New Leavitt Tuning CD - suggestions needed

Mike Ihde · Post by **Mike Ihde** » 25 Feb 2005 7:00 pm

By popular demand (at least 3 people said I should make a new CD using Bill's tuning) I'm about to begin "A Different Slant, Part 2". Some of the suggestions were for more Hawaiian tunes than Jazz. Here's a list of the arrangements I have. Let me know your favorite 5 or so tunes you'd like to hear in the Leavitt Tuning. Thanks,
Mike
1. ALOHA OE
2. SONG OF OLD HAWAII
3. TO YOU SWEETHEART, ALOHA
4. SONG OF THE ISLANDS
5. MY LITTLE GRASS SHACK
6. SWEET LEILANI
7. KALUA
8. HULA,HULA HULA
9. SOUTH SEA ISLAND MAGIC
10. BLUE HAWAII *
11.WHEN HILO HATTIE DOES
THE HILO HOP
12. SING ME A SONG OF THE ISLANDS
13. BLUE SHADOWS AND WHITE
GARDENIAS
14. RAINBOW OVER PARADISE
15. LOVELY HULA HANDS
16. PARADISE ISLE
17. HAWAIIAN PARADISE
18. LANI KAI
19. WHITE GINGER BLOSSOMS
20. MY TANE
21. LITTLE BROWN GAL
22. BEYOND THE REEF
23. HULA LOLO
24. HOLIDAY IN HAWAII
25. THAT OLD HAWAIIAN MOON
26. MAKALAPUA O KAMAKAEHA
27. WAILANA
28. THE HUKILAU SONG
29. HARBOR LIGHTS
30. BENEATH HAWAIIAN SKIES
31. PAGAN LOVE SONG
32. ALOHA TEARS
33. JUST SAY ALOHA
34. INDEBTED TO YOU
35. HOME SICK FOR THE ISLANDS
36. FAIR HAWAII
37. MEDLEY: MAORI BROWN EYES-
SOUTH SEAS LULLABIES
38. TROPIC MEMORIES
39. I WONDER WHERE MY LITTLE
HULA GIRL HAS GONE
40. HAWAII, ACROSS THE SEA
41. KAILUA
42. I’VE GONE NATIVE
43. HOLOKU PARADE
44. ON THE BEACH AT WAIKIKI
45. UA LIKE NO A LIKE
46. MALAHINE MELE
47. WHEN IT’S MOONLIGHT ON THE
BLUE PACIFIC
48. HULA BLUES
49. FOR YOU A LEI
50. HAWAIIAN HOSPITALITY
51. LOVELY HULA GIRL
52. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE HANDS
53. HARBOR OF DREAMS

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 26 Feb 2005 4:25 am

Hi Mike,

I can hear tons of people play those Hawaiian standards. I'd like to hear you play ...

1. Blue Bossa
2. Here's That Rainy Day
3. Night & Day
4. How Insensitive
5. Swedish Pastry

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 26 Feb 2005 6:19 am

Forget jazz, play something pretty. CC

Mike Ihde · Post by **Mike Ihde** » 26 Feb 2005 8:01 am

Forget Jazz? If you don't think "Someone to Watch Over Me" or "My Romance" is a pretty as "Harbor Lights" or a ton of other Hawaiian tunes, then you need to listen to a few more Jazz recordings.

Bill Leff · Post by **Bill Leff** » 26 Feb 2005 8:17 am

I'm with Andy on this one...[This message was edited by Bill Leff on 26 February 2005 at 08:19 AM.]

David Yannuzzi · Post by **David Yannuzzi** » 26 Feb 2005 9:00 am

Hey Mike,
I think you should do a variety of tunes like the first one . Not just hawaiian. How about some blues like a Monk tune. Maybe some reharmed Hank williams tunes or Beatles. Something different. Hope all is well . Good luck - Dave

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 26 Feb 2005 9:00 am

The songs you a\mentioned are pop stds which are great. Jazz is a bunch of guys running scales so you can't tell what song they are playing. Definition from a well known schools dictionary: Musician, Jazz, one who does not have sufficient mastery of their instrument to play the melody.

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 26 Feb 2005 9:07 am

Ah, oh...here we go.

Suggestion: Listen to John Coltrane's Ballads.

Ian McLatchie · Post by **Ian McLatchie** » 26 Feb 2005 10:43 am

Lemme see, Louis Armstrong...Coleman Hawkins...Bix Beiderbecke...Lester Young...Art Tatum...Dizzy Gillespie...Bill Evans...Stephane Grappelli - a bunch of guys who hadn't mastered their instruments well enough to play the melody? Hmm, you learn something every day.[This message was edited by Ian McLatchie on 26 February 2005 at 10:49 AM.]

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 26 Feb 2005 10:49 am

BTW, the only Hawaiian songs on the list are Makalapua and u a like no a like. The rest at best are hapa haole. Lighten up folks. I buy all Mike has had for sale and I will buy what he puts out in the future unless I cannot recognize the songs. I bet I have more real jazz records than 99.5% of you. Deep Purple,Sophisticated Lady, Mood Indigo, etc are pop strds. The problem is that when most jazz cats get ahold of them they sound like anything but the song. I have emails wanting to know what music school I was refering to, its ugla mukluk conservatory of music, Box 0, antartica, 00000. Looking forward to your next endeaver, Mike. CC0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Don Kona Woods · Post by **Don Kona Woods** » 26 Feb 2005 11:06 am

I'm standing with C.C. on this....us ole guys have to stick together.

I thought that the point was to have more HAWAIIAN SONGS than jazz with a different SLANT using the Leavitt method.

