Slack key guitar is an enthralling style of playing that has its roots in Hawaiian music. According to slack key legend Cyril Pahinui, slack key is essentially a Hawaiian term for what's more commonly known as open tuning. This style of playing was first introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in 1832 when King Kamehameha III hired Spanish and Mexican cowboys to teach Hawaiians how to treat cattle. As a result, Hawaiian music was the best-selling genre in the world from 1916 to the mid-1920s due to Hawaiian jazz swing and the arrival of Joseph Kekuku's steel guitar. Slack key compositions demonstrate characteristics of both indigenous Hawaiian and imported musical traditions.
Fred Sokolow, author of the new book Slide & Slack Key Ukelele (Hal Leonard), is a renowned performer, recording artist, and clinician. He explains that even if players aren't interested in Hawaiian music, once they discover the tonality of the slack key and start playing with it, they can apply the techniques to any music. The biggest challenge facing slack key guitar players is the stigmatization of Hawaiian music. According to Robbins, one thing that hasn't happened yet is someone touching the slack key with a flat pick. The slackkey is one of the world's most sophisticated acoustic guitar styles and one of the least known. In the early 20th century, the steel guitar and ukulele gained great popularity on the continent, but the slack-key style remained a popular tradition of family entertainment for Hawaiians until approximately the 1960s and 1970s, during the second Hawaiian Renaissance.
Slack Key's popularity spread during this time and increased in the 1990s when Dancing Cat Records released recordings by many masters of the genre. If you're interested in learning how to create interesting effects with a Hawaiian Slack key guitar, there are several things you need to know. Almost all slack key tunings require retuning the guitar strings with the standard EADGBE, and this usually involves lowering or loosening three or more strings. If you look at the Hawaiian word for slack key, ki ho`alu, it literally means to loosen or loosen the key. Sonny Chillingworth, a notable master of slack key, taught Makana hand in hand, and Makana has set out to spread the style far from its exotic origin. If you enjoyed working on “Manu Kapalulu,” be sure to check out Slide & Slack Key Ukelele, which has 13 more arrangements like this, plus two dozen slide tunes in three different tunings. Learning how to play slack key guitar can be daunting for beginners.
However, with practice and dedication, anyone can master this captivating style of playing. Many online resources can help you start your journey of learning how to play Slack key guitar. From instructional videos to online tutorials and forums, there are plenty of ways to get started on your journey to mastering this unique style of playing. Slack key guitar is an incredibly rewarding style of playing that can bring joy and satisfaction to any musician. With its unique sound and captivating melodies, it's no wonder why this style has been around for so long.
So, if you're looking for a new way to express yourself musically, why not try slack key guitar?
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