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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1573 Posts |
 Posted - 04/05/2023 : 05:53:17 AM
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One of the slack key pieces that seem to grab newcomers to the style is Sonny Chillingworth's Moe `Uhane - Dream Slack Key. The clave bass, the richness of the variations, the descending brush stroke all catch the ear. And for folks trying to learn to play Mark Hanson included tab for the song in his "Masters" book.
I've worked on the song for hours and years but never recorded a version until now. These days I'm trying to post a new video every week or so and it seemed like the right time to pay tribute to Uncle Sonny's dream:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1-Wds3fNmY
Fran
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E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi
Slack Key Guitar in California - www.kaleponi.com
Slack Key on YouTube
Homebrewed Music Blog |
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thumbstruck
Ahonui
USA
2153 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2023 : 11:06:43 AM
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Russell Letson
`Olu`olu
USA
504 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2023 : 05:10:00 AM
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That's a lovely rendering that preserves the little touches and flourishes that made Sonny's playing so interesting.
FWIW, back in 2000, I wrote an Off the Record feature about Sonny and "Moe `Uhane" for Acoustic Guitar magazine that included a transcription and performance advice. I hadn't looked at it for years, but I think it's a pretty good piece, even though I see from my files that I got some disagreement from an editor about the execution of that rasgueado-like descending passage in the B section. (He was agreeing with Mark Hanson's transcription, but I was following Ozzie's description of what he saw Sonny do--and my own ears.) AG used to post some of its material on-line, but all that old stuff is now gone, so one would have to find a paper copy of the May 2000 issue.
I know that I once was able to get through this piece, if haltingly, and this video brings back some finger-twitching memories. Be interesting to see if anything remains of my slack-key chops after nearly a decade of neglect (since my old playing partners are disabled and deceased).
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1573 Posts |
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Russell Letson
`Olu`olu
USA
504 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2023 : 06:59:47 AM
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Well, here's the relevant section from my file copy of the piece, which is slightly different from what finally appeared in the magazine (I managed to pull down the dusty box of contributor's copies on the top shelf):
"While the intro vamp and section A (the first bars of which recur in sections B, E, and F) can be mastered fairly quickly, other passages are not nearly so easy. The first is in the B section, measure 12. As transcribed here, the arpeggios are played from the low to high strings, which means that they could be played as four-finger rolls (PIMA). But [Ozzie] Kotani describes Chillingworth playing these with “his middle finger brushing up against the first into the second string, followed by his index on the third and thumb on the fourth,” which means a high-to-low direction."
The as-printed version is shorter, omitting "As transcribed here, the arpeggios are played from the low to high strings, which means that they could be played as four-finger rolls (PIMA). But [Ozzie]" and "which means a high-to-low direction."
So I must have originally transcribed those arpeggios in the wrong direction--I'm not sure where I've stowed my chart, which would have been hand-made. Nor am I sure where I've stowed my copy of the Mark Hanson transcription--my office is a midden-heap of old research materials and unfinished projects, and I think it might be under some obsolete computer parts. I'll have to put on a dust mask and dig around.
On (second) edit: The piece is in the May 2000 issue of Acoustic Guitar, with the Dixie Chicks on the cover. That issue also has a nice Ken Perlman arrangement of O'Carolan's "Fanny Powers."
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Edited by - Russell Letson on 04/06/2023 07:21:38 AM |
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GuitarVlog
Akahai
USA
60 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2023 : 07:53:38 AM
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Great performance, Fran!
I learned this piece from Mark Hanson's transcription which showed the arpeggios going from the 1st string to the 4th (high to low). |
- Keo |
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Earl
`Olu`olu
USA
502 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2023 : 08:55:06 AM
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I may not say it often enough, but mahalo for posting your videos Fran. They are always enjoyable and often inspirational.  |
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1573 Posts |
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Russell Letson
`Olu`olu
USA
504 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2023 : 06:54:59 AM
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Well, I did put the D-40 back in taropatch. And in the course of digging around in my Minidisc collection* I found a 2001 session I spent with Ozzie where, among other things, we talked through how Sonny played "Moe `Uhane." So I'm sneaking up on it.
* My research interviews started in 1994, which means the originals are on cassette, DAT, and Minidisc. Which means I need to migrate any data not already migrated. I've been making sure that my old Minidisc units are operational, so I can transfer the interviews to computer and then to some long-term-accessible format. I'm glad I didn't do video interviews--as valuable as they might have been, VHS tapes would be a nightmare to manage.
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1573 Posts |
Posted - 04/22/2023 : 06:17:22 AM
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I did some VHS transfers of our old band stuff - I had to buy a gadget to go between the VHS player and the computer. It wasn't terribly expensive but the quality was so sad. I don't remember what I did with my minidisc machine but I do remember what a step up that was compared to cassette.
Now I have to face moving a bunch of DVD, Blu-Ray, and HD stuff to SSD. At least it will consolidate many pieces down to just a couple of 8 TB drives.
Fran |
E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi
Slack Key Guitar in California - www.kaleponi.com
Slack Key on YouTube
Homebrewed Music Blog |
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Dream Slack Key
