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walterotter
Aloha
United Kingdom
20 Posts |
 Posted - 04/28/2011 : 11:05:06 PM
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the Queen has given her loyal subjects a day off today, something to do with a wedding at Westminster I heard on the jungle telegraph, I have to work today, so won't make the abbey, its the best job I ever had, mostly I've been in printing from hot metal compositor to the more mundane computers, now I support autistic adults and often take a uke to work. Beats nine to five all hands down . . .
I gave up playing guitar as a bad job some years ago, the frets were too far part for my fingers, tried piano for a bit, didn't get far then at 57 now I've found an instrument that fits my fingers and suits my Huck Finn mentality.
Largely I reached this point through the influence of my musician friends JC and Angelina who live across the water from me on the diamond wight island of my birth and their friend Jake, both Jake and JC play uke and it was their influence that inspired me to take it up and Angelina has a voice of bourbon and the swagger of a Missisippi tent show Bessie Smith.
I read somewhere that Bob Brozman calls JC and Angelina's dad Johnny 'the king of the Isle of Wight' Johnny's bohemian spirit resonates deeply within me and Johnny and their mum Kim who left China when she was eight years old makes my girlfriend Debs, the girl who loves banjos and me's visits to Poet's Cottage just down the street from where my Mum was born wonderful occasions away from the nah nah of the modern world.
JC and his son Solly have been giving me adhoc uke lessons and now with Mark Kailana's slack key ukulele book, i not only want to let the music of Hawaii seep in but the culture and the history as well, so I've been making historical notes on the pages, culling bits from cyberspace, so next time we go to Poet's Cottage I can play Moanna Chimes for the Grimshaws, and tell them about what I've found, because tunes are more than notes on a stave to me, I wanna know who M K Moke was and the stories and how he came to write the tune then I want to see where it takes me . . .
as we say in my beautiful shires just south of Winchester and north of the diamond wight island
keep smiling
javascript:insertsmilie(' ')
Mike
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 04/29/2011 : 12:32:22 AM
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Welcome to TaroPatch, Mike. We have a few fellows from your neck of the woods who visit TaroPatch every now and then - Trev and BasilHenriques. Keep an eye out for them and don't forget to join in and share your thoughts from time to time.
I have recently taken up the uke myself primarily because I need to have something to play along with while my husband, Paul (Rendesvous1840 here on TaroPatch) plays guitar or uke. I myself have nerve damage in my hands from diabetic neuropathy and found a concert sized uke to fit my hands without any difficulty. I also had the action set up nice and low for me so I don't have to use too much strength to make decent chords.
Please keep an eye out on Mondays for the Mele Monday list, a concise listing of Hawaiian music videos that I find on You Tube. I put the list together every week to give you guys all one nice easy place to find all the videos. All you need do then is click on the link and watch the videos!
Once again, welcome to Taro Patch. I think the hype on the wedding shall slack off a bit now that they have just taken their vows. She is beautiful and oh my, Prince William looked so very handsome (as did Harry). But I still don't like Camilla and I don't know why. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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walterotter
Aloha
United Kingdom
20 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2011 : 02:39:13 AM
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thank you Wanda
hope I can make a contribution, largely just on a learning curve so grateful for all the suggestions and will look for the Mele list today (English bank holiday, just happen not to be working) and keep watching and listening and learning, Camila gives me the creeps too and I'm more drawn today to making notes in my uke buke about Queen Lili'uoklani and discovering who Sonny Chillingworth was, beautiful day in the shires for sitting outside and playing on the breeze
hope your problems with your fingers don't stop you playing, I've had diabetes for forty years so can sympathise
best wishes
keep smiling
Mike |
'the lights in the sky are stars . . .' |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2011 : 04:43:15 AM
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| Welcome Mike! |
Andy |
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Trev
Lokahi
United Kingdom
265 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2011 : 01:42:55 AM
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Greetings, Mike. It's always nice to find someone from the UK with an interest in Hawaiian music. Almost nobody has heard of it over here, have they?
I live in Yorkshire, and hardly ever visit the South of England, but I have been to the Isle of Wight - a friend with a boat sailed me there from Southampton.
I avoided the Royal Wedding altogether. I'd rather the country became a republic, myself. There's no need for a Royal Family in the 21st Century. We've not got to defend Minas Tirith from the Orcish hordes with enchanted swords or anything, have we?
