Slack-key guitar

Subject: Slack-key guitar
From: Rapparee
Date: 18 Mar 05 - 05:49 PM

I heard some slack-key guitar music today, and not being a guitar player, wondered.

What the heck is a "slack-key guitar?" I can't imagine that it means that the strings aren't wound tightly.

Subject: RE: Slack-key guitar
From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 18 Mar 05 - 06:27 PM

As I understand, the term refers to the technique popularised by Hawaiian guitarists using the tuning DADF#AD (or 'Vestapol') tuning, though many techniques can also be reproduces in G open tuning. Characterised by a steady (but not overbearing) bass pattern on the bottom strings, the melody lines tend to mirror the tune of the song, using lots of major 3rd and 6th harmonies up and down the fingerboard. Ry Cooder produced and played on a lovely album of slack-key guitar music in the 70s by Gabby Pahinui and friends which is well worth seeking out. Lovely stuff.

Subject: RE: Slack-key guitar
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 18 Mar 05 - 06:35 PM

Our nephew gave us a couple of CDs of Hawaiian slack key guitar music and we loved them. We've played them countless times. There'a a certain haunting property about this style that draws you in.


Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: Slack-key guitar
From: Micca
Date: 18 Mar 05 - 06:41 PM

Yeah, I picked up a couple of recordings of The Beamer brothers in hawaii on vinyl in the 70's and loved them, I near wore them out playing them, very relaxing music, I would reccommend them

Subject: RE: Slack-key guitar
From: Steve-o
Date: 18 Mar 05 - 07:32 PM

If you want to buy some of this wonderful stuff, go to mele.com, where they have everything musical Hawaiian. There's a whole raft of slack key guitarists to choose from.

Subject: RE: Slack-key guitar
From: GUEST,Wesley S
Date: 18 Mar 05 - 07:33 PM

Follow this link to Dancing Cat records - you'll find a lot of info and history about the slack key tradition. And yes - the term "slack key" comes from the loose strings that are often used in open tunings on the guitar.

http://www.dancingcat.com/

Subject: RE: Slack-key guitar
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 19 Mar 05 - 03:15 PM

At www.kbeamer.com, go to the Online Store for "The Art of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar," an instructional DVD. Also books and cds. Very good.
Keola Beamer

mele.com, recommended by Steve-o, is the best site for Hawai'ian music of all sorts.

Subject: RE: Slack-key guitar
From: M.Ted
Date: 20 Mar 05 - 01:08 AM

A small correction in the comments about slack key--there are hundreds of tunings--no standard one--it was once not uncommon for players to keep their tunings secret, but I think that is not the case anymore--

They like to work from those big fat airy chords. like a G13, for instance--
(here's how to play it on a regular tuning)

3-x-3-2-0-1-0

Try a playing a nice, slow, thumb arpeggio, followed by an up-down-updown-updown pattern with your index finger and you'll get a feeling for it--If you like it, tune your strings to

G-B-F-A-C-E

Then fool around a bit and see what you come up with--

Subject: RE: Slack-key guitar
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Mar 05 - 02:05 AM

A couple of friends from the Seattle area have quite happily immersed themselves in this style of playing. And it's a great excuse to go to Hawaii for conferences. I think they might have had a session to do with slack key at the last Rainy Camp.

SRS

Subject: RE: Slack-key guitar
From: Rapparee
Date: 21 Mar 05 - 09:14 AM

Thanks for information.

I heard the music in relation to a bit on the Grammy awards, and a slack-key recording took the Grammy for "Best Hawaiian Music." I'll have to get some for the library -- I bought all the nominees for Best Folk, Best Blues, Best Native American and Best Jazz (from Camsco, of course) and I'll have to get the Hawaiian. Believe it or not, Idaho has quite a historical connection with the Sandwich Islands -- over near Boise there's Owyhee County, and it's not accidental.

I also have to get some Basque music.

Subject: RE: Slack-key guitar
From: GLoux
Date: 21 Mar 05 - 09:23 AM

Check out Led Kaapana...he is a master of ki ho'alu (slack key guitar)saw him at 2003 Philly Folk Festival and was immediately hooked...

-Greg

Subject: RE: Slack-key guitar
From: Barbara
Date: 21 Mar 05 - 02:02 PM

Dancing Cat Records has a number of excellent slack key artists, and you can get a sampler, "Masters of the Slack Key Guitar" from them.
My personal favorite is Keola Beamer, but some of my friends feel he's not trad enough and prefer others like George Kwan and Ledward Kaapana.
I would suspect that the tunings aren't secret any more, since they are named and described in the liner notes to the CDs.
Some of my favorite music to massage by.
Mahalo nui loa,
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Slack-key guitar
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 21 Mar 05 - 02:33 PM

Dancing Cat Records is owned by pianist George Winston who is no slouch on slack-key guitar himself. When I saw him live a few years ago he played a number of slack-key pieces. Not bad for a haole boy.

Subject: RE: Slack-key guitar
From: Stewie
Date: 21 Mar 05 - 09:27 PM

This set put together by George Winston is of more than historical interest. The sound quality is somewhat noisy, but there is some great stuff here. I am particularly fond of Tommy Blalsdell's 'Mokihana slack key'. The sinewy approach to many of the pieces here is in contrast to the relative smoothness of what I have heard from the Dancing Cat stable: THE FIRST TWENTY COMMERCIAL RECORDINGS.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Slack-key guitar
From: Ebbie
Date: 21 Mar 05 - 10:17 PM

A few years back Led Kaapana and two other Hawaiians were the guest artists at the Alaska Folk Festival in Juneau. We enjoyed them a lot. And then on that Sunday morning they came to the Gospel sing along and with borrowed guitars in standard tunings blew us away in singing gospel songs. Neat guys.

Subject: RE: Slack-key guitar
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 09 Jun 07 - 09:58 PM

So I see we still haven't got a reason for the name "slack key".

Subject: RE: Slack-key guitar
From: bobad
Date: 09 Jun 07 - 10:05 PM

"Hawaiian slack key guitar (ki ho'alu) is truly one of the great acoustic guitar traditions in the world. Ki ho'alu, which literally means "loosen the key,"is the Hawaiian language name for the solo fingerpicked style unique to Hawai'i. In this tradition, the strings (or "keys") are "slacked"to produce many different tunings, which usually contain a major chord, or a chord with a major 7th note, or sometimes one with a 6th note in it. Each tuning produces a lingering sound behind the melody and has a characteristic resonance and fingering."

http://www.worldmusiccentral.org/article.php?story=20030408201611568

Subject: RE: Slack-key guitar
From: Rapparee
Date: 09 Jun 07 - 10:24 PM

I have started a practice of buying for the Library all of the Grammy nominees (not just the winners) in Hawaiian, Folk, Jazz, Blues, Native American, and the other genres which are rarely, if ever, in the media.   

And we've found that some of the actual CDs must be kept out of the cases and asked for at checkout because they are stolen. We discovered this the first year I did it, when all of the Native American and Blues disappeared.

Subject: RE: Slack-key guitar
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 10 Jun 07 - 01:43 AM

repost

My apologies - there is a lengthy explanation in this thread - M.Ted - Date: 13 Dec 01 - 02:35 PM.