When I was recently staying on Kauai in my Kauai Vacation Rental I went out to see a musical show and was astounded at the wonderful style of music I saw that night. The music is known as Slack Key Guitar, and it is known in Hawaiian as ki hoalu (ki means “key” or “pitch,” and hoalu means “to slacken, loosen”).
After the show I decided to learn more about this beautiful style of music and here is what I found out. The slack key guitar style was first developed with the influence of vaqueros (Spanish cowboys) who came to Hawaii Island from Mexican California in 1830 at the request of King Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli). The reason they came was to instruct Hawaiians in techniques of managing the growing herds of wild cattle that had been multiplying rapidly ever since the time of King Kamehameha I. He was given the first cattle in the Islands by English Captain George Vancouver in 1793.
King Kamehameha I placed a kapu (prohibition) on the killing of the animals so they could multiply, and the cattle population began to increase rapidly.
When King Kamehameha III brought vaqueros to Hawaii Island to help begin commercial stock raising in 1830, the vaqueros also introduced the guitar to the Hawaiian cowboys, who became known as paniolos, a word derived from the Spanish “Espanoles.” The paniolos then used the guitars to develop their own unique playing style, which became known as slack key guitar.
The tunings of slack key guitar are accomplished by loosening (slacking) several of the guitar strings. Some players even tighten instead of loosen the strings. Today a variety of tunings are used in slack key.
Originally the unique tunings of slack key guitar were done so that the instrument produced sounds that were better suited for accompanying and complementing the voices of the paniolos as they sang around the evening campfires after working so hard all day on the ranch.
Another distinct feature of the slack key guitar style is a self-accompanying picking technique in which the fingers are used on the top (highest) three of four strings to create the melody. The thumb is used on the bottom (lowest) two or three strings to create a steady, alternating bass pattern.
The soothing sounds of slack key guitar have been described as sweet and soft, and are said by some to be synonymous to the feelings of Hawaii’s tropical paradise with its hula dancers and swaying palms, gently rolling waves and white-sand beaches.
The rise in slack key’s popularity in recent decades has been part of the continuing “Hawaiian Renaissance,” which includes many cultural events such as reviving hula and other ancient traditions, and also an increase in Hawaiian language programs in schools and universities.
In the late 1800s, the slack key guitar-playing style of the paniolos spread from Hawaii Island (the Big Island) to the other Hawaiian Islands. The slack key style then gained wider popularity in the 1960s and 1970s.
Hawaii’s many talented slack key players have developed their own individualized tunings, and some of these tunings have been passed down through the generations in families and ohana (extended families) throughout the Islands.
Hawaii’s slack key artists continue to experiment with new and innovative guitar tunings and the musical genre of slack key continues to evolve. Any guitar may be used for slack key though the most common type of guitar used by slack key players is a steel-string acoustic guitar.
Annual slack key guitar festivals are now held on Kauai, Oahu, and Hawaii Island, showcasing the diversity of musical talents in the Islands. The style is also recognized and appreciated worldwide.
Tonight I am staying at a Kauai Condo near Poipū on the sunny southern side of the island, and I am going out again to see a wonderful slack key guitar performance. I love listening to these beautiful and distinctive Hawaiian sounds and now can even appreciate it more having learned about the history of this distinctive musical style.