Sol Hoopii's tuning

Niklas Widen · From: Uppsala, Sweden

I just heard this hot version of "Hula Girl" with the Sol Hoopii Quartet...does anyone know what tuning he used on that recording?

/Nicke Widén

Jesse Pearson · From: San Diego , CA

Niklas, can you post the song? I know he used C#m7 for alot of his recorded work. I'm not sure when he started using C#m7 on his acoustic stuff, which was in Open A, High A and then maybe C#m7, which for sure musta been his tuning on electric. What date was the song recorded?

Niklas Widen · From: Uppsala, Sweden

Yeah! Here's the steel solo:
http://www.well.com/user/wellvis/HulaGirl.au

I'm quite new to hawaiian stuff and this is just so cool!

/Nicke W

Jeff Au Hoy · From: Honolulu, Hawai'i

Rick Aiello · From: Berryville, VA USA

Here's the whole song ... its not really my daughter .. its Sol

http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum2/HTML/003968.html

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www.horseshoemagnets.com

Jesse Pearson · From: San Diego , CA

Nicklas, C#m7 and High A tuning are real close on the upper 4 strings. Try and sample a part of the recording that has the steel playing upper 4 string chords. Sol mostly played on the upper 4 strings.

C#m7
E
C#
G#
E
B
E

High A
E
C#
A
E
C#
A

Jeff Au Hoy · From: Honolulu, Hawai'i

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Someone posted this to me earlier in the month
C#m7 is called C#m and was used alot by Sol Hoppii:

E
C#
G#
E
B
E

You can also look at it as E6.
Dick McIntire had a tuning called F#9:

E
C#
G#
E
A#
F#
As you can see, the top 4 strings are the same as C#m7.
Dick used this tuning towards the end of his recording
career. I like it because it's so close to C#m7. F#9
was also used by Speedy West and others into western
swing.

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 19 May 2003 at 06:18 PM.]

Jesse Pearson · From: San Diego , CA

David, that was me you goof ball. Gees...LOL

[This message was edited by Jesse Pearson on 19 May 2003 at 08:15 PM.]

Jeff Au Hoy · From: Honolulu, Hawai'i

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

I always wondered where that song came from! I have it on an LP by R. Crumb and the Cheap Suit Serenaders. Exactly the same arrangement, but nowhere near the finesse on the steel. Sol Hoopii rules!

------------------

Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (C6add9), Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6),
Roland Handsonic, Line 6 Variax

Niklas Widen · From: Uppsala, Sweden

Thanks for the info! Sol Hoopii rocks! - The Django of the steel guitar!

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Jesse, It was 4 am when I just grabbed the BBedit page I had it on and pasted it...
sorry you temporarily be came generic!

I had done a session from 5 pm till 3:30 am
and was just checking the mail and forum before collapsing.
Jeff you ain't chopped liver, foi hachet, or dumb.. I didn't listen to the clip yet.
I just had Sol's tuning at hand... FROM JESSE, and went ; oh here... time for bed.
Well way past time for bed, even for me.

And this AM I am listening to LT Zinn Beautiful Isle of Somewhere, so the clip isn't in my head yet.But LT sure is!

The session was a reggae version with CSN&Y Teach Your Children, with an Irish/Welsh singer who sang 5 part harmonies, and the Jerry Garcia steel intro done on mandolin. Came out great.
It will be in heavy rotation in Wales next month!
-----------------------
Bobby Lee, funny you mentioned Bob Crumb. He lives about 20 minutes from me in my friends village and he is a GREAT mandolin player. Plays a 30's mando upside down lefty, but stung righty. Think about that when you listen to his music next time.

He autographed my Devil Girl candy bar ("It's Bad for you"), that I got at the movie premier in NYC.
Normally he doesn't give out autographs, people tend to sell them, but
1) I'm a mando player and 2)he liked the candy bar idea.
He did an album cover for Ian MaCamy a great irish fiddler, friend, and EX new Yawka, from the same village. Bob is a nice guy, but as reported very private.

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 20 May 2003 at 02:42 AM.]

Roger Shackelton · From: MINNESOTA (deceased)

Yes, Sol rules, but Hawaiian Music swings. Ain't never been any rock there, dude.

Does anyone know if there are any recordings currently available of Sol playing an electric lap steel guitar?

Roger

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

Sol Hoopii Master of the Hawaiian Guitar Voulme II has Sol's definitve version of "Fascinating Rhythm" played on electric steel (probably a Rick Bakelite).
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0 000002QK/qid=1053426804/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-8395129-1501744?v=glance&s=music

Not sure what cuts might be electric but there's a 3-disc Hooppii set here: http://members.tripod.com/~marcrecords/sol_cd.html

Bud Tutmarc also sells cassettes of late religious songs played on electric.