Good luck with your ukulele - there's a whole world of discovery in those four strings! |
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walterotter
Aloha
United Kingdom
20 Posts |
Posted - 05/04/2011 : 12:46:50 PM
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thanks Andy and Trev for the welcome, Trev lots of diverse music about but not always easy to track it down, probably here in the shires the same as yorkshire, alot under the radar which sometimes i prefer because it keeps the hordes at shopping malls at bay (a gentle hint I'm a country boy with little time for the banal of our times)
. . . and yes there aren't many who know of Hawaiin songs or slack key tunes, the only UK Hawaiin band I knew of until I saw Basil's cv here was the Hula Bluebirds, my friend JC sits in occasionally on uke with them as his friend Jake is a member. Not heard them in person or much of their material but know Jake is steeped in all kinds of obscure tunes and songs from Hawaii culled from the vaudeville and jazz era.
My learning curve on these four strings will be long and slow and I'm loving Wanda's list of youtubes to listen to, what I'm loving about the slack key tunes and songs are their subtle changes of chords, almost understated and the grace of the melodies, my girlfriend sent me a text on my field telephone the other night and suggested using a thumb pick for the Paniola Slack Key tune in wahine tuning to accent the pulse of the bass line, tried it and it sounded beautiful, I love experimenting with things to find a groove.
I amaze myself that these four strings have brought me this far already . . .
keep smiling
Mike
quote:
Originally posted by Trev
Greetings, Mike. It's always nice to find someone from the UK with an interest in Hawaiian music. Almost nobody has heard of it over here, have they?
I live in Yorkshire, and hardly ever visit the South of England, but I have been to the Isle of Wight - a friend with a boat sailed me there from Southampton.
I avoided the Royal Wedding altogether. I'd rather the country became a republic, myself. There's no need for a Royal Family in the 21st Century. We've not got to defend Minas Tirith from the Orcish hordes with enchanted swords or anything, have we?
Good luck with your ukulele - there's a whole world of discovery in those four strings!
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'the lights in the sky are stars . . .' |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 05/05/2011 : 01:09:01 AM
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Aloha e Mike - you might want to look into buying the song book He Mele Aloha. This is the one that most anyone who plays Hawaiian music uses. We even see professional musicians like George Kuo and Aaron Mahi with the book open on their music stands when they are playing at the Waikiki Marriott. Here is one link for obtaining it, but you can search the internet for any number of places where you might be able to find it. Maybe even a local bookstore might obtain it for you. http://www.tropicislemusic.com/misc/books7.htm
If you look in the Hawaiian Music thread at the top of the list of forums here, you will find a list of each of the songs in the book and a link to a you tube video of someone performing the song so you can here what it sounds like. The videos I selected were purely the ones that fit my taste, if there was more than one video of that song available. In many cases, I found only one video. As you look at the listing, you can see that there are very few songs for which I was unable to find a video. If you use the book and the list, you will greatly increase your Hawaiian music repertoire. And listen carefully please to the pronunciation and phrasing of the Hawaiian language.
I think playing Hawaiian music in the shires of England is probably like playing Hawaiian music in Cleveland, Ohio. We have to make our own as best we can.
P.S. - I have traced my family history to 16th Century England. My family name is Bradshaw. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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Konabob
`Olu`olu
USA
928 Posts |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 05/05/2011 : 08:37:19 AM
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| Eh Konabob - we will be making the trek to O`ahu in August. You need to come over there. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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Trev
Lokahi
United Kingdom
265 Posts |
Posted - 05/05/2011 : 11:27:40 PM
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Alas, I’m not sure that there’ll ever be a ‘next time’ for me.
The first time I went in 2007, it was going to be a ‘once in a lifetime’ trip. It was almost 2 pounds to the dollar then.
Now it’s about one dollar sixty. Two years ago it was one dollar thirty. It makes a significant difference. Also, I work in the public sector, and consequently have always been relatively low paid.
Our conservative government have frozen all public sector pay. Coupled with 4-5% inflation (higher for essentials like food and fuel) it’s tantamount to having a 10% pay cut.
I thought I was going to be made redundant – they’re cutting 30% of jobs, but I’ve been lucky enough to secure a new posting in the last month – Yaaay!
