These engineer kidz are worth it! Just imagine walking around from one place to another with those original Sony Walkmans? Besides, you could only put one cassette tape in them. If you don’t know what one of those things are, please skip to my next post, thank you.
Keep on Jammin’
Slack-key is a Hawaiian style of guitar playing. It is based on a finger style of picking, in a multiple Open Tuning format. This can be achieved when one or more strings are de-tuned until all of the guitars six strings form a single chord when strummed together, frequently it is in a G major chording. The strings on this guitar were of a modern nylon origin. They are more commonly known as a classical guitar strings.
The history of this playing style is said to have originated from Mexican cowboys. They were introduced there in Hawaii in the late 19th century to help out with cattle that was brought there. They gave Hawaiians some guitars and taught them basically how to play it and then left, allowing the Hawaiians to develop the style on their own.
The Slack key guitar approach adapted to the rhythms of native Hawaiian dancing along with harmonic construction of the Hawaiian music genre. This style was a matter of national pride in the late 19th century. This, combined rhythms from traditional dance meters with imported European forms, drew its melodies from chant, hula, Christian hymns and the popular music brought in by the various peoples who visited this exotic location.
In all honesty, every time I hear the reference to Hawaiian music, Don Ho always pops up in my mind. To some of us, it has a unfair or even silly musical stigma attached to it. It may take some time to break free from it, but today’s Slack-Key or Hawaiian music is much more complex then I remembered. I can hear/see this musical influence in Michael Hedges style for sure! Man that guy just F—ing rock!!!
The way in which they play this, can be paralleled with drone picking I guess? Bruce Cockburn, and to the more sophisticated music observer Elizabeth Cotton, is the most popular musician that comes to mind when drone picking is brought up.
The guitar player uses a alternating-bass pattern, usually played by the thumb on the lower two or three strings of the guitar. The melody is played on the three or four highest strings, using any number of fingers. This may sound fairly simple to pull off but IT’S NOT THAT EASY TO DO! I always have to re-think my left hand finger patterns very carefully or even un-learn what I already know, in order to venture off into what I call “the gymnastics of the finger picking” on my right hand!
So has anyone ever heard of or used this distinctive style of finger picking? And if so, do you have exercise that we could use to perfect this dying art?
Keep on Jammin’
Who says Chipmunks don’t rock, beach style! This is a post to warm up your minds from this past winters
endless cold days and nights. I don’t know about you but, it’s about f—in’ TIME, wouldn’t you agree?!?!?!
Keep on Jammin’
Canada’s most prolific guitarist/songwriter of our generation, randy Bachman, will be opening the third annual Luminato. It will be located in downtown Toronto’s Young & Dundas square on June 5th of this year.
Honestly, I’ve never been to any of these events but, this year will be much different!
The god-father of Canadian guitar, is really looking forward to initiate the opening of the Luminato Guitar festival lineup in the heart of Toronto. He told reports that musicians often wonder to themselves Why aren’t I playing that and said that this is one such event that he could not miss out on. He said it about Woodstock, but he won’t be saying it about this year’s Luminato event!
Because of the recession, it’s great to have a big opening free concert!
Also at this years celebration of everything guitar, we are going to be attempting to break a Guinness World record at this location as well! It will be called The Great Canadian Tune
Some of Toronto’s most talented, or so they think, and lucky residents will be attempting to break the Guinness World Record for Largest Guitar Ensemble. The talented one’s I hope, will have a massive jam session playing ten of the greatest Canadian tunes ever simultaneously.
The current record was held in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany. There, 1,802 guitarists gathered to perform Deep Purple’s “Smoke On The Water.”
In the weeks leading up to the Festival, audiences will be asked to log on to luminato website to place their votes for The Great Canadian Tune. Got any in mind?
So listen up everybody, here is a BIG heads up on what to do on June 5th in Toronto, if your not that busy?! Hope to see ya there!
Keep on Jammin’
This is a Burlington based 6 piece band that, to the older crowd which I am included in, is more pop then anything else. I do have a soft spot for the pop movement, as long as it’s tastefully done while making the song challenging to play love and with no diva’s attached! These kidz, We are the Bravest, are not part of the latter.
This band has been together for around 6 months, but they have quite the mature features to their sound. This post is just another way to spread the newz about upcoming new Canadian acts. You know the ones, the ones that never get the wider exposure that some bands get! I came across the band from an old and dear friend of the family that I recently caught up with.
My first impressions of the band, through their main site, is eloquent but forceful! Their playing style is straight forward with a little bit of complexity thrown in for good measure. They are truly a garage band that is just starting to locate their distinctive groove.
The guy’s myspace site has some neat tunes that they’ve done in the past. They’ve also posted about some recent shows that they played at in my area and of coarse, I missed them, damn it!
I’ve been known for my love of intricate guitar styles, but these guys have a decent flare to them. At times their sound is simple and then they create a nice layer in colour at the right moments. The guitarist sound like they are having a blast and to most people that is what music is all about right? A feel good type of band.
The drummer has some admirable chops and drive in his approach to playing on his kit, the vocalist has this pure ring in his vocal that I’d love to hear live to see if he can pull it off at a live show. The Bravest have two keyboardist, yes to keyboardist! I honestly can’t recall too many bands on the road that have this number, please correct me if I’m wrong here guys! Both keyboardist levitate in and out of phrasing’s filling in between the odd gap! You’d think that they would be overpowering in the pieces but oddly enough they’re not.
So if your in the southern part of Ontario, with nothing to do some Saturday nights, then go and check them out. I myself have not seen them but next time they’re in TO, I’m there.
Keep on Jammin’
