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Joined: October 2014 Posts: 270
| i found this Smithsonian article when researching some of Dennis Kamakahi's music. Dennis was a well known and beloved Hawaiian musician, composer and slack key guitarist who passed away in 2014. In 2013 he donated his Ovation guitar to the Smithsonian:
http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2013/05/talking-and-playing-hawa...
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Joined: February 2016 Posts: 1801
Location: When?? | That is very, very cool and has prompted me to learn something new, and to go slack down some strings to see just how awful I can be at it. From where I stand now, it sure can't hurt.. lol. Thanks for posting. |
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Joined: October 2014 Posts: 270
| There are a number of slack key tunings, the most common being taro patch. I've been playing around with the open F tuning which is pretty easy for picking out melodies finger style. My understanding is that, traditionally, slack key techniques are passed down from one generation to another, mainly by ear, and only if the student is deemed worthy. I find the sound to be mesmerizing.
Here's a guide to some of the common tunings and a history of slack key:
http://huimusic.com/slack-key-guitar-paying/
http://www.slackkeyfestival.com/sk_history.html
Here's Dennis playing a different Ovation in 1999:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE-SoLsKZqk
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Joined: July 2014 Posts: 154
Location: Canberra, Australia | Rev Dennis had some wonderful music and his death is a great loss to the world.
A LOT of Hawaiian musicians seem to use Ovation guitars. Mike Kaawa uses a 12 string Adamas, for example.
And here's a wonderful video of Keven and Ikaika Brown both playing Os: https://www.facebook.com/robert.gatti1/videos/10205379464118658/
I'm quite fond of playing slack key on an O myself: My 1778TX is tuned to taropatch and it's my slack key guitar |
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Joined: October 2005 Posts: 4042
Location: Utah | We have a member here from Hawaii who plays slack key. My memory is failing me on his screen name. He had a song on the OFC cd Day at the Beach. Makanani was the song iirc. Alison was taken with slack key after hearing his music and learned to play some. |
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Joined: March 2005 Posts: 12754
Location: Boise, Idaho | That was lanaki. I couldn't remember his name, either, so I looked him up. His video may have been the first time I heard slack key. |
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Joined: May 2006 Posts: 4226
Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | Summer Country Slackin' by Lanaki for A Day At the Beach. (That's a link there folks. You won't be sorry you clicked it. ) |
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