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Topic: Getting Hawaiian |
Jerry Gleason
From:
Eugene, Oregon, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2009 3:09 pm |
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I just played my first "Hawaiian" gig with a local group. It was a blast! I played my Fender Stringmaster D-8 with B11 and C13 tunings. I got to play a ton of classic instrumentals, like "Sand", How D'ya Do", "Coconut Grove", "Wear a Lei", "Blue Hawaiian Moonlight", etc. A really good workout on B11, especially. I'm getting to really like that tuning. I can convert it to A6 just by retuning the 5th string a half-step.
Interestingly, most of the musicians, although from Hawaii, don't think of steel guitar as part of their tradition. Most of their songs are more from traditional Hawaiian folk music, or contemporary slack key styles. To them, the electric steel guitar is an interesting novelty. They do seem to like it, but it's from a different era or branch of Hawaiian music that they're not all that familiar with. Unfortunately, some of them also are not all that familiar with the more extended chord types used in those classic songs (...sixth chord..., minor seventh,...diminished,..wha??) It all worked out, though. The audience loved it, and it was fun for me. I never got to play that many instrumentals on any gig where I played pedal steel.
If I keep playing with these folks, the challenge will be to figure out how to better integrate the steel into their repertoire, rather than it just being a novelty instrument for a few instrumentals. The C13 and B11 tunings (in my hands, at least), don't really lend themselves to songs that have mostly major chords, and maybe the occasional seventh chord. Stick a sixth in there, and it really doesn't fit...
Maybe I'll try bringing along a six string with a Dobro tuning like GBDGBD. It seems like that might at least compliment some of the slack key material a little better.
Working up these tunes has really helped me get a lot more comfortable playing non-pedal. I'm looking forward to getting "more Hawaiian". |
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Josh Cho
From:
New York, NY (orig. Honolulu, HI)
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Posted 2 Feb 2009 3:37 pm
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Jerry,
Congrats on your first Hawaiian style gig, brah. Sounds like you had fun, which is the main ting. 
As for local Hawaiians and the steel, IMO ( which is based on growing up on Oahu and witnessing first hand the Hawaiian music and culture renaissance through the 1980's), there was a backlash to the "hapa haole" and "cheesey" steel guitar sound that defined Hawaiian music to mainlanders, which I believe is the reason you describe the experience you had.
Many real Hawaiian musicians frown upon songs like Grass Shack, and the Elvis Hawaiian song renditions --Blue Hawaii and Rock a Hula!!--because of this and don't consider them part of the repertoire.
You'll find most contemporary Hawaiian music being played on acoustic 6-string guitars, played in what the olden days Hawaiians may have considered "Spanish" style--the way a regular guitar is played, which is ironic.
_________________
Lap-n-Console Steel Guitar Lessons |
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Jerry Gleason
From:
Eugene, Oregon, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2009 4:07 pm
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Yeah, I was expecting a tepid reception, based on times that I've visited the Islands in the last decade, where steel guitar was scarce, and the music culture had changed. It was actually a surprise to me when I was contacted by one of the group members to join in and play some steel. The members of the group span a range of ages, younger and older, and I think some of the older members got a kick out the fact that somebody wanted to play some Hawaiian pop/lounge music from sixty years ago.
Here in Eugene, there is a pretty active Hawaiian community, and a lot of people with Island connections. One of the younger members of this group plays in a popular "Jawaiian" band, blending Hawaiian and Reggae. It seems that not a lot of the younger people have even heard some of this classic old stuff, so it was fresh and new to them, and they dug it more than I expected. Of course, having a couple of pretty Hula dancers in front of us probably helped too... |
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AJ Azure
From:
Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 2 Feb 2009 4:14 pm
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| I wonder how mcuh the watery electric sound has to do with it too. If they play slack key, go acoustic too. |
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Josh Cho
From:
New York, NY (orig. Honolulu, HI)
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Posted 2 Feb 2009 6:52 pm
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Jerry,
After graduating from HS in Hawaii, I went to UofO for my first year as a music major, met a few Hawaiians there and knew of many more all up and down the Pacific Northwest. I love Eugene, though when I was there --20 years ago--not much Hawaiian music was being played at that time  Lot of Deadheadz, tho
I have a lot of hope for the younger generation that's coming out now, as it sounds like they're more open to the older styles.
_________________
Lap-n-Console Steel Guitar Lessons |
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Todd Clinesmith
From:
Lone Rock Free State Oregon
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Posted 2 Feb 2009 7:59 pm
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Hi Jerry
Sounds like some nice music . Let me know when you have some gigs lined up... I'll drive up and check it out.
I need to get up and play some music with you as well as we have discussed in the past. Time has been short these days but i think of looking you up often ..... I'll make it happen.
