Slack key guitar is a captivating style of music that has its roots in Hawaiian culture. According to slack key legend Cyril Pahinui, slack key is essentially a Hawaiian term for what's more commonly known as open tuning. This type of guitar music has a very personal and magical feel, which comes from techniques such as “hammering-on” and “pulling-off”, harmonics (“ringing”), slides, and Tyrolean and falsettes. If you are starting your guitar lessons in an open tuning, continue your studies now with Taro Patch Tuning.
This book presents 25 traditional and original intermediate to advanced level melodies in the Hawaiian slack key style. Kimo's seven loose-fitting CDs have earned him much praise and more than 75 million plays on Pandora and Spotify. Jim Kimo West is recognized as one of the best Slack Key guitarists in the world and brings his unique musical perspective to this great tradition of acoustic guitar. Ken Emerson won the prestigious Kahili Award for perpetuating Hawaiian culture, and was one of the artists and composers featured in the first Hawaiian album by the National Academy of Recording Arts, & Sciences, which won the Grammy from the National Academy of Recording Arts. While open tuning can be played on any guitar, most players prefer an acoustic instrument with nylon or steel strings. Starting in 1912, slide blues guitarists and country and western steel guitarists were increasingly influenced by the sound of the loose Hawaiian guitar, due to the increase in recordings and tours by Hawaiian artists. Slack Key guitar music is sweet and moving, and it is said that the open tuning is extracted from the heart and soul through the fingers of every player.
Although open tuning and slack key use similar tunings, such as open C and open sun, for example, the slack key has a different sound, influenced by the tropical environment and the relative isolation of Hawaii. Jim Kimo West & Ken Emerson are two living legends in the world of Hawaiian slack guitar and acoustic steel guitar. The 1912 Broadway show, Bird of Paradise, helped introduce Hawaiian music (though not the slack key) to the continent, as did the Hawaiian shows at the great Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915. Slack key guitar is a unique style of music that has its origins in Hawaiian culture. It is a personal form of expression that can evoke feelings of aloha, joy or longing. To learn more about this captivating style of music, start your studies with Taro Patch Tuning.
Jim Kimo West & Ken Emerson are two renowned musicians who have contributed to preserving this great tradition. With their help, you can unlock the secrets of Hawaiian slack key guitar.
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