OAHU and HAWAIIAN GUITARS. Slide, Demaggio SLIDE!!! Part 3

As we have discussed previously, the rise of he popularity of the steel guitar in american and elsewhere precipitated it's use across a wide spectrum of musical styles. The first Hawaiian guitars where standard guitars with the nut raised above the fretboard to allow the bar to slide without hitting it. It was not long before a whole host of manufacturers started creating guitars specifically for Hawaiian style playing. We mentioned the weissenborn guitar before on this blog. In future posts I will talk about some of the others such as Radiotone, The guitars of Chris Knutsen, National and a host of others.

But for today we will talk about one of my fav's, OAHU GUITARS. The Oahu guitar company was established in mid 1920's by Harry G. Stanley in Flint Michigan with the aim of selling/teaching Hawaiian guitar playing to schools and children. They were subleased to other guitar makers such as Regal and Kay. They were sold primarily with sheet music, and other accessories in the same manners as a door to door salesman would sell insurance or vacuum cleaners. It is hard to image a time when this type of music and playing was as popular as Rock and Roll is today.

These guitars came in a wide range of price points, one of the most expensive being The Oahu Jumbo which retailed for 98 dollars. This was an extraordinary amount for that time. I own this guitar and I CAN TELL YOU IT IS AWESOME SOUNDING. It is loud, punchy, with sustain for days, it is perfect when I am feeling ''bluesy'' which is often. It is incredible well made and its solid as a brick. I love playing along to some pals on youtube's posts, or maybe an old Blind Wille Johnson song. Most of these guitars were sold door to door and most of the guitars they sold tended to be on the cheaper side in price and quality. ( It says something about the state of things when the cheapest item from the 30's can more then stand up to some of the most expensive items today. )

If you play slide, and want to learn a little more, or if you are interested in this type of playing but do not know where to start, let me know. There are a lot more resources for this style today as opposed to a few years ago, as many great resources are now available. Till next time, SLIDE Demaggio, SLIIIDE! ( from an old Bugs Bunny cartoon )

http://www.pedalpro.co.uk/folderIndex/folderHTML/SGhistory01.html

OAHU and HAWAIIAN GUITARS. Slide, Demaggio SLIDE!!! Part 2

The San Francisco Expasition of 1915 introduced a number of innovations ( all but one of which we will talk about today ) In the Hawaiian pavilion there were some musicians from the islands playing a style of music that was unlike anything that was ever heard before. From that moment, the Hawaiian Guitar exploded on the shores of the US of A like a thunderbolt. Many people debate as to whether the blues style of slide playing done with a bottle neck developed separately, or were african american musicians were influenced by the Hawaiian style of playing? Hawaiian musicians toured the US extensively in the early part of the century.

( actually several prominent blues singers used the Hawaiian method of playing spectacularly )

From my friends at Petalsteelguitar.net:

''The introduction of Hawaiian music to the mainland US was a major turning point for the next step in the evolution of the musical culture in Hawaii, and the world. In 1915 the ukulele and steel guitar were introduced on the U.S. mainland. That was the year of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, where Hawaii hosted a pavilion. The exposition celebrated the completion of the Panama Canal and lasted for 7 months. With exhibits from countries all over the world it attracted more then 17 million people, an amazing number considering the population in those days! The Territory of Hawaii viewed it as an important opportunity to promote its products, land, people and tourism, and the legislature appropriated over $100,000 for a Hawaiian Pavilion. The main attraction turned out to be the Hawaiian show featuring hulas and songs which ran many times a day. The music created a sensation! This was the first time that Hawaiian music had been promoted on the U.S. mainland and it soon swept the country. Not long after, steel guitar was everywhere.''

''Between 1915 and 1941 the U.S. Mainland and the rest of the world embraced the music of Hawaii. Early Tin Pan Alley and Hawaiian songwriters blended Jazz and Big Band era music with Hawaiian music and themes to create a virtual paradise on the radio for people longing for something better during the Great Depression. Hapa Haole (half white) songs with their English lyrics, Hawaiian themes and jazz flavorings fueled the early tourist industry in Hawaii. The music quickly spread around the world influencing many musicians and musical styles including Country Swing, Gospel, and Blues. Today's use of the pedal steel guitar in Country music traces its roots directly to the Hawaiian invention. In those years, the great steel players began to evolve and change the instrument to fit all types of music. Steel was here to stay.''

To be continued!!

OAHU and HAWAIIAN GUITARS. Slide, Demaggio SLIDE!!! Part 1

The late 19th and the beginning of the 20th century was a fascinating time in the annuls of american and world music. Of particular interest was the birth of what would become known as slide guitar. The haunting, ''singing'' tone derived from sliding a hard object such as a bottle neck, or a pocket knife along the strings, is an integral part of several styles of music such as the blues, country and Hawaiian guitar playing.

No one knows exactly what is the exact genealogy of this style. ( which actually encompasses TWO styles of guitar playing, but we will get to that in moment or two ) We surmise that sometime near the turn of the last century, in Hawaii a young boy named Joseph Kekuku, while walking home from school with his guitar near the railroad tracks, accidentally slid a metal spike along the strings. ( From Brads Page of Steel: ''Other persons who have been credited with the invention of the steel guitar includeGabriel Davion, an Indian sailor, around 1885, and James Hoa, a Hawaiian of Portuguese ancestry''.)Guitars had been in Hawaii for several decades up till then. The guitars were tuned to an open chord. This was the start of what was called ''Slack Key'' guitar playing. From About.com:

''As we know guitars while some guitars may have made their way to Hawaii in the early 1800's along with the many European sailors who visited Hawaii, the origin of Hawaiian guitar music is generally credited to the Mexican and Spanish cowboys who were hired by King Kamehameha III around 1832. It was from the Hawaiian cowboys, or paniolos, that the tradition of Hawaiian slack key guitar music finds its roots.''

The sound of the steel moving on the strings so intrigued Joseph that he devoted several years to teaching himself to play in this manner. This style of play was a revelation. The guitar, instead of being held in the conventional manner is played flat on the players lap facing up. A hard object such as a steel bar is moved back and forth against the strings. This sound was ( and is ) so infectious, so unique, and SO soulful that it was a hit immediately. ( There was and is another way to play of course, being the ''bottle neck style'' where you use the neck of a bottle to slide along the strings the guitar being held in the regular manner. ) From Hollowneck's website:

''The fact that the string is not actually fretted is what gives Steel Guitar it's "microtonality", meaning that the player has access to "the notes between the notes" and can sharpen or flatten the pitch of the note being played by any amount & add expressive vibrato effects.''

The style caused a sensation, and people all over the island started taking it up. Masters emerged, Joseph among them. But it did not hit the shores of the USA until ( reportedly ) the San Francisco exposition of 1915 Then things got real jazzy. To be continued....!