[This message was edited by Andy Volk on 20 May 2003 at 03:33 AM.]

Rick Aiello · From: Berryville, VA USA

Bruce Clarke is about to release some ... "Electro-Sol".

He said it would be ready in July. Here is the line up ...

Fascinatin’ Rhythm
Hula Girl
Twelfth Street Rag
E Meleana E
Farewell Blues
Palolo
Stack O Lee Blues
Pulupe
My Hawaiian Queen
Wang Wang Blues
Come On Nancy
Hilo Hanakahi
Hula Blues
Henehene Ko ’aka (For You And I)
A Flower Lei
Twilight Blues
Kings Serenade
Aloha Oe Blues
Kalima Waltz

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www.horseshoemagnets.com

[This message was edited by Rick Aiello on 20 May 2003 at 08:51 AM.]

Jesse Pearson · From: San Diego , CA

Thumbs up to Bruce Clark, I will be getting that one too! Great cruise ship songs by Sol that would get the Hula party vibe going.

Here are the chords I record copied of "hula Girl", in 4/4 time:



intro:|E A |D G,rest|G D |G D |





verse:|G   |A   |D   |G   |


      |G   |A   |G   |D G |





Chorus:|D   |G   |D   |G   |


       |D   |G   |E A |D G |





1st solo:|D   |G   |D   |G "break"|


         |D   |G   |E A |D G |





Chours: (repeat 1st chorus)





2nd solo:|G   |G   |D   |G "break"|


         |D   |G   |E A |D G |

*repeat the 1st solo over and over and the 1st chorus when they come up. -end-

I think Jeff is right, that the steel is tuned to High A. Jeff, I have never thought of you as chopped Liver, "diced spam maybe".

[This message was edited by Jesse Pearson on 21 May 2003 at 02:09 PM.]

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Roger I have that CD Andy posted the link for.
It has acoustic and plenty of electric.
GREAT CD. It really gives that Hoopii feeling.

Eric Stumpf · From: Newbury, NH 03255

I really don't know if these are still available but Bud Tutmarc (a fabulous Hawaiian guitarist in his own right) used to sell home recordings from the early 50's of Sol Hoopii. Bud was a close personal friend of Sol and played a lot of fine music with him towards the end of Mr. Hoopii's career. I have 11 of these cassettes and it's quite a thrill to hear Sol Hoopii's amazing playing on these casual recordings cut on an old disk cutter machine in somebody's living room. How wonderful that such recordings even exist! Bud Tutmarc 8514 Inverness Drive N.E. Seattle, WA 98115-3961.

Rick Aiello · From: Berryville, VA USA

I have that set and the other one that features the religious recordings he sold at revivals.

Those home recordings get awful sad, featuring his final performance. He was blind and the host (Bud?) was taking up a collection for his rent ...

Somewhere on there (earliest home recordings)... he plays a chilling version of "Indian Love Call" ...

Had to end this reply on a happy note

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Those un-released recordings really interest me. Can anyone run them into a computer and on to CD. I could then clean them up a bit... possibly. This is some rare stuff.

Roger Shackelton · From: MINNESOTA (deceased)

Thanks for the information Andy, David and Eric.

I have a Vinyl album of Sol's music issued sometime in the 1970s, called "Hula Blues", I recoginize some of the tunes mentioned above.

I have a recording of 12th Street Rag played on an electric lap steel. The recording was made in the home of O.T. Coffin. O.T. Coffin is said to have been playing the steel guitar, but someone told me it was Sol playing the steel guitar.???

Roger

Eric Stumpf · From: Newbury, NH 03255

I believe Mr. Tutmarc has a copyright on those recordings so duplication would probably need his permission first. Roger, the recording of "12th Street Rag" as featured on that old Rounder LP has been a source of controversy for years. Since Coffin was a consultant for the liner notes, his claim to have been playing steel while Hoopii played uke is believable. I have heard that the uke, though, was played by Coffin, actually, and Sol did that fine steel work. Bob Brozman would be the definative authority who could set the record straight...or Dirk Vogel, come to think of it.

Gerald Ross · From: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Hi Roger (Shackelton),

I have the O.T. Coffin recording too. It's definitely Sol on the steel. I imagine O.T. is providing the backup.

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website

[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 21 May 2003 at 05:38 AM.]

Jesse Pearson · From: San Diego , CA

Wasn't O.T. Coffin a police man who played steel just like Sol, cause they were best buddies and Sol taught him to play just like him?

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