well if you play junk you play junk. The same goes for lineage in a martial arts style. Sure teacher lineage is important but again if you fight...etc.,etc.,etc. That is where i am coming from. There is a point in everyone's life where they must express themselves for who they are and it does not matter who our teachers were. The only thing we can do is honor them by being the best we can. Philosophically we do not have to explain ourselves to anyone. And when we do it is usually when we must speak of our own thoughts and merits. We will show homage to those who in fluenced us throughout our lives. But in the long run none of it matters. Just live as well as we can and that is that. I'm not saying I know it all but hell I have lived long enough to have learned a few tricks about life. I'm not saying that every one has to accept my thinking all I doing is adding to the mix. So with due respect I'll close .
PS. I heard your songs on your web site. You have nothing to worry about if you question your style of guitar. Sounds like ki ho'alu to me. My foot tapped and I smiled and all the other stuff too.
Aloha |
No'eau, eia au he mea pa'ani wale nō. |
Edited by - noeau on 08/15/2007 6:34:58 PM |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2007 : 6:49:24 PM
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Everything Noeau is saying is true. We have to be who we are and play the best we can.
The other part of playing ethnic music is honoring the culture from which it came. We can't help but bring out own feeling/sound/skill/background to the music. As a style of folk music, it was never meant to be set in stone and played by rote. The "honoring" part, I believe, means being conservative with the changes we consciously make. I hope mainland players think about this.
Here's Ed Gerhard playing "Isa Lei". He is immensely talented and plays very sweetly. Is it slack key?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfyeMZFWhvs
It makes me accept that lineage is no determination of quality or genuine-ness, but something in the music has to relate to Hawai'i. Just an opinion.
Jesse Tinsley
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da_joka
Lokahi
361 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2007 : 9:13:19 PM
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The Ed Gerhard "Isa Lei" arrangement is beautiful, but there's someting about it that doesn't sound like slack key. I notice his style of playing doesn't seem to flow like a lot of the slack key artists do. he's also using a capo on da 2nd fret. Does dat mean he's using standard tuning, which by default isn't slack key eh? Don't get me wrong, I do think it's definately a very nice fingerstyle arrangement of Isa Lei.
I no can wait fo hea from you seasoned Ki ho`alu players out dea wat you tink. |
If can, can. If no can, no can. |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 08/16/2007 : 03:28:48 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by hapakid
It makes me accept that lineage is no determination of quality or genuine-ness, but something in the music has to relate to Hawai'i. Just an opinion.
Jesse,
I think you hit it. Something in the music has to relate to Hawai`i. Perhaps, who you learned from or whether you grew up in Hawai`i is not critical, but may give you a leg up on finding that quality that defines true slack key or genuine Hawaiian music. |
Andy |
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RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 08/16/2007 : 04:08:18 AM
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Gerhard's Isa Lei and others, like Arlo Guthrie's Haleiwa Blues, are both played in drop D.
Arlo's, with the exception of one chord in the bridge, seems very much slack key and contains most of the elements I associate with the style.
Does drop D tuning take them out of the realm of slack key I wonder?
Brandon
Concerning capo: I think it is used by non-singing performers to change the key and refresh the sound. The same key all the time gets monotonous. That is my best guess. |
Bob |
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Russell Letson
`Olu`olu
USA
504 Posts |
Posted - 08/16/2007 : 05:35:30 AM
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The world is full of musicians who have managed to absorb enough of a tradition they were not raised in to play it with good results--look at the the urban kids who excavated rural blues and mountain music forty-some years back, or the gadjo guys who play gypsy jazz right now. Getting inside the music is the essential thing, and while it might be useful to live with or at least hang out with the folks who invented the art, a player with sufficiently big ears and the dedication to dig what they receive can produce a respectable (and respectful) version of the original material. That said, the very best Piedmont-style pickers I know of studied with Rev. Gary Davis *and* were first-rate talents to start *and* worked their butts off. But those last two traits are required for doing first-rate work in any line of endeavor.
Re: Drop-D and slack key. See Bla Pahinui.
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Defining Slack key
