Can anyone tell me where to find anything on Alice Namakelua's slack key teachings? I am especially interested in the "figures" I have heard some of our members refer to.
I've heard that her teaching was based on a set of figures--14 is the number I got from one student. A version of Auntie's basic wahine vamp in B-flat is preserved in Keola's "Namakelua's Tune" (in the o.p. First Method book) or "Auntie Alice Namakelua Slack Key" (in Learn to Play Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar). If you can find a copy of her 1974 Hula LP (Auntie Alice Ku`uleialohapoina`ole Namakelua Plays Old-Fashioned Slack Key Guitar and Sings Her Own New Compositions in Their First Recording, HS-552), you'll hear her playing figures like that in G wahine, slacked down to F or E (according to George Winston). You can see a bit of her playing on this YouTube video:
It was that video Russel, that brought me to ask the question.
I most likely have both the Keola books and I also have one called "A Grandmothers Wish" (Ka Manu?) that seems to be a lot like the ones you mentioned. I will prbably be asking Noeau later as well. Whish there was something printed.
I am very fond of the choice of notes behind that vocal in the video link. Its like a tapestry of notes. The two seperately have thier own character and only hint of the other. Put the two pieces together and it's like magic.
Namakelua figures
Posted - 01/16/2012 : 2:44:32 PM
