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slackkeylady
Aloha
35 Posts |
 Posted - 04/15/2002 : 1:10:33 PM
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I am going to the Big Island this week to teach Slack Key and 'Ukulele. It's been a long time since I was on either end of the teacher/student spectrum (the little line in the middle is very fine).Any suggestions on methods, topics, and/or approaches I could consider to my teaching/presentation? Any experiences that were especially helpful to you in your learning process?
I'll be checking back here 'till Thursday. Thanks for your help.
Looking forward to seeing Ad Min up there and thanks for creating this site.
Aloha Nui Loa, Slack Key Lady
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Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2002 : 4:03:52 PM
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From the perspective a struggling mainlander beginner -
I posted a question here on getting a good sounding hammer-on/pull-off combination and got a lot of helpful responses. So there is one topic you might have time to include.
Another topic: I found a copy of "Kahuli Aku" by Winona Beamer in Taro Patch that is sooo easy to play and sounds good. Is it really slack key with no slides, chimes or hammer-ons? The only problem was that it just sort of trudged along until I started swinging it (taking a tip from Bruddah Chrispy and dshelby). Is a swinging rhythm true to slack key?
A little off topic, but I was searching to print off another copy of the music and ran into a lot of references to Winona Beamer. She is quite a woman who then happened to bear Keola and his sibs.
Pauline |
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slackkeylady
Aloha
35 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2002 : 7:16:27 PM
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Aloha Pauline, Thanks for your response.
The hammer on/ pull off key is speed. One case where it's OK to go fast at first , then slow it down. Always experiment with left and right hand technique/placement and keep trying 'till you find what works for you.
Where did you find that TAB of "Kahuli Aku?" I have one in Keola's method book from the 70's. Yes it is 'easy'. The key here is to play it slowly, once you have it wired try slightly accenting the melody notes so they stand out....maybe add in some triplets, and that should help the piece have some more 'personality'. By 'swinging' it, I guess Ozzie means to pick up the tempo a little and play more on the up beat instead of straight time. Hawaiian musicians were in on the ground floor of "Swing" and slack key fits right in. Whether you swing or stick to a more traditional approach is up to you, and OK by me. Preserve the tradition and just play the way you feel.
Winona Beamer's contribution to Hawaii is enormous. Did you know that she is responsible for, introduced and implemented Hawaiian Studies at Kamehameaha Schools? A great lady. I am looking forward to spending some time with her. She is a sweetheart. (Very funny too!)
I'm going to check HawaiiMusicians.com and see if there are any replies there. Thanks again Pauli Girl!
Aloha Nui Loa, Slack Key Lady |
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2002 : 7:52:44 PM
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aloha e cindy,
something that i'd like to learn better is how to play, umm, i guess you would call it rhythym guitar in slack key. i'm an old bluegrass player (well, not "old", i think i'm the same age as you) and am comfortable jammin' with other bluegrass players. i also play slack key okay, i'm just starting to work out my own versions of songs with small successes. but, when i get together with friends to play, i either play ukulele or tune the guitar back to standard tuning and try not to play too many G runs. i think that it would be fun to have a course on playing slack key style in the context of playing behind and with other folks.
aloha,
keith
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2002 : 10:45:31 PM
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Keith, I've gotten a couple of tips and demos from my teacher, Pat Landeza. He usually plays a stop rhythm when he's playing backup, and says that you can hear this very commonly in group recordings. It's something vaguely like
Bass brush damp brush
for a
one and two and
Is this something related to the rhythm you'd play on the uke?
Fran
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Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 04/18/2002 : 12:10:21 AM
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Slack Key Lady,
I don't know where I got the tab in the first place and could not find it this time. Wild guess - it might have been one of the free music pages that Mel Bay puts up for a month on their site. Yes, it's also in the Keola Beamer/Mark Nelson book I found out later.
