Hawaiian music...with no steel?

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Objective Comment...

I just finished watching a PBS special "Songs of Aloha...A Celebration Of The State's Song And Dance". And, except for a few notes in the opening theme, there was one hour of Hawaiian Music with NO Hawaiian steel guitar!

(sigh)

c c johnson · From: killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.

Alan Akaka was supposed to play steel and you can see his steel in the background on stage. Although the rest of the world feels that it is not hawaiian without a steel, I would say that most of the hawaiians do not deem it necessary unfortunat to say the least.

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Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

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[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 01 May 2002 at 05:03 PM.]

Steve England · From: Austin, TX

That doesn't really surprize me. There is still some steel guitar music in Hawaii, Alan Akaka, Greg Sardinhas, Casey Olsen, and others all play pretty regularly, but mainly at the big tourist Hotels. It is still possible to go to Honolulu and see a steel player every night of the week though. Sadly it seems that the ukelele is taking over as the instrument associated with Hawaiin music, probably because you can make them real cheap and sell thenm to tourists.

I searched all over Waikiki for a record store to get some Hawaiin steel albums, there was almost nothing that I couldn't get at my local megamart. Plenty of ukeleles though.

Herb Steiner · From: Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064

BTW, the ukulele is a real instrument with undisputable virtuosos. I was sent a tape of Ken Emerson (himself an incredible steel player as well as blues guitarist, and just about anything with strings) playing "Ukulele Boogie" that would blow the minds of anyone who isn't musically brain-dead.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

George Keoki Lake · From: Edmonton, AB., Canada

Fellas, ukulele is spelled with two "u"'s, not 3 "e"'s. The ukulele is more "hawaiian"
than the steel guitar. It's been around a heck of a lot longer as has also the Slack Key guitar. Both are beautiful instruments in the proper hands. The steel has only been around for about 120 years at most.(Electric since the early thirties). Of note, it is probably the only "true" Hawaiian instrument invented by a Hawaiian as both the ukulele and (slack) Guitar originated in Spain. The Hawaiians picked up on the "slack" aspect of the guitar after the paniolos left. They couldn't quite figure out the Spanish style of tuning, so they slackened the strings to a musically pleasant major chord. To the average listener the Ukulele and Slack Key are perhaps more musically exciting than our beloved steel guitar. It could be assumed this might be a valid reason why so few young Hawaiians are taking up "their" instrument...the(more romantic)"Hawaiian Steel Guitar".

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

I am very sorry, and I apologize. I had mistakenly thought there would be a lot of Hawaiian Steel...in Hawaii.

Just ain't my day, is it?

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

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[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 01 May 2002 at 05:03 PM.]

Sage · From: Boulder, Colorado

Take this with a grain of sea salt, but I differ with you on a few things, George. The Ukulele evolved from the Braguinha, which is from Portugal. The spanish guitar came from Mexico with the Vaqueros who came to teach the Paniolos a crash course in cattle management. All of this because Captain Vancouver made a generous gift of Texas longhorn cattle to the King of Hawaii some years before, which was great until they multiplied and started tearing up people's farms. The Hawaiian cowboys could have figured out the spanish tuning if they had had more time together and had wanted to, I'm sure. The instruments that would become the slack key guitar and uke were introduced in the 1830's, the steel guitar emerged in the 1880's. I don't call 50 years a lot of lead time. The indigenous slack key style that gave birth to the steel stayed on the islands and didn't make the jump across the ocean. It ended up suffering and going underground due to the illegal occupation of Hawaii by a forgien power at the time, and the cultural oppression that went with it. It barely survived. Young, adventurous steel players were picked up by chataqua's and minstrel shows in this country, and it became the rage. I don't mind that the slack key guitar and uke are making their comeback. they have been down a long time. I'm guessing that in time things will come back together, and the steel will again be given it's regular place back in Hawaiian music.
What do I know? I'm just a haole from the upper midwest that misspelled ukulele just YESTERDAY. Mahalo- Sage

[This message was edited by Sage on 13 March 2001 at 06:30 PM.]

