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Slack Key Guitar Playing - The Elusive Artform
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Lester Mcmahon
Dec 14, 2009, 6:41:37 AM12/14/09
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Slack key guitar is a fingerpicking style which has been kept well
hidden by its most notable exponents. Finding books, records or
tutorials on slack key guitar playing is a series of dead ends where
recording studios and music publishers have stopped recording and
publishing and guitar players who specialize in slack key playing
prefer to play for family gatherings rather than look for ways of
spreading the word about their art.
We often associate the guitar and the ukulele with Hawaii but they are
fairly recent imports into the Hawaiian culture. Understanding the way
the guitar was introduced into the country is a matter of whose
version of the story you like best. One version says that American and
Spanish cowboys were invited to work in Hawaii in the mid-1830's to
help with the newly imported cattle population. Another story is that
Hawaiians were helping the Argentine navy with something or other in
Monterey, California. Whatever the truth is, the Hawaiians took to the
stringed instruments and adapted them to their own culture and ways of
expressing their feelings.
Anyway, let us shed some light on the unusual name for this guitar
style. The name "slack key" refers to the practice of changing the
tuning of the guitar by turning the tuning keys so that the strings
are loose, or "slack". The end result of this adjustment is usually an
"open tuning" which means the guitar is tuned so that the open strings
sound a chord. But apparently sometimes slack key guitar players play
in standard tuning, so apart from the tuning, what distinguishes slack
key from other fingerstyle guitar playing? Well, there is the
repertoire. Slack key guitar playing usually accompanies songs whose
themes are rooted in the Hawaiian country - the mountains, the palm
trees, the sea - south sea island stuff.
The G major chord turned out to be a popular open tuning for the
Hawaiian guitarists. This is D G D G B D, from lowest to highest, and
they called it Taro Patch tuning. Another kind of tuning was called
Wahine tuning and included a major seventh, for example D G D F# B D.
Another slack key tuning is called "Gabby's C" and is C G E G A E.
Another aspect that makes slack key special is the unique use of
standard finger-picking techniques like hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides
and harmonics. These guitar techniques are used in highly personal
ways with the guitar player sometimes using different tunings and
techniques for the same song according to how he feels at the moment.
Slack key playing has a wide variety of modes of expression. Some
players will stick to playing a melody with very little variation,
others love to improvise on their basic themes. Other guitar players
love the chime effect achieved by the use of harmonics.
If you are interested in listening to some Hawaiian slack key guitar
playing, some names to look out for are Sonny Chillingworth, Leonard
Kwan, Moses Kahumoku, George Kuo and Ray Kane. These are among some of
the most prominent composers and players of slack key guitar. If you
look on YouTube for slack key guitar videos you will find a handful
uploaded by a few dedicated guitar players who are working on
spreading the word about this beautiful art form.
hidden by its most notable exponents. Finding books, records or
tutorials on slack key guitar playing is a series of dead ends where
recording studios and music publishers have stopped recording and
publishing and guitar players who specialize in slack key playing
prefer to play for family gatherings rather than look for ways of
spreading the word about their art.
We often associate the guitar and the ukulele with Hawaii but they are
fairly recent imports into the Hawaiian culture. Understanding the way
the guitar was introduced into the country is a matter of whose
version of the story you like best. One version says that American and
Spanish cowboys were invited to work in Hawaii in the mid-1830's to
help with the newly imported cattle population. Another story is that
Hawaiians were helping the Argentine navy with something or other in
Monterey, California. Whatever the truth is, the Hawaiians took to the
stringed instruments and adapted them to their own culture and ways of
expressing their feelings.
Anyway, let us shed some light on the unusual name for this guitar
style. The name "slack key" refers to the practice of changing the
tuning of the guitar by turning the tuning keys so that the strings
are loose, or "slack". The end result of this adjustment is usually an
"open tuning" which means the guitar is tuned so that the open strings
sound a chord. But apparently sometimes slack key guitar players play
in standard tuning, so apart from the tuning, what distinguishes slack
key from other fingerstyle guitar playing? Well, there is the
repertoire. Slack key guitar playing usually accompanies songs whose
themes are rooted in the Hawaiian country - the mountains, the palm
trees, the sea - south sea island stuff.
The G major chord turned out to be a popular open tuning for the
Hawaiian guitarists. This is D G D G B D, from lowest to highest, and
they called it Taro Patch tuning. Another kind of tuning was called
Wahine tuning and included a major seventh, for example D G D F# B D.
Another slack key tuning is called "Gabby's C" and is C G E G A E.
Another aspect that makes slack key special is the unique use of
standard finger-picking techniques like hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides
and harmonics. These guitar techniques are used in highly personal
ways with the guitar player sometimes using different tunings and
techniques for the same song according to how he feels at the moment.
Slack key playing has a wide variety of modes of expression. Some
players will stick to playing a melody with very little variation,
others love to improvise on their basic themes. Other guitar players
love the chime effect achieved by the use of harmonics.
If you are interested in listening to some Hawaiian slack key guitar
playing, some names to look out for are Sonny Chillingworth, Leonard
Kwan, Moses Kahumoku, George Kuo and Ray Kane. These are among some of
the most prominent composers and players of slack key guitar. If you
look on YouTube for slack key guitar videos you will find a handful
uploaded by a few dedicated guitar players who are working on
spreading the word about this beautiful art form.
A Complete Learning Method: http://guitarjamor.blogspot.com/#
Lewis
Dec 14, 2009, 12:41:59 PM12/14/09
to
I first got into slack-key listening to Ry Cooder's work with Gabby
Pahinui in the 70's. Second gen for sure, but gorgeously authentic
just the same. The non-standard major chord tunings are kinda second
nature to me now, since I use a lot of them for slide and lap steel
work. But Major 7th tunings drive to tears of frustration. Maybe
because it's kinda style limiting (at least for me it is). But damn...
what great melodies come out of tunings like that.
Lester Mcmahon
Dec 15, 2009, 6:02:38 PM12/15/09
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