Slack-key guitar
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Slack-key guitar is a style of music originating in Hawaii using an acoustic guitar fingerpicking style. The strings of the guitar are tuned to notes lower (i.e., 'slacked') than that for a standard guitar tuning. Sometimes the chord is a major chord, although it could also be a seventh, sixth or minor chord.
Historically, the style originated from Mexican cowboys in the late 19th century. These paniolo gave Hawaiians the guitars and taught them the rudimentaries of playing, and then left, allowing the Hawaiians to develop the style on their own. Slack-key guitar adapted to accompany the rhythms of Hawaiian dancing, and the melody of Hawaiian music. Hawaiian music itself, which was promoted under the reign of King David Kalakaua as a matter of national pride, drew rhythms from traditional Hawaiian beats and military marches, and drew its melodies from Christian hymns and the cosmopolitan peoples of the islands (although principally American).
The music didn't receive a national American audience during the Hawaiian music craze of the early 20th century, and outside of Hawaii, Hawaiian music came to be identified with steel guitar and ukulele. As a result, by the Hawaiian Renaissance of the 1970s, slack key came to be seen as one of the most genuine expressions of Hawaiian music, and experienced a surge in popularity, principally by Gabby Pahinui, Leonard Kwan, Ray Kane and the more modern stylizations of Keola Beamer, and his brother Kapono Beamer.
Currently, the music is most well-known through George Winston's Dancing Cat record label, which puts out well-produced albums where the music is put in a solo, classical guitar-type setting. Some other popular players include: Ledward Kaapana, Ozzie Kotani, Cyril Pahinui, Dennis Kamakahi, and Sonny Chillingworth.
Slack-key guitar relies on numerous different tunings, with some tunings only commonly used for a single song, or by particular players. The most common tuning is Taro Patch, which is a G-major tuning.
Common slack key tunings
| Common Slack Key Tunings | Notes Used |
|---|---|
| Open D | D A D F# A D |
| D Wahine | D A D F# A C# |
| Taro Patch | D G D G B D |
| G Wahine | D G D F# B D |
| C Major | C G E G C E |
| Mauna Loa | C G E G A E |
| C Wahine | C G D G B D |
| C 6 | C G C G A E |
| Old Mauna Loa | C G C G A D |
| Open C | C G C E G C |
| F Wahine | C F C G C E |
| Open F | C F C F A C |
| Double Slack F | C F C E A C |
Guitar techniques such as "hammering-on", "pulling-off" and "slides" are often used, and slack-key players play bass on the lower strings, while simultanously playing the melody and its accompaniment.
Slack-key guitar is also known as ki ho'alu, which means literally "loosen the strings."
External links
- All Music Guide to Slack Key (http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDMISS70405190107530623&sql=C12141)
- Homepage for Dancing Cat Record Label (http://www.dancingcat.com/)
- Online Resources & Community for Slack Key players (http://www.taropatch.net/)
- Keola Beamer's Homepage (http://www.kbeamer.com/)
- Hawaiian Music News and Reviews from NahenaheNet (http://www.nahenahe.net/)