The title
of this book says it all: contemporary and innovative.
Classically-trained, music extraordinaire Daniel Ho expands the art of slack key
with songs composed in his original "G Kilauea" tuning. Dr. Steve Sano, Director
of Choral Studies and Associate Professor of Music at Stanford University, attempts to
address such topics. Steve's well thought out historical perspectives on slack key
compliment Daniel's teaching very well.
If you like Daniel's
music, this book is for you. In it, Daniel
has written out 6 songs from his Beyond Blue CD, 2 from the Voyage Home, and 2 from
Watercolors. While this book may not be ideal for beginners, all songs are clearly
documented in both tablature and standard musical notation.
There is a CD supplement to the book. A
highlight for student's of Taro Patch tuning is Steve Sano's arrangement of Ke Aloha O
Ka Haku (The Queen's Prayer) which is a great arrangement to open your eyes to Taro
Patch without the traditional alternating bass. The recording can be found on
Steve's CD titled Pu`ukani.
The book begins with a forward by George
Kahumoku, Jr. Daniel concludes the book with some notes on practicing, performance,
instruments, strings and even recording. I think this book is extremely well done,
but if you are seeking to learn slack key in the old style - this is not the right book
for you. |
= CD
= Cassette