My $.03 worth follows:

Two faster songs which haven't been overworked:
***Hula Lolo
*** When Hilo Hattie Does the Hilo Hop

Three slower numbers:

***Paradise Isle (overworked but let's hear it on the Leavitt tuning)
***Indebted to You (A good Andy Iona one)
***Wailana (a good old traditional)

For what it's worth, $.03

Aloha to all of you
Don

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 26 Feb 2005 11:42 am

How about some Django?

Troublant Bolero
Dark Eyes
Swing 39
Blues Claire

Nah! I bet you couldn't do any of that on the Leavitt tuning.....

[This message was edited by HowardR on 26 February 2005 at 11:46 AM.]

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 26 Feb 2005 11:58 am

- Django ... yeah!
- Blue in Green
- Wendy (Paul Desmond)
- Manoir Des Mes Revs
- West Coast Blues
- Tickle Toe
- A Certain Smile
- Estate
- O Barquinho
- Moanin'

Mike Ihde · Post by **Mike Ihde** » 26 Feb 2005 12:02 pm

OOWWWW...a challange! So far, I've found nothing that can't be done on the Leavitt Tuning. The only obsticle is my chops and they might prevent me from playing some burning single note licks.

Don, Thanks for the $.03, that's just the input I was hoping get.

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 26 Feb 2005 12:06 pm

I'll bid 0.04 cents on Django!

Bob Markison · Post by **Bob Markison** » 27 Feb 2005 1:08 am

Blue Hawaii
Joy Spring
Bluesette
Body and Soul
Chega de Saudade

Jeff Au Hoy · Post by **Jeff Au Hoy** » 27 Feb 2005 2:36 am

Quite honestly, I thought the whole point of the Leavitt tuning was to be able to play nice modern jazz harmonies--e.g., maj7ths, raised 4ths, half dims, and so forth (via common substitutions, albeit) ... so I was surprised to see so many "Hawaiian-ey" tunes listed. Not that "Hawaiian" tunes can't be played with those harmonies, but really... classic Hawaiian harmony never really progressed past the 6th chord coloration.

I would suggest more "American Songbook" type songs that have historically paired well with modern harmony. Swing standards. Gershwin, Berlin, Rogers & Hart, Kern, etc.

But maybe I have a distorted view of the Leavitt tuning as being a "jazz" tuning?

I sure do agree with CC's view on jazz musicians, especially a lot of younger ones.

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 27 Feb 2005 6:10 am

Oh heck,...just do "Sweet Home Alabama"

Mike Ihde · Post by **Mike Ihde** » 27 Feb 2005 9:10 am

Bill developed the tuning to play Jazz standards but because of his love for Hawaiian, or hapa haole tunes, he did a lot of arrangements of those as well. He did some reharmonization to them and added some Jazz chords to spice them up a bit.
Since I love ALL styles of music, I'm sure this new CD will be quite diverse.
Picturing myself on the beach in Hawaii watching the changing colors of the setting sun, I think I'll add Purple Haze to the list!!

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 27 Feb 2005 11:14 am

Mike, I'm sure that not everyone, myself included, know very much if anything about Bill Leavitt. It's wonderful that you are championing (is that a word?) his tuning and is certainly a great tribute to this man. Did he record anything? Perhaps you would be so kind to give us some background on Bill.

Thanks.

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 27 Feb 2005 11:17 am

BRAD I don't want to sound narrow minded, but is is possible to unwiden (is that a word?) this thread? <pre>thank you</pre>

Mike Ihde · Post by **Mike Ihde** » 27 Feb 2005 11:27 am

Here's the blurb from the inside of my "A Different Slant" CD. It tells the very short version of Bill's story fairly well. His music career included playing for many show business greats and writing 15 books still used worldwide as the definitive method for learning guitar. If you're interested in his material, do a search for William G. Leavitt.

This recording is lovingly dedicated to the memory of a dear friend and colleague, William G. Leavitt.

Lap steel arrangements by William Leavitt and Mike Ihde. Guitar and lap steel performed by Mike Ihde. For the TAB book of all ten songs with the play-along CD, phone Mike Ihde at 617-747-2241 • e-mail thephotodoctor@comcast.net
Mike Ihde has been an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music for 30 years. An author of “Country Guitar Styles” and “Rock Guitar Styles”, Mike is a versatile guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and film composer.

Bill Leavitt was Chairman of the Guitar Department at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. for 25 years. He built what has become the largest assemblage of guitar students and faculty in the world. Throughout his years of teaching and writing for the guitar, he never lost his love for the lap steel, which he played in his youth. About 4 years before his death in 1990, he invented a new tuning for the 6 string lap steel (low to high: C#, E, G, Bb, C, D). This unusual tuning which I dubbed "The Leavitt Tuning" for lack of a better name, allowed him to play 3 and 4 note voicings of the complex chords found in jazz standards. He wrote over 70 arrangements of Hawaiian and Jazz songs. I promised him I would let the steel players around the world know of his wonderful creation. By performing at steel shows around the globe, I have begun to spread the word and hope that this recording will not only entertain and instruct, but keep Bill’s music and memory alive.

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 27 Feb 2005 5:33 pm

Gee, I always thought jazz combos were a bunch of guys trying to play different tunes all at the same time.
Actually I like some jazz, maybe it's called "light jazz"

Danny Bates · Post by **Danny Bates** » 28 Feb 2005 7:45 am

Mike, How about making a cd with a verse, chorus and bridge of all of the tunes.

If you use Band In The Box as your backup band, you could include the Band In A Box files on the same cd also. That way somebody could learn their favorite songs from the entire list.

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 28 Feb 2005 9:14 am

Thank you, Bill. That is what I was trying to say in my previous posts. They say the mind is the first to go. CC