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sirduke58
`Olu`olu
USA
993 Posts |
 Posted - 12/05/2009 : 10:14:20 PM
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The Magical Kanikapila Capo
Last Sunday Nov. 29th at our Kanikapila on Red Hill I was looking around at the circle of musicians
in attendance. 2 of them in particular who coincidently were women, namely Carmel & Kendyl(Both are TP members) were both quite often lost when trying to accompany whoever had the lead for a particular song.Both
women are usually only comfortable in Taropatch when slacked in addition to standard tuning.
Normally at kanikapilas, whose ever turn it is to lead announces what key the song will be played in
to help others figure out how they will accompany the lead.
I can totally relate to that lost feeling Carmel & Kendyl felt because I experienced the same thing
when I played at an Abrigo kanikapila at Pizza Bob's in Haleiwa way back when.Songs in the key
of Gmaj & Cmaj were no problem I could stay slacked in Taropatch & Drop C which meant all my
chops in Taropatch & Drop C were available to me to pa'ani or just add a little color... Now here's
the problem.....Song leaders started doing songs in A or F or D or Bb and everthing in between!!!I
got so frustrated & defeated that I gave in and tuned my guitar to "Tight Key" (E-A-D-G-B-E) and I
became a banana rhythm strummer in that muffled standard tuning. Your guitar doesn't resonate
as much in standard as it does in slack.
Now I'm more comfortable accompanying is most keys and all it took is a "Magical Kanikapila
Capo" & sliding back & forth between Taropatch & Drop C. Here are a few examples to help you
along when you're at your next kanikapila............The following are common keys you'll encounter.
Played in key of.................................Tuning....................................Capo fret #
Amaj.................................................Taropatch....................................2nd
Bb.....................................................Taropatch...................................3rd
Cmaj..............(To add color)................Taropatch...................................5th
Dmaj..................................................Drop C.......................................2nd
Dmaj...........(*Possible but junk)...........Taropatch...................................7th
* Junk because it takes away too many frets and shortens your guitar not to mention the sustain
Emaj..................................................Drop C........................................4th
Fmaj...................................................Drop C........................................5th
Note: Any slack C tuning can be used in place of Drop C, however for Drop C only 1 string needs to be
retuned when you slide back & forth between it & Taropatch. The last thing you want to do is spend most of your time at the kanikapila retuning
Simple concept just think of the 1st fret after your capo as the 1st fret when you guitar is not capoed.
Use all the same chord shapes, positions and chops.......Being that until recently I had seldom
played.with other musicians this concept may have been common knowledge to the kanikapila vets
but it's only recently acquired knowledge to me.
Another kanikapila tip I have courtesy of Ozzie Kotani is about the art of accompaniment during
kanikapilas. When another player has a "Pa'ani" you do not want to be in the same position or
neighborhood where the "Pa'ani" is being executed. For instance,if a solo is being played in the 1st
position a conscientious accompanier will play in the 2nd or 3rd position so as not to "Crowd" the
soloist and cloudy up what that person is doing. It also compliments the soloist much better.
Hope all this helps players participate much more often. Being a wallflower at a kanikapila sucks
bigtime compared to being a part of it all.............
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Hoof Hearted?...Was it you Stu Pedaso? |
Edited by - sirduke58 on 12/09/2009 09:33:09 AM |
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RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2009 : 03:17:40 AM
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Great information Bruddah Duke!
Your tip will help plenty other players be more ready to go try Kanikapila.
One more use is to just change your key. If you capo at the 2nd or 5th fret every so often you give the listeners a nice break...everything in G gets old fast! If you don't like your songs that high, tune to F taropatch and capo at fret 2 for G taropatch then you can remove and go to a lower key sometimes.
Oh, one more suggestion, take a look at the planet waves NS capo. You can control how tight it squeezes the strings and you will stay in tune better.
Mahalo |
Bob |
Edited by - RWD on 12/07/2009 05:41:00 AM |
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2009 : 06:31:26 AM
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Hey, what's this about everything in G gets old ...
Wait a minute, I'm always in G and I'm getting old, maybe Bob is right ... hmmmmm.
Seriously, another "Kanikapila for Slackers" tip - tune to F. I usually put on medium strings in place of my lights, and tune every string down one whole step from taropatch: C F C F A C
Now when those wacky four string strummers call every song in their favorite two finger key, I'm right there with them.
Following Duke's discussion of capoing, taropatch F can be retuned to Bflat by dropping the lowest string another whole step. And all the capo positions work as Duke suggests, but one whole step lower.
Not all guitars work well in taropatch F, but some really come to life in this configuration. If you have two guitars available it's handy to have one in G (and C) and one in F (and Bflat).
Or you can use one guitar and capo to get G (and C) - but if you're like me the dots will drive you crazy as you go up the neck. OK down in the low positions but easy to get lost up high.
And I'll back Bob (HB) on the good performance of those Planet Waves NS capos.
But however you get there, make a real effort to take your slack guitar to the kanikapila nearest you. Those `ukulele need plenty help with the melody <grinning, ducking, and running>.