Steve England · From: Austin, TX

Lest anyone think otherwise, my post was not intended as a knock to either the ukulele (see I can spell when I want to)or the ukulele players. I am aware of the ukulele's history in Hawaiin music, and have plenty of recordings of hawaiin ukulele. I just prefer the sound of the steel guitar, that's all!

But it does seem to me that there was a time when the steel guitar was synonomous with the sound of the islands. that doesn't seem to be the case any more. And that is a shame!

c c johnson · From: killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.

Steve, the steel guitar DOES mean Hawaii to the rest of the world other than Hawaii. Thank goodness for the young players in Hawaii that DO play steel.

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

My wife and I won a life-long dream trip to Hawaii in 1985. I could not wait to go over there and hear authentic Hawaiian music everywhere I went.

How sad and dissapointing it was to find NO Hawaiian guitar being played ANY where. I have since learned, "you have to know where to find it". That is fine, but HOW was I to know? One thing for sure, I did NOT find it.

I believe the very pinnacle of the Hawaiians slapping history in the face was when my wife and I signed up for a Sunset
Dinner cruise with a "real" Hawaiian band. Sunsets in Hawaii are indeed breathtaking and so only natural to take a cruise where one could see it without any topography intrusion.

Guess what the band consisted of? Two screaming distorted Strats, along with two mike swallowing singers, a Fender Bass and a set of drums along with a drummer framming the daylights out of that snare.

The really sad part was all the band members looked to be authentic Hawaiian to me. But they were clearly playing Rock and Roll. The funny part was, they put leis around our neck as we entered the boat. And here were all the tourists, band members and crew with Hawaiian outfits and leis, But NO Hawaiian music. Incredible indeed!!

During dinner I started a conversation with one of the lead singers. And I asked him about why no Hawaiian guitar or real Hawaiian music. His reply is worth noting here. He said,

"ya know, I always wondered about that. but this is what we all play"

Enuff said.

God help us,

carl

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

It's no wonder visitors are disillusioned. Most of the tourist ads for Hawaii use steel guitar in the background music. Obviously there are many types of music in Hawaii as there are other places, but from everyone's comments the steel "is the first to go" just like it is here.

Funny, after thinking about this, it's no different than those of us that complain about "country music" not being "country" anymore....

Jerry Gleason · From: Eugene, Oregon, USA

It's true that you won't find much steel guitar to hear in Hawaii. I was on Oahu over Thanksgiving, and the only steel I could find was Casey Olsen with a trio at the Halekulani, although he told me that John Ely was also playing that night at a nearby hotel in Waikiki. Casey Olsen was great, though. He was playing Jerry Byrd's old Excel, and is a fine player indeed. It's a nice setting, the band plays outside with the setting sun and passing boats as a backdrop. Good band, good singers, low volume, no cover charge.

Most of the locals don't really know much about steel guitar music, it seems. I got the idea that maybe they consider it "haole music", or, that to the younger people, it 's just some ancient form of music that nobody listens to anymore. Contemporary Hawaiian music is mostly derived from slack key guitar, and Ukuleles (be sure to pronounce it OO-koo-lay-lee) are always found in the tourist-oriented ensembles, as well as most of the contemporary bands. It's the signature sound, for sure.

It's just as rare to find a steel in a music store there as it is here, maybe more so. Harry's Music in Honolulu used to be the big place, but they had nothing. The best guitar store I found there is Island Guitars. They didn't have many steels either, but they did have an interesting triple neck Rickenbacker, with one ten string and two eight string necks, and a Formica cabinet like a pedal steel.

If you're planning a trip and want to see some live steel, it probably a good idea to check with the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association to see who's playing where, 'cause you do have to know where to find it.

[This message was edited by Jerry Gleason on 15 March 2001 at 09:44 AM.]

Chip Fossa · From: Monson, MA, USA (deceased)

Hey Folks,
You got to check out an old version of
"THIS OLD HOUSE" that was shot in Hawaii.
The theme song for TOH is like a ragtime
piece, and on the Hawaiian series, it's played on steel guitar and is really fabulous.
I may be mistaken, but I think the credits
listed Jerry Byrd.
Check it out if ever comes around again.

chipsahoy

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