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Topic: New HSGA Tune - Makin' Whoopee - Kay Das |
Gerald Ross
From:
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Kay Das
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 27 Feb 2007 7:14 pm No-one is Makin' Whoopee on Steel Guitar |
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I found over a hundred recorded versions researching this tune written in 1928 by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson for the movie/Broadway production of the same name (and recently revived in "Sleepless in Seattle"). I found vocal, big band, jazz, a cappella, blues, folk, country, ukulele, R&B, soul , a steel drum version..even Cyndi Lauper has a version...BUT nary a note on steel guitar, so here is my little contribution to this beautifully written and witty tune. Lovely chords, I played it on Eb, and plenty of room for more improvisation. 
There is even a website dedicated to the song! http://www.alscher.priv.at/whoopee/whoopee.html
They just don't write songs like this anymore  |
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Don Kona Woods
From:
Hawaiian Kama'aina
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Posted 27 Feb 2007 11:55 pm
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Kay,
You do a fine job of coming up with a great variety of tunes.
Is this done from sheet music or do you just pick up tunes by ear and work out the arrangement?
Aloha,
Don |
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Kay Das
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 28 Feb 2007 9:43 am What a great question!
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Don,
That is a great question and thanks for it.
I usually like to cut to the chase and get my paws on the steel guitar and figure out visual patterns and musical harmonies entirely by ear and in "real time". However, unless it is a simple 3-chord tune, I usually like to understand the chord structure of the tune and will often figure that out first, to give me a "roadmap" and an indication of which notes to avoid as they would already be present in the chord. For more complex tunes, and where I cannot figure it out by ear, I do get to the musical notation, but it takes much longer. I do read music but I am slow at it. I talked to Tom Tohma about this once. He also does something similar, and he has a great ear.
For "Makin' Whoopee", I took time to understand the chord structure first and I think you will agree that the chords that Walter Donaldson used in his composition are very innovative.
_________________
kay |
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Don Kona Woods
From:
Hawaiian Kama'aina
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Posted 28 Feb 2007 11:52 pm
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Kay,
Very educational and enjoyable.
Aloha,
Don |
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Kay Das
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 4 Mar 2007 5:48 pm Amy Hanaiali'i
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| Rumor has it that Amy Hanaiali'i recorded this tune on her album "Nostalgia" and that Bobby Ingano played steel on some of the tracks. Did he also play on "Makin' Whoopee"? Could anyone who might possess this CD kindly let me know? |
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