Whoo-hoo, I love your advice. In the other half of my musical life, I'm trying to learn to play classical guitar. What a contrast.
marzullo has a good topic, too, how to jam.
Pauline |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 04/18/2002 : 08:26:37 AM
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Aloha Slack Key Lady,
I've been really busy and haven't had much time to think about this, but I'd love to get a little insight into your tunings (G6th and C Wahine?) I know it is not an easy assignment, but it's a world of difference to have someone teach some key basics of a tuning one-on-one versus figuring it out on your own from scratch. Would love to hear about the jazzy chords you play within the context of your tunings too.
And of course your thoughts on learning to jam. Slack key is too often a solo exercise for those players living outside of the islands.
Aloha,
Andy |
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Bruddah Chrispy
Lokahi
USA
164 Posts |
Posted - 04/18/2002 : 10:57:06 AM
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Aloha e Cindy,
Well, I'm rarely lacking for an opinion about anything. So, here goes:
You'll probably have a mix of players, some beginner, some advanced. What separates these two groups, in my mind, is not technical ability with the guitar, or the size of their repertoire (What?! Size doesn't matter?!?  ) but their own comfort level. - "Advanced" players view themselves as just another traveler on a road that never ends.
- "Beginner's" feel like they crashed a party and worry that someone's gonna notice that they don't belong.
Consequently their wants/needs/expectations from a workshop are going to vary: - The 'A' team is there for the experience, with the hope that by participating they will move a little further along the path. They may have some specific problems that they are try to solve and may seek out advice.
- The 'B' crowd needs validation. They have not yet learned that a person is a guitarist because he loves to play guitar, not because he can. They may also have specific problems, but will not seek out advice for fear of being exposed.
Well, I guess that was actually more philosophy than suggestion, yeah? So, here's my suggestions: - Be sure to insist that the beginners ask the first questions. (Oooooh, pretty profound there Chrispy!)
- Be sure that each student gets at least one piece of advice that's just from you to him/her. (Individual attention validates the beginner and benefits the advanced).
- Provide handouts (and offer to autograph them).
- Explain everything that you're doing. What may seem like common knowledge to you might be a useful tip for someone, or may lead to a useful discussion.
Hope you and your students have a great time!!!
Aloha a hui hou,
Chris P. |
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 04/18/2002 : 5:10:48 PM
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braddah c, that was the wisest posting i've seen on a bboard in quite some time.
fran, i think i understand the pattern you're writing. if i do, then it's the same kind of backround that you'd do playing bluegrass (you'd use a flatpick, give it some swing, and probably accent counts 1 and 3 more heavily). at some point, though, i want to put in some licks to close phrases, lead into bridges, and so on. perhaps it's just a question of building up a large set of such licks.
(veering a bit off topic) playing backup on the uke is another world altogether. one of the joys of playing the uke is working on rhythyms in the strum. i like trying to copy braddah iz's rhythyms on his "facing future" album - he plays really creative rhythyms that are actually pretty simple...
aloha,
keith
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slackkeylady
Aloha
35 Posts |
Posted - 04/25/2002 : 04:16:49 AM
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Aloha All My Taro Patch Cyber Buds,
I'm home but not quite settled back in. Just got home from a great gig at a private 60th birthday party in Po'ipu and ho ....you should have seen 'em shake a leg! They especially enjoyed "Holoholo Ka'a" and "Henehene Kou 'Aka" (sp? gotta check) Any ways, I'm reading all your excellent responses and will respond soon.
Mahalo Nui A Loa, Slack Key Lady
PS....Ad Min....Got Pants?
Aloha Nui Loa, Slack Key Lady |
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kihoalu
Aloha
USA
14 Posts |
Posted - 04/25/2002 : 3:51:16 PM
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Howzit,
Welcome back slack key lady! How did it go? Don't leave out anything! What did you learn from your experience. What would you do different?