But realistically, flying to Hawaii is, well, a bit extravagant. It’s relatively easy to save a couple of thousand pounds by simply not going.
I’ll never say never, and I’d very much like to visit Hawaii again one day. In the foreseeable, however, I’m most unlikely to be in receipt of any more money, and the costs of travelling to Hawaii are most unlikely to become more economical.
But y’know, I thought I was making a once-in-a-lifetime trip and I’ve been three times. I’ve made some great friends and memories that you can’t buy at any price. I’ve been pretty lucky.
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Konabob
`Olu`olu
USA
928 Posts |
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ypochris
Lokahi
USA
398 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2011 : 08:52:46 AM
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"In the 1700's the only way to get to Hawaii was to join the British Navy, and sadly, the chances of making it home alive were not spectacular."
Ah, but it was so much more worth visiting then! |
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walterotter
Aloha
United Kingdom
20 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2011 : 10:02:24 PM
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Aloha Wanda thanks for the recommendation of He Mele Aloha, looked it up on Amazon and found they wanted an arm and leg for it but your link from the islands was brilliant and never had anything shipped from Hawaii before that will make my postman sit up! Will have to wait for next pay day though, meanwhile its Monday I'm off for a couple of days and will look out for more of your youtube links.
My cousin Dick jest moved to Ohio from the diamond wight island and married a lovely gal over there, it was all his fault I picked up a ukulele in the first place, he pressganged me to go on a road trip across North Carolina into Tennessee, i didn't take much pressganging and I brought a humble little soprano home from the Blue Ridge.
Bradshaw sounds like a northern name Wanda, you and Trev might be cousins!
Mike
quote:
Originally posted by wcerto
Aloha e Mike - you might want to look into buying the song book He Mele Aloha. This is the one that most anyone who plays Hawaiian music uses. . . .
I think playing Hawaiian music in the shires of England is probably like playing Hawaiian music in Cleveland, Ohio. We have to make our own as best we can.
P.S. - I have traced my family history to 16th Century England. My family name is Bradshaw.
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'the lights in the sky are stars . . .' |
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walterotter
Aloha
United Kingdom
20 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2011 : 10:22:01 PM
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morning Konabob the whiff of salt brought me to look into Captain Cook's adventures in Hawaii and I'd forgotten Captain Bligh had sailed with him, I read a wonderful book once written by Bligh's great something or other grandson which gave another side to the story of the Bounty.
My mum's grandfather had sailing barques running between the diamond and the mainland, one was called the Chamois, the other the Gazelle, I'm probably a hundred years too late to borrow one, sail up to Whitby (alot more romantic than Leicester any day!) and pick up Trev and make our way to the islands but in my mind I can and I have been checking out your wonderful links, the basses look amazing and it is all giving me a the breeze through palms on your island while I am finding my feet with this Sonny Chillingworth inspired tune called Ukulele Dream.
Lovely day in the shires for doing absolutely nothing . . .
keep smiling
Mike
quote:
Originally posted by Konabob
Half way around the world.... In the 1700's the only way to get to Hawaii was to join the British Navy, and sadly, the chances of making it home alive were not spectacular. So you have done really well, Trev. It was a pleasure to meet you, and to be entertained by you too! I am glad that Mike showed up here on TaroPatch. At least you have someone to play Hawaiian music with, but you might have to both meet in Leicester - looks like halfway on Google Maps.
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'the lights in the sky are stars . . .' |
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Trev
Lokahi
United Kingdom
265 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2011 : 01:34:58 AM
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Bradshaw is indeed a North English name. But my family name is Thomas which is a Welsh name.
I'm actually not a native of Yorkshire, but I was born in Merseyside, of Welsh and Scots and Yorkshire ancestry. I'm reluctant to mention this to Americans, though, because when they find out they invariably start talking about the Beatles.
My father and grandfather were sailors too, on merchant ships.
I can meet you at Whitby, sure. I love Whitby and usually go once a year. Moored in the harbour there is a replica of James Cook's ship. Perhaps one day we Should 'liberate' it, and sail it to Hawaii! |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2011 : 01:53:01 AM
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I think our family history says that we came from "..the Land of York (the England part) to Beech Fork (the West Virginia part). So does that mean Yorkshire?
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Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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aloha from the English shires . . .
