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jkwasnik
Aloha
USA
29 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2015 : 08:21:58 AM
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Hi, all -- My wife and I had the pleasure of hearing Led and Fran last night in Sacramento, CA. Some wonderful music ... and an introduction to the tiple. At first I thought it was a Puerto Rican cuatro, because my nephew has one: five doubled strings, uke-sized body. Then I checked Wikipedia for more than I ever wanted to know about tiples. Like that players are called tiplistas, and there are even electric tiples.
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John Kwasnik Sacramento, CA
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sirduke58
`Olu`olu
USA
993 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2015 : 11:36:31 AM
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I never heard the term "Tiplistas" before, interesting. Tiples are 10 string ukulele. Still tuned G-C-E-A but 2 strings have 1 octave string & 2 strings have 2 octave strings. It's mainly used for strumming but some people like Peter Moon shred on that thing.
"Guava Jam" Sunday Manoa ft. Peter Moon on Tiple https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrNVeymRZyk
"Kanaka Waiwai" Olomana ft. Peter Moon on Tiple https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKQrahj1IqU
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1583 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2015 : 05:12:36 AM
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John, thanks a lot for the mention. And Duke, thanks for the explanation and the links to Peter Moon.
Instead of starting a new thread I'll just jump into this one. I've had the 1949 Martin tiple for a while now but only recently got the neck reset and the frets replaced, so now we can tune it up to pitch and get it to play in tune. Led is having a ball with it. We found that it works better going up a whole step to "old" `ukulele D6 tuning instead of the usual C6, so this tiple is tuned A D F# B.
Here's Led doing "He Aloha No `O Honolulu"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqyT6CYDm0w
and here's a cruise through "Aloha `Ia No `O Maui"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIBseYfxKOg
Fran |
E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi Slack Key on YouTube
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Edited by - Fran Guidry on 08/30/2015 05:13:37 AM |
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Russell Letson
`Olu`olu
USA
504 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2015 : 06:24:34 AM
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Just a pedantic cultural-historical note: The tiple is strongly associated with Puerto Rico, but perhaps "hispanic Carribean" might be a more accurate descriptor, since there are variations all around that area, apparently descended from Spanish ancestors. It's related to the cuatro, which has a similar geographical/design spread.
According to Chris Martin (in Mike Longworth's Martin & Co. book), Martin started making tiples around 1920, based on an Argentinian instrument, but built using Martin's smaller quarter-size guitar patterns. It's relationship to the `ukulele and taropatch is more cousin-ish than anything, and pre-Martin tiples could well have come into the Islands along the same immigration routes as the uke.
On a different note: I've been reading Hawaiian Music in Motion: Mariners, Missionaries, and Minstrels, by James Revell. It's an academic account (but quite readable and non-fusty) detailing the interaction between Hawaiians and sailors in the 19th century. And I do mean "detailing"--he reconstructs the programs of particular musical events from newspaper accounts, books, and journals. It's particularly interesting to see the interaction of native Hawaiian music and dance with imported forms, especially the minstrel show.
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1583 Posts |
Posted - 08/31/2015 : 06:26:55 AM
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According to my reading "tiple" is Spanish for "treble" and there are variations on the instrument of that name in various Spanish speaking countries in the new world https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiple and the tiple is specifically the national instrument of Colombia. But each of these tiples is different in size, number of strings, etc, and all are different from the Martin tiple. The Martin tiple and those based on it like the Regal are unique in being designed for "my dog has fleas" `ukulele tuning.
Fran |
E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi Slack Key on YouTube
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slipry1
Ha`aha`a
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - 08/31/2015 : 07:57:13 AM
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My memory seems to recall that tiples are also associated with the Philippines. Ry Cooder played one on the "Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band" LPs. |
keaka |
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