Song about a swamp

Fran Guidry · #1 03-05-2010, 01:12 PM

Well, actually an old song, not about a swamp, but one I managed to connect to a swamp by tortured logic ... "Lei Nani" as a musical comment on the Kawainui Marsh in Kailua, HI.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvjkWyDIM20

When I first tried posting videos on YouTube it was a terrific struggle just to get watchable quality. But with the new inexpensive HD cams and YouTube's HD format video quality is pretty easy to achieve. It soon became obvious to me that a nice clear video of a guy sitting there playing a guitar doesn't say much.

The video needs to be _about something_, offer some kind of story, hopefully elicit some kind of emotion just with the visual imagery. This is a whole new game, and one that offers many different challenges. I don't know if I'll ever get there, but it's lots of fun trying.

We've been staying up the hill from old Kailua town, passing the jogging path through the Kawainui Marsh often, so I got curious and took a walk through the area. I was certainly surprised to stumble on a massive heiau, an ancient Hawaiian temple constructed of stones collected miles away and carried to this power spot. The more I explored and researched, the more I saw this vast wetlands as the key to the whole area, from its role as a bay in geological history, to its present importance as a barrier to flooding. Without Kawainui there would be no Kailua.

Fran

mesa · #2 03-05-2010, 01:18 PM

Great playing and video Fran....thanks!

stringsing · #3 03-05-2010, 01:23 PM

Great song and video, makes me want to go now.

Another great song about a swamp is Amos Moses by Jerry Reed

shawlie · #4 03-06-2010, 12:41 PM

Wonderful, my wife and I really enjoyed it (she loved the nature - so nice and green). Fun learning about it, too - like a little documentary but with really nice music! Great song and playing.

Very nice idea for making a video, inspires a person to try something like that, too. Well put together, really fun to watch.

Fran Guidry · #5 03-07-2010, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stringsing

Great song and video, makes me want to go now.

Another great song about a swamp is Amos Moses by Jerry Reed

Let's not forget "Poke Salad Annie."

Fran

Fran Guidry · #6 03-07-2010, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shawlie

Wonderful, my wife and I really enjoyed it (she loved the nature - so nice and green). Fun learning about it, too - like a little documentary but with really nice music! Great song and playing.

Very nice idea for making a video, inspires a person to try something like that, too. Well put together, really fun to watch.

Shawlie, it would be fantastic to see what you come up with.

Fran

SuperSonic · #7 03-07-2010, 03:20 PM

Wow,

Very Beautiful! So serene. Are you in open G

Bob1131 · #8 03-07-2010, 03:45 PM

Nice playing...very relaxed sound...I enjoyed it.

markIvan · #9 03-08-2010, 02:56 AM

This fellas creating art here i think ,the most mesmorizing thing i seen for a while ....a hive of activity .He isnt just painting a picture ,he is givin you the works .The painting ,the story line and the entertainment that just leaves you mouth opened as to where he's going next ........and with that cheekyness and also gracious of a swan attitude he takes you on a journy to a place he obviously find great happyness to be in ...........makes you want to go there also ...

Its like coming back to be recharged when you been away from this forum sometimes .Kina brings you back home and gives you lots of directions to choose musicaly ...

Fran Guidry · #10 03-08-2010, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperSonic

Wow,

Very Beautiful! So serene. Are you in open G

Thanks, Super. Yes, sorry I failed to list the tuning in the video description, I updated it to include that info. The tuning is good old open G: D G D G B D low to high.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob1131

Nice playing...very relaxed sound...I enjoyed it.

Thanks, Bob.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zelator

This fellas creating art here i think ,the most mesmorizing thing i seen for a while ....a hive of activity .He isnt just painting a picture ,he is givin you the works .The painting ,the story line and the entertainment that just leaves you mouth opened as to where he's going next ........and with that cheekyness and also gracious of a swan attitude he takes you on a journy to a place he obviously find great happyness to be in ...........makes you want to go there also ...

Its like coming back to be recharged when you been away from this forum sometimes .Kina brings you back home and gives you lots of directions to choose musicaly ...

Thanks very much. You're right, I am indeed trying to bring other people to the music and culture that brings me so much happiness.

Fran

CCreyeder · #11 03-08-2010, 12:33 PM

Very nice Fran! I am always excited to see a new posting from you and this one continues to impress. Fantastic images and excellent playing as always. Man, that little Lumix takes some nice video! So.... were you standing in a hole? lol

Fran Guidry · #12 03-10-2010, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CCreyeder

Very nice Fran! I am always excited to see a new posting from you and this one continues to impress. Fantastic images and excellent playing as always. Man, that little Lumix takes some nice video! So.... were you standing in a hole? lol

Hey, CC, thanks for the comment on the YouTube and here.

I'm just having a ball with this thing - normal cams are always such delicate things and I'm not a delicate kinda guy so there are often issues which wind up impacting my wallet. The TS1 appears (so far) to be Fran-proof! However, the newly announced TS2 looks very appealing.

One thing that isn't mentioned in the TS1 literature, though. To maintain the warranty on the waterproof part of the camera, it has to be sent back for seal replacement every year. Ohhhh, how come that wasn't in big black letters in the ads? So far it seems worth it, I'm not sure how I'll feel when I get the bill next year<grin>.

Fran

Chris Wood · #13 03-10-2010, 08:08 PM

Fran,

I watched this one, and several other of your videos on YouTube. Just beautiful, not only your playing, but the videos as well.

Chris.

SuperSonic · #14 03-23-2010, 07:39 PM

Do you have tabs for this? It is simply awesome and my son would love to learn it. He is excited about learn a slack key song.

Fran Guidry · #15 03-24-2010, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CWood8656

Fran,

I watched this one, and several other of your videos on YouTube. Just beautiful, not only your playing, but the videos as well.

Chris.

You're very kind, Chris.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperSonic

Do you have tabs for this? It is simply awesome and my son would love to learn it. He is excited about learn a slack key song.

I'm sorry, but what you saw was totally improvised. I tabbed out "Salomila" for an article in Acoustic Guitar Magazine a few years ago, but my video of that is different from the tab, too. I guess I'm hopeless.

There are lots of other resources out there, many of them are listed at http://www.taropatch.net/learn.htm

I hope this helps,
Fran