Keys to getting the Island Sound

Steve Benzian · Post by **Steve Benzian** » 4 Aug 2008 1:30 pm

Our group was asked to play a Hawaiian show in a couple of weeks.....none of us are schooled in Hawaiian music. We have a list of tunes and have listened alot. Any suggestions for the steel player?

Thanks for any help.

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 4 Aug 2008 4:19 pm

If the steel player hasn't been playing Hawaiian music, he might want to use a wider more pronounced vibrato and use chimes (harmonics) frequently.

Optional:
End each song by playing a full chord and sliding it up an octave.
Wear a lei and say "aloha" and "mahalo" a lot.

AJ Azure · Post by **AJ Azure** » 4 Aug 2008 4:52 pm

eat lots of poi and wear coconut bra?

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 4 Aug 2008 4:53 pm

...get ahold of some recordings of Dick McIntire and David Kelii on steel. 2 of the very best in old school Hawaiian music.

If no luck, hit the www.hsga.org web site and check out the audio & visual sections, in particular, Bobby Ingano's few cuts.

Don Kona Woods · Post by **Don Kona Woods** » 4 Aug 2008 9:29 pm

Also, learn two-three Hawaiian vamps or turn arounds.

Aloha,

Don

Mark Mansueto · Post by **Mark Mansueto** » 5 Aug 2008 4:39 am

I'm not a Hawaiin player but I *think* those guys pick the strings up around the 14th - 20th frets to get that big sweet tone.

Don't forget the Hawaiin shirt

Todd Weger · Post by **Todd Weger** » 5 Aug 2008 6:14 am

Mark Mansueto wrote:I'm not a Hawaiin player but I *think* those guys pick the strings up around the 14th - 20th frets to get that big sweet tone.

Don't forget the Hawaiin shirt

I was going to say this also. The tonal difference between picking about an octave above your bar, versus at the bridge is huge, and a big part of that sweet sound. Others mentioned pronounced vibrato, and learning several of the classic turn-arounds, which are also important.

That said, two weeks is an awfully short time frame in which to get a handle on the style. But, with some intense listening and practicing, you should be able to get through it OK.

Good luck!

Richard Brandt · Post by **Richard Brandt** » 5 Aug 2008 8:02 am

When all else fails beans and pineapple juice will make Hawaiian music.No guitar needed.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 5 Aug 2008 8:12 am

This should give you some Island inspiration!

J D Sauser · Post by **J D Sauser** » 5 Aug 2008 9:02 am

Palm trees, sea breeze, a Ricky and a true Island beauty... that's all you need.

Good vibrato, sweet small tube amp... small enough to have a lite singing distortion.

... J-D.

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 5 Aug 2008 9:33 am

Hey, I know her!

Fred Kinbom · Post by **Fred Kinbom** » 5 Aug 2008 9:43 am

J D Sauser wrote:Palm trees, sea breeze, a Ricky and a true Island beauty... that's all you need.

And a drum stool, obviously!

Fred

Craig Prior · Post by **Craig Prior** » 5 Aug 2008 7:46 pm

J D Sauser wrote:... Good vibrato, sweet small tube amp... small enough to have a lite singing distortion. ...

That is no way to describe your girlfriend!!

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 5 Aug 2008 9:52 pm

And if your somewhat used to playing PSG, don't forget to back-off the extreme-highs and presence at your Amplifier! Especially if your amp. is Solid-State! Add a little extra Mid-Range and Reverb and you're about ready! (for something!) If anyone disagrees with your sound, just tell them they don't understand your kind of music! Aloha!!

Steve Benzian · Post by **Steve Benzian** » 6 Aug 2008 7:43 pm

Do you mean Hawaiian musicians get more babes?

Seriously, thanks for all the good suggestions.

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 7 Aug 2008 9:36 am

She's playing that Ricky with the "GIBSON tone and volume knobs' with a crooked bar placement. Also, noticed it's not plugged in.........

I tho't you had to sit and play in the splashing surf in order in order to get that true Hawaiian flavor.

Michael Stover · Post by **Michael Stover** » 7 Aug 2008 10:52 am

Steve Benzian wrote:none of us are schooled in Hawaiian music.

Keep in mind that your audience probably isn't either. Have fun with it.

AJ Azure · Post by **AJ Azure** » 7 Aug 2008 11:09 am

If she were plugged in and playing in the surf she'd be electrocuted¡!!:whoa:

Todd Weger · Post by **Todd Weger** » 7 Aug 2008 12:24 pm

Ray Montee wrote:She's playing that Ricky with the "GIBSON tone and volume knobs' with a crooked bar placement. Also, noticed it's not plugged in.........

I tho't you had to sit and play in the splashing surf in order in order to get that true Hawaiian flavor.

What Ricky?

AJ Azure · Post by **AJ Azure** » 7 Aug 2008 12:45 pm

meanwhile couldn't she get shoes that match the Ricky better? Sorry had a metro-sexual moment lol:)

John Burton · Post by **John Burton** » 7 Aug 2008 1:11 pm

There's a Steel guitar in that picture???

...oh..I missed it.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 7 Aug 2008 6:18 pm

Ray Montee wrote:...I tho't you had to sit and play in the splashing surf in order in order to get that true Hawaiian flavor.

Yes, especially if the surf is lapping over your amplifier.

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 7 Aug 2008 6:32 pm

I wish you good luck with the Hawaiian gig, and the folks you play for will likely like what you play.
There isn't a short-cut to playing Hawaiian style, but if you really get into it you may like it!!

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 7 Aug 2008 8:24 pm

Another good Key to getting that Hawaiian~Sound is The Key of (E)! But then, just about any key can work, in the right hands!

Bill Wynne · Post by **Bill Wynne** » 8 Aug 2008 6:11 am

Please take these comments in the most positive light, but as a steel player who only plays Hawaiian-style, I am a little offended by the notion that a country or jazz player could emulate the Hawaiian style with a few helpful suggestions on a few short weeks' notice.

Some of us have been working decades to come close to developing a Hawaiian touch and tone. Learn two or three turn-arounds? The Hawaiian-style greats had dozens or hundreds of turn-arounds! Their playing is always fresh - even on repeat listenings of the same recordings! John comes closest to constructive advice with his suggestions about tone, but there is just so much more to it than this!

As an exclusively Hawaiian-style player, if I received a call for a country gig, I wouldn't tell the client, "I'll put out my Curly Chalker records and I'll be ready in two weeks!" It just seems so unprofessional.

There are a great many fabulous traditional Hawaiian bands all over California. I would have referred the gig to them.

In a different forum, we have been discussing the preservation of Hawaiian-style steel guitar. And the general concensus seems to be that it can only be preserved and perpetuated if it is approached in true Hawaiian fashion and attitude. What that means to Hawaiians is playing first for the love of their culture regardless of the pay scale. This is the way it has always been among Hawaiians. Now add a touch of humility to this. You will not hear many Hawaiian steel players venture into country, rock, or blues unless they are practicing their asses off in those genres day and night for many years. (Hats off to Greg Sardinha and Bobby Ingano who can go back and forth between the genres with ease.) It is the difference between playing for love and playing for money. If you don't absolutely love Hawaiian music, it is very un-Hawaiian posture to perform it. When you perform Hawaiian music, you are not merely representing Hawaiian music, but rather you are representing a dying culture.

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Keys to getting the Island Sound

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