Slack key guitar song

[jkilguitar]

Hi,

I am wondering if anyone is familiar with the tune "Celtic Summer" from the album Slack Key Guitar Vol 2 from 2005 (also called "Toe Jams" on another album) by Bryan Kessler and knows which slack key tuning he is using for this piece. Even better, has any figured out how to play this song and do you have this music/tabs or a video of this song being played. Thanks!

[sirduke58]

More likely than not the tuning for "Celtic Summer" is Open G aka Taropatch tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D) capoed on the 3rd fret up to Bb. It shouldn't be hard to figure out. Basically the melody can be found using the parallels on either strings 1 & 3 or 2 & 5. Noodle around for a bit and you'll get it.

FWIW "Slack Key Guitar Vol II" is a terrible representation of REAL slack key. The only true traditional slack key artist of note on the CD is Elmer "Sonny" Lim. His cover of "Punahele" is a standard traditional style piece. Most of the other songs are either "Contemporary Slack Key" or mislabeled and should be called "Songs in alternate tunings" Sadly there are a lot misrepresentations of "Slack Key" on the internet.......Check out my YouTube channel, I have a couple of traditional slack key( ki ho'alu in Hawaiian) videos.

Aloha
Duke

[jkilguitar]

Great, thank you for pointing me in the right direction! I'll definitely check out your videos

[cke]

FWI Lindsay Buckingham's, "Never Going Back Again" is a slack key
CGDGBe

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by sirduke58

More likely than not the tuning for "Celtic Summer" is Open G aka Taropatch tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D) capoed on the 3rd fret up to Bb. It shouldn't be hard to figure out. Basically the melody can be found using the parallels on either strings 1 & 3 or 2 & 5. Noodle around for a bit and you'll get it.

FWIW "Slack Key Guitar Vol II" is a terrible representation of REAL slack key. The only true traditional slack key artist of note on the CD is Elmer "Sonny" Lim. His cover of "Punahele" is a standard traditional style piece. Most of the other songs are either "Contemporary Slack Key" or mislabeled and should be called "Songs in alternate tunings" Sadly there are a lot misrepresentations of "Slack Key" on the internet.......Check out my YouTube channel, I have a couple of traditional slack key( ki ho'alu in Hawaiian) videos.

Aloha
Duke

EEEhhhhhhh, Dukie, aloooooooha! Howzit, sir? Uncle Cyril just stopped in to let folks know about a couple of events and now you show up ... life is good and kanakas are _everywhere_!!

Fran

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by cke

FWI Lindsay Buckingham's, "Never Going Back Again" is a slack key
CGDGBe

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I would suggest that slack key is by definition Hawaiian music. There's a ton of borrowing and influencing (listen to some vintage Hawaiian steel guitar and then Hank Williams) but a few licks or a tuning borrowed from slack key doesn't make a song slack key.

Fran

[sirduke58]

Howdy, Howdy Fran!!!! Great to bump into you here. When you coming back home? (Hawaii is home ,right?) Mahalo for pointing out that a tuning does not make it slack key. It's awesome that you're representing ki ho'alu here too.

[JonPR]

Some slack definitions going on here...

In fact, it just depends how strict you want to be. Slack key tuning originated in Hawaii (tho it's not quite as simple as that), and was certainly used for a distinctive Hawaiian genre, but it only means a "loosened" tuning, where strings are tuned down to achieve (usually) an open chord. Therefore, in the broad sense, any downtuning can correctly be called "slack key".
But personally I prefer reserving the term for the Hawaiian style (and whatever tunings would be commonly used in that style), and using "open" or "alternate" tuning for other guitar styles.