Hope all is well
Todd |
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Jerry Gleason
From:
Eugene, Oregon, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2009 8:18 pm
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Hey, Todd, I'll get in touch. I'd really like to get down your way and see your superb guitars.
Josh, the Deadheads are still here.... Probably all the same ones, too. |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 6 Feb 2009 9:01 am About that Hawaiian music.......................
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Enjoyed your remarks about playing the Hawaiian gig.
I've found that playing Hawaiian music.....is so much easier than playing western swing on a pedal steel.
In Hawaiian, you just play along with the melody and all the chords changing by the others, makes it sound like YOU, on steel, are doing some really fantastic manuevers even if you're only playing on one string at the time.
Lot's of great back-up opportunities in those olde songs. Steel guitar at its finest!
Keep it up my friend. |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 6 Feb 2009 9:03 am About that Hawaiian music.......................
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Enjoyed your remarks about playing the Hawaiian gig.
I've found that playing Hawaiian music.....is so much easier than playing western swing on a pedal steel.
In Hawaiian, you just play along with the melody and all the chords changing by the others, makes it sound like YOU, on steel, are doing some really fantastic manuevers even if you're only playing on one string at the time.
Lot's of great back-up opportunities in those olde songs. Steel guitar at its finest!
Keep it up my friend. |
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Todd Weger
From:
Safety Harbor, FLAUSA
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Posted 6 Feb 2009 10:42 am Re: About that Hawaiian music.......................
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| Ray Montee wrote: |
| In Hawaiian, you just play along with the melody and all the chords changing by the others, makes it sound like YOU, on steel, are doing some really fantastic manuevers even if you're only playing on one string at the time. |
Ray's right. That's been my experience, too. I accompany a lot of folks at an open mic around here, and when I get off stage, listeners in the audience ask me how long we've been playing together. Most of the time, I tell them "That's the first time we've ever met. I was just following him." they can't believe it. But if one has good ears, one can just listen and react. The legato nature of the steel allows us to "float the note," so to speak.
Of course, if one doesn't have good ears, this technique doesn't work as well!
Conversely, when I back up someone on bass, I don't have the luxury of waiting to hear where the harmonic progression is going. I have to be able to play the right note right on the downbeat. Not nearly as much fun when I don't know the tune. Lots of left hand watching of the guitarist! 
_________________
Todd James Weger --
1956 Fender Stringmaster T-8 (C6, E13, A6); 1960 Fender Stringmaster D-8 (C6, B11/A6); Custom-made 25" aluminum cast "fry pan" with vintage Ricky p'up (C6); 1938 Epiphone Electar (A6); 1953 Oahu Tonemaster; assorted ukuleles; upright bass |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 6 Feb 2009 11:36 am
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I played behind a singer who hated when I played unison with the vocals. I had to fill in between the lines, even at times when the the unisons would have been so effective. Oh well, I'm a good counter-puncher, so I rolled with it.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Mat Rhodes
From:
Lexington, KY, USA
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Posted 7 Feb 2009 11:28 am
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| I played behind a singer who hated when I played unison with the vocals. I had to fill in between the lines, even at times when the the unisons would have been so effective. |
I sing and play steel and I also hate it when I play melody lines in unison with my singing. It distracts me. I have to play pads or otherwise my mouth isn't on the mic while I'm watching the left hand. It sounds (to me, anyway) better playing melodies between the lyrics.
Hawaiian steel players are better off in the background anyway.  Many may not agree, but you actually can have too much steel.   |
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James Kerr
From:
Scotland, UK
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Posted 7 Feb 2009 12:40 pm
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I read with interest you experience with the Hawaiian music, and also the remarks made by Josh with regard to what is now Hawaiian music.
Today I downloaded some tracks of Slack Key Hawaiian music by a very fine player called Keola Beamer (I started out in this music, and am just getting back into it too) I expected to hear a little bit of Steel in there too, but it was just straight guitar. I looked up his Bio and nowhere has he recorded with steel.
As Josh says, there is no Little Grass Shack or Elvis stuff here, its all contemporary stuff and very beautiful too, I hope sometime I can transpose this on to my 6 string Tiesco R1 and enjoy Hawaiian again in its new form.
James. |
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Billy Tonnesen
From:
R.I.P., Buena Park, California
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Posted 7 Feb 2009 4:22 pm
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| I basically learned to play the Steel Guitar back in the early 40's playing Hawaiian music. Many of the Hawaain players back then played the C#Minor 6-string tuning. My Hawaiin teacher was a Mr. George Kaahiki. in Los Angeles. In the C#Minor tunings you had to learn a lot of forward and backward slants. Until more recent years I had never heard of the "Slack String" type of playing. I agree with Ray Montee, you have to put a lot of feeling in playing Hawaiian music. How your left hand glides along the neck and the right amount of vibrato is part of this feeling. |
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