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Lesson
Live Session 10/26/19 E Ku’u Morning Dew
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Rest Strokes and Free Strokes
This lesson covers the two basic types of motions with the left hand fingers to produce individual notes. The free stroke is most commonly used in Hawaiian Slack Key. Each finger clears the next lower string when playing a note. The thumb clears the next higher string. Rest strokes come to a stop on the next lower string for the fingers and higher string for the thumb. Rest strokes can bring out more volume and fullness which will make melodies or bass lines stand out against free stroke notes.
If your are interested in more lessons like this and further development, you can become a member of the Slack Key Guitar Workshop and get access to all the materials including sheet music and tablature for each lesson.
Left Hand Shifting Exercises
This lesson explores playing the chromatic scale and G major scale on single strings in the Taro Patch tuning. When changing positions the goal is to keep the left hand parallel to the neck with the fingers curved in a fan shape.
Tuning: DGDGBD
If your are interested in more lessons like this and further development, you can become a member of the Slack Key Guitar Workshop and get access to all the materials including sheet music and tablature for each lesson.
Right Hand Thumb Technique
This lesson explores the set up and motion of the thumb of the right hand.
Sanoe, Part 1
Tuning: DADF#AD
If your are interested in more lessons like this and further development, you can become a member of the Slack Key Guitar Workshop and get access to all the materials including sheet music and tablature for each lesson.
Reading Tablature
Tablature is the most effective system for learning written notation for Hawaiian Slack Key guitar playing. The system based on numbers and lines representing the strings of the guitar and the fingerboard is easy to learn and will be used extensively in the lessons I will present to you. Here is an explanation of tablature and common symbols we will use:
Reading Tablature
Koke’e in C Wahine Tuning, Part 1
In this lesson we explore an arrangement I made of Koke’e by Dennis Kamakahi. This is one of the most celebrated songs in the Hawaiian repertoire about the lovely mountain area above Waimea Canyon and coastal area below on the island of Kaua’i. It is arranged in the C Wahine tuning using C and G7 chords in first position and F and C chords in 5th position.
Here is the chord progression to memorize and follow:
C | F | C | F | C | C | G7 | G7 | C | F | C | F | C | G7 | C | C |
G | G | F | F | C | C | G7 | G7 |
C | F | C | F | C | G7 | C | F | C | G7 | C | (G7) ||
Tuning: CGDGBE
If your are interested in more lessons like this and further development, you can become a member of the Slack Key Guitar Workshop and get access to all the materials including sheet music and tablature for each lesson.