Old Ads From Smith's 1925 Hawaiian Folio

George Rout · From: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

A friend recently sent a Smith's Hawaiian Duets 1925 folio. I find some of the ads interesting. I posted a few here. If you had "KEALOHA'S MODERN HARMONY METHOD FOR HAWAIIAN STEEL GUITAR A7TH TUNING", it looks like you could do it all!!!!
Geo
Looks like the URL is just clickable. Well, maybe you have to copy and paste.

Edited by Brad Bechtel to point to the actual pictures.

[This message was edited by Brad Bechtel on 09 March 2006 at 08:18 PM.]

basilh · From: United Kingdom

George, whilst the date of the FIRST publishing is 1925, I doubt that the A7th tuning was included in the Folio of that year !

[This message was edited by basilh on 09 March 2006 at 06:50 PM.]

George Rout · From: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

I understand, but as it shows 1925 on the yellow cover, it is the same on the inside page, I would assume it is 1925. If it was later, wouldn't it list the year of the last/latest publishing? Maybe Mr. Smith and his buddies were like Panasonic, "slightly ahead of their time"!!!!
Geo

basilh · From: United Kingdom

If that's the case George then it must be one of the very first instances of that tuning.
from what I've researched in the past, 1928-29 is the more likely year for the introduction of the A7th tuning.

Click here E-bay item 1935

[This message was edited by basilh on 09 March 2006 at 06:58 PM.]

[This message was edited by basilh on 09 March 2006 at 06:59 PM.]

George Rout · From: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

The same thing struck me Basil, but there is nothing in the book to make me think otherwise. Geo

basilh · From: United Kingdom

There are examples on record of Sol Ho'opi'i using the A7th in 1933 and written accounts of the tunings use pre 1930, but all the searches I've done indicate the Kealoha's book as being 1935.. As you can see from the E-Bay picture the price in 1935 was $1.00...; AND the picture in black and white that you have posted from the Smith's folio is the SAME picture..
This quote is from a great resource University of Hawaii link
From the University of Hawaii at Manoa Library
2550 The Mall

quote:
SMITH, WM 1931
Smith, William J. Hawaiian Folio For Hawaiian Guitar Orchestra Bk. No. 1. New York: Wm. J. Smith Music Co., 1931

And this picture confirms the price in 1935

Baz

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George Rout · From: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Good research Baz. I took a really close look at all the tunes in the book, and there is one, and only one "Holy Night, Peaceful Night" which has at the bottom Copyright 1938!!!!!!! Mystery solved. Geo

basilh · From: United Kingdom

George, you beat me to it, I was going to suggest that the copyright details of the songs should yield an approximate date
The ones listed in my research for the 1935 book are :-

One Two Three Four - Hawaiian Melody
Hawaiian Guitar Range
Old Black Joe
Ua Like No Like
La Cucaracha
Sweet Lei Lehua
E Nila
Old Folks At Home
Chimes
Bugle Calls
Silent Night
Auld Lang Syne
Longning For Hawaii
Hawaiian Guitar Modulations
One, Two, Three, Four
Licks
Endings
On the Beach
Carry Me Back to Old Virginny
I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen
Minuet in G Major
Kalima Waltz
Aloha Oe
Dark Eyes
Miami Moon

Looks like different years had different songs in the book ?
BTW.. Have you noticed that the writer has tried to stay away form copyright material in order to cut costs. A habit prevalent today, but in my opinion a somewhat 'Cheapskate" mentality. Much better to include more complex and popular material

[This message was edited by basilh on 10 March 2006 at 01:55 AM.]

basilh · From: United Kingdom

Please don't ostracise and castigate me with regard to the Spelling of item 13. Longning For Hawaii, that's the spelling as listed..

aye du tri tu bee kairful ov mi spelling !!

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

I have an instruction booklet entitled "Roy Smeck Master of the Silver Strings" published by Golden Gate Music in 1928 showing Smeck using the A7 tuning. A point of interest shows to get an F#m chord put the nose of the bar on stgs 1&2 (split strgs) and slant the bar to allow the tail to flat the G to F#. This is what Joaquin did in the early 40s when he used A7 most of the time. I was subbing at the time and the way he handled the bar was a sight to behold. CC

George Rout · From: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Okay Baz and C.C. First to Baz, it's funny that I looked through all the songs listed in the book and the only one that is c'righted 1938, the date is not clear and I assumed it, like the rest, was 1925.

C.C., there's also an ad on the back of this Smith's book re Roy Smeck and you'll note there he's called "the wizard of the strings"!!!

Re the split string combined slants, many folks questioned the accuracy of the sound in some of these cases. I'm not questioning it, but noting that some of these combinations were awkward to get sounding right on. I meant to mention that I feel good that I play in the "professional high bass tuning"!!!!

[This message was edited by George Rout on 10 March 2006 at 12:00 PM.]

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

Jerry, Joaquin, Noel, Hew Lin, and many others used a7 at times and Jerry and Joaquin used the split string technique many times if the song called for it, no matter what the tuning. I don't think anyone can complain about their intonation. Us mortals may have problems. I played a song for Jerry in a hotel room in Honolulu using split strg and I said it it just don't sound right to me. Jerry said the trick is to use more vibrato. I tried it and it works. CC

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

I have several Roy Smeck playbills and posters and all say "Roy Smeck Wizard of the strgs" or Master of the strgs. Of course, Bert Lynn billed himself virtually the same way. CC

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