Lesson

This song is one of the most famous of all the slack key mele and was made popular by Gabby Pahinui who first recorded it in 1947.  This version is based on the way Sonny Chillingworth would play the song with a rolling chord introduction over G7 and C chords and a beautifully embellished accompaniment pattern.  You can start by playing the first two measures of the vamp repeatedly until you get a nice smooth rhythm.  It can be played at any tempo.  The song is most commonly played at a nice laid back medium tempo but Gabby would often play it faster.  It also works beautifully at a very slow tempo.  Start slow and work on each small phrase separately.  I arranged the melody for an instrumental version of the song.  You can sing the song by continuing the accompaniment pattern during the verses.

The lyrics can be found here.  The first five verses and the final verse are usually what is sung.  It is good to study the other verses to know the full story of the song.  The kauna or veiled meaning of the song is believed to be about a woman from Puna on Hawai’i island who has a romance with a man from Waipi’o Valley that inspires gossip amongst the “manu” (birds) in the valley.

Tuning: CGDGBD

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.

Become a member here

This mele is based on a chant by King Liholiho about a kapu or restricted beach area in Waialua on the island of O’ahu that was set to music by Charles E. King.  The first Taro Patch tuning vamp we have studied is used extensively in this lovely song. Practice keeping the alternate bass pattern steady and bring out the shifting harmonies between G and D7 chords by changing bass notes from the 5th to 6th strings.  G in on the open 5th string and D is on the open 6th string.

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.

Become a member here

This lesson will help you develop your right hand fingerstyle technique on open strings.

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.

Become a member here

Here is a lesson to further develop your understanding of basic music notation.  The goal here is to understand how to count out various rhythms and read rhythms in tablature notation.

Sheet Music:

Rhythm Worksheet for Counting and Reading

In this lesson we explore the right hand set up for strumming.

This lesson looks at setting up the left hand to play single notes

In this lesson, the right hand position is introduced for playing fingerstyle guitar.

G Wahine Tuning is a wonderful variation on the Taro Patch Tuning.  The third string is lowered from G to F#.  This tuning was a favorite of Sonny Chillingworth, Ray Kane, and Alice Namakelua.  We will explore many songs in this tuning in later lessons.  Start to get to know the tuning and memorize the G, C, and D7 chord shapes in first position.

Tuning: DGDF#BD