Tag Archives: slack key ukulele

LIVE 191 • Keiki Slack Key on Ukulele (Ray Kane Cover)

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Here is a version of the Ray Kane slack key guitar classic “Keiki Slack Key,” played on slack key ukulele.  Keiki Slack Key is one of the first slack key songs I learned, and I still enjoy playing it.  To me, Ray Kane is probably the best example of an ‘old style’ slack key player, and his tracks are always nahenahe.  Hope you enjoy.

Recorded with a Kamaka Koa Tenor ukulele (Kamaka HF-3, low G with stock Kamaka brand black nylon strings and a Thomastik-Infeld CF-30 flat wound fourth string) and a Line Audio CM4 small diaphragm condenser microphone.

LIVE 161 • Glass Ball Slack Key (Kamaka HF-3D)

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Glass Ball Slack Key is a favorite chestnut (or perhaps kukui nut) of uke players in Hawai’i; it’s a fun little ditty that is sure to please aunty or uncle.  I learned this song watching and listening to the great Led Ka’apana over the years.  A recorded version can be found on the classic Led Live album.  Many other ukulele players have covered the song over the years as well.  Hope you enjoy.

Recorded with a Kamaka Koa Deluxe Tenor ukulele (Kamaka HF-3D, high G with either Uke Logic Soft Tension or Ko’olau Aho strings, and a Thomastik-Infeld CF-27 flat wound third string) and a Telefunken M60 small diaphragm condenser microphone.

LIVE 070 • Sunny Afternoon In My Ohana (Koaloha Pineapple Soprano)

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Today’s song from the vaults is an ukulele improvisation dubbed “Sunny Afternoon in My Ohana,” after the ohana unit where I recorded it. The unit centered on a large tile floored room with great acoustics that I kept mostly empty of furniture for recording purposes. People think of tile as producing a bright, harsh sound, but I never found the room to be that way at all. At any rate, it complemented the sound of ukulele nicely and though I only have a handful of uke recordings from that time, I recall playing uke a lot while living there. Anyway, this is one of those recordings; I hope you enjoy this music.

Recorded with a Koaloha pineapple soprano ukulele and a matched stereo pair of Shure KSM141 microphones in Holualoa, Hawai’i, 3/1/08.