Bra Cripsy, I really like your suggestion. I fall into what you defined as a beginner because, as you say, I feel like I am crashing the party and don't feel like I belong. I also like your comment that a person is a guitarist because he/she loves to play the guitar not because he/she can. That said, I feel like I am a guitarist. I have always had a problem calling myself a guitarist because of my untrained, country bumpkin, backyard playing.
Kepa
Come visit us at HawaiiMusicians.com |
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slackkeylady
Aloha
35 Posts |
Posted - 04/26/2002 : 1:13:01 PM
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Aloha,
Thank you all so much for your great suggestions and questions. Bradduh Chrispy, your analogy of beginners and advanced players was right on, and yes, I had players at various levels at camp and tried to have something easy enough to accomplish right away but not hold back from 'giving too much information'. You can't have too much info, just not enough practice! Yah....I only wish I had seen your analogy before I left.....it fits to a 'T'.(Especially for beginning 'ukulele students!)
About the rhythm......try your muting technique....dampen the strings with your right palm near the bridge and pick bass string with thumb, then strum with backs of nails, pick alternate bass, strum, pick, strum -pick -strum, etc. Or a "Spanish Strum"...... Pluck bass string, fan backs of nails out and down(dededown)towards yourself, then up,
then down, then up , then down, then up. Down dededown up down up down up ...1 AND 2 and 3 and 4 and.
Hope that helps.
For you solo TAB players....FIND THE CHORDS....Chords are not always apparent in a TAB...but they are there! Find them, form them, and play them! You'll need them to jam!
If you ever get the chance to go to Aloha Music Camp DO IT!!!!! I learned alot and I'm sure you will too!
Mahalo Nui,
Slack Key Lady 
Aloha Nui Loa, Slack Key Lady |
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slackkeylady
Aloha
35 Posts |
Posted - 05/04/2002 : 3:25:16 PM
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I just read through this whole section again and printed it out to save for current and future reference!
One more response on the subject of playing behind others with Slack Key......Try just hanging out on the bass part...the alternating bass patterns are the cornerstone of Slack and if you cover the basses...then the other player can expand their horizons while you hold down the fort. Take turns. Your turn....try a few melody oriented patterns....vamp licks....harmonic things. Other person's turn...HOLD DOWN THE FORT! Keep the bass pattern going.
This is definitely something I will be trying with any and all of my future students.
I posted an article at http://www.hawaiimusicians.com in the Articles dept........mostly about the folks at camp. I had a great time, learned that I can still teach!! Learned to try to get to each person individually even if it's a big group.(Will try to do it better next time.) Learned to get alot of people in tune! What a relief when we're all in tune! I also learned that I cannot be everyone's best teacher and that's OK. We are all teachers and students in earth school and I loved being them at Aloha Music Camp.
A HUGE mahalo to all of you who posted here. Priceless!
Ad Min.....please remove this topic until further notice. And P.S. Hiro's pants are on the way to Japan!
Aloha Nui Loa, Slack Key Lady |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
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slackkeylady
Aloha
35 Posts |
Posted - 05/05/2002 : 05:08:07 AM
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Mahalo Ad Min.......uhhummm....I also learned not to wake sleeping students........they need their rest!
Aloha Nui Loa, Slack Key Lady |
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slackkeylady
Aloha
35 Posts |
Posted - 05/05/2002 : 6:35:35 PM
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Welcome jwn! Mahalo for responding and encouraging us to leave this topic up. I'll leave it up to Ad Min.....he'll know what to do. Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!! It's always a big day on Kauai....lots of musicians gather at the 'Taro Patch' in Anahola and kanikajammapila with stage and sound....our own 'Crater Festival' but it happens to be in a beautiful hidden taro patch instead of inside a volcano! Also one of my favorite player's b-day and he's giging at the jazz jza at Hanalei Bay Resort which happens every Sunday and he's in the house band.....so I'll have to make the rounds big time today.....have car....will travel. Bon Temps Roulex!
Aloha Nui Loa, Slack Key Lady |
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