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hawaiian guitar tips needed

27 Oct 99 - 06:25 PM (#128770)
Subject: hawaiian guitar tips needed
From: lingolucky

I would surely appreviate some tips on playing Hawaiian guitar in the old time way (pre-dobro)--tuning, available instruction literature or cassettes. Lingoluck


28 Oct 99 - 09:37 AM (#128950)
Subject: RE: hawaiian guitar tips needed
From: Mike Billo

There is a book titled "Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar", by Keola Beamer and published by Oak publications that's excellent.

The "Taro Patch" or "Spanish" tuning of (low to high) DGDGBD seems to be pretty prevalent.


28 Oct 99 - 11:37 AM (#129016)
Subject: RE: hawaiian guitar tips needed
From: Rick Fielding

I've been using this tuning for years:
From bass...G,D,G,B,D,G. It's great because you can re-tune the high string for many effects, ie. down to F for blues, down to E for Hank Williams. 'Course the same tuning can be done with less tension like this: D, A, D, F#, A, D.

Rick


29 Oct 99 - 11:09 AM (#129441)
Subject: RE: hawaiian guitar tips needed
From: Dani

Go here:

http://www.dancingcat.com/

and follow the slack key links. Lots of people don't know the other sides of George Winston. If you go to hear him play the piano, it's a quirky treat when he pulls out a guitar and plays some of this music that he's really found a connection with.

Happy hunting, lingoluck.

Dani


29 Oct 99 - 12:25 PM (#129474)
Subject: RE: hawaiian guitar tips needed
From: lingolucky


29 Oct 99 - 12:39 PM (#129483)
Subject: RE: hawaiian guitar tips needed
From:

thanks, especially to rick. i will try your tuning, though i am a novice at this style. i have a friend who is in his 90s in a ukulele band. he told me that he used to play hawaiian guitar and i loaned him one that i made--basicaLLY JUST A BOX with a neck, fretless, tuned dobro style in GBDGBD, open G with lines drawn on the fret instead of frets. I printed the chords down the neck--A, BFLAT, C, D, etc. It sounds pretty good in the hands of a good player. But he remembers another tuning, and I am trying to learn as he relearns. thanks to all Lingolucky


29 Oct 99 - 06:56 PM (#129642)
Subject: RE: hawaiian guitar tips needed
From: Rick Fielding

Hey Lingo, got somethin' for you. This was taught to me by an old fashioned steel guitarist many years ago. use your left hand ring finger to reach behind the bar, grab your second string and pull it up a semi-tone (or a whole tone if your strong) . It gives a pedal steel "raise" effect.

Rick


29 Oct 99 - 09:54 PM (#129698)
Subject: RE: hawaiian guitar tips needed
From: Mudjack

I try to keep an old bowled back guitar tuned in DADF#AD and it really is a relaxing lay around kind of guitar time. I highly recomend "Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar MASTERS" Instrumental collection on Dancing Cat records 08022-38032-2 on CD.
I have slid a nut adaptor over the nut to raise the strings so I can play it with a heavy bar but that gets you back to the Dobro style.
Mudjack


30 Oct 99 - 02:43 PM (#129875)
Subject: RE: hawaiian guitar tips needed
From: lingolucky


30 Oct 99 - 02:48 PM (#129877)
Subject: RE: hawaiian guitar tips needed
From: lingolucky

thanks for that tip, rick. mudjack, your tuning seems like the old-time tuning i was looking for. when i think of hawaiian guitar, i do think of the raised nut, which makes any old guitar a steel guitar. the one i built does not even have any frets, just lines drawn on the wood.


30 Oct 99 - 04:48 PM (#129897)
Subject: RE: hawaiian guitar tips needed
From: Rick Fielding

Lingo, I've always wanted to make one like you've described. Are you computer literate enough to send a picture through the e-mails? I'm vaguely computer literate enough to down load it. If you want to, my e-mail is rfield@interlog.com

Thanks

Rick