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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sirduke58
`Olu`olu
USA
993 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2009 : 08:28:31 AM
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Originally posted by Fran Guidry
quote:
Now when those wacky four string strummers call every song in their favorite two finger key, I'm right there with them.
Hey Fran it never dawned on me but now that you mention it,99% of the time those pesky ukulele players are the culprits for calling out songs in awkward keys Nah but that's what keeps it fresh, exciting and pleasant to the ears....I give them a taste of their own medicine a lot too though, I'll tune to Open D and capo at the 2nd fret for "Ku'u Home O'Kahalu'u" in Emaj like Olomana did it. Or worse yet tune to Bb Maunaloa for some tunes Uke players hate the key of E and Bb,that's when they need to consider capos You can tell I'm a slacker first because I usually transpose everything either to G or C when I'm playing the ukulele
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kihoalukid
Lokahi
USA
289 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2009 : 08:30:03 AM
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B.R.S.
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Lee |
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mpi_50
Lokahi
USA
133 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2009 : 12:18:45 PM
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| You may also want to consider capos that can capo up single or all strings. I've never tried it but I've seen them. |
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les_maverick
Lokahi
USA
238 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2009 : 3:04:32 PM
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Bruddah Duke
Thanks for the capo information that will be a great help
with Fran's suggestion of taropatch F.
Maybe I can bring my guitar to the kanikapilas.
Les |
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thumbstruck
Ahonui
USA
2168 Posts |
Posted - 12/07/2009 : 06:23:12 AM
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| Backing up a halau can be a challenge, especially if aunty / kumu likes to change keys, modulate, or whatevah. Da capo is always at the ready. I've learned to play in D while in taropatch. If you can find a way to play a vamp, then you can play backup. F is playable in D position capoed on the 3rd fret, or C position on the 5th. As long as the thumb is going and a vamp appears at the right time, the singer nokeia. |
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Pua Kai
Ha`aha`a
USA
1007 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2009 : 04:19:03 AM
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George Kahumoku is virtually always tuned down to F in taropatch. At workshop, you can tell who's been with George by the capo at the second fret. And thank goodness for drop-C!! A couple years ago we had 2 songs at the Maui slack key festival, one in G and the other in C. Gee, just fine for the little fleas! But aren't the other tunings fun when you have Time to Re-tune?
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thumbstruck
Ahonui
USA
2168 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2009 : 06:31:40 AM
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| C is playable in Taropatch, just play on the 5th fret. That way you can play D with a low D bass, G, no problem, then C. F chord - play the 3rd fret on the lowest D string, play the middle D string open and play an F chord on the 3 highest strings. It comes out as F6. |
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Trev
Lokahi
United Kingdom
265 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2009 : 07:38:58 AM
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This is a great tip Duke.
I’ve always played with other people, rather than on my own, and knowing about stuff like this is invaluable. I learnt it the other way round – how to recognise what key people are in if their capo is on ‘5’ for instance.
At the risk of sounding overly pedantic, on your chart up there on the first post, I think you meant to say either that Bb would be on the 3rd fret, rather than the 4th, or that B natural would be on Capo 4.
Great idea to be able to play in all keys! The thing with singers is that they can’t get a capo for the throat can they?
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Hookani
Lokahi
232 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2009 : 08:10:02 AM
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quote:
The thing with singers is that they can’t get a capo for the throat can they?
Sure they can, it's called tight bibidees.
Ho'okani |
Ke Kani Nahe
YouTube
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sirduke58
`Olu`olu
USA
993 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2009 : 09:32:07 AM
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Trev said.........
quote:
At the risk of sounding overly pedantic, on your chart up there on the first post, I think you meant to say either that Bb would be on the 3rd fret, rather than the 4th, or that B natural would be on Capo 4.
Hey Trev, I'm glad you found the info useful. Thanks a lot for catching the error on the chart. You're absolutely right that Bb would be Taropatch/Open G capoed at the 3rd fret. I editted the amendment above, can't be passing along inaccurate information. Thanks again Trev. |
Hoof Hearted?...Was it you Stu Pedaso? |
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Peter Medeiros
`Olu`olu
546 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2009 : 09:46:13 AM
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| Where's Ed when you need him? |
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basilking
Lokahi
124 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2009 : 3:26:52 PM
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Besides the capo [xlnt chart!] one might consider "heavying up" the big E if it's often dropped to C or Bb. I use med ga strings but substitute an .059 or .060 for the .056 that comes w/med strings. Less "flap"/more tone on most of my guitars, yet doesn't bother me when tuned to "tight"/ std tuning. I string a coupla guitars w/light ga & use the reserved .056 from med sets to heavy up the .053 that's std w/lights.
I can't take credit for thinking this up myself. Led told me he does this for taropatch/C bass [or "key of L" as I call it for Led & Leonard Kwan]. |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2009 : 4:36:20 PM
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Duke,
Mahalo Nui Bra! When I was out of options I borrowed an ukulele at the same kanikapila. I need to play more in Drop C and taropatch. Then I'd be more comfortable at a knaikapila.
Mike
PS: Mahalo for making us newbies feel included -- real Aloha! |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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The Magical Kanikapila Capo
