Kilima Hawaiians

[mick hearn]

It's a bit slow here at the moment so here is a little ditty that I am practicing on at the moment. From the write up on YouTube it is the Kilimar Hawaiians. I am using C6 but have detuned the 6th or 8th string depending in which guitar I am playing to get the opening part. On reflection having heard others of theirs I now think this was done on acoustic guitar. Have a listen - I absolutely love this.


And while you are at it have a listen to this. How this man gets his very fast string of notes is a mystery to me. Its by the same player.

[rogerp1]

Love em Mick cheers for posting

[mick hearn]

Would appreciate if anyone could tell me what tuning he would likely be using in the Kilima Rag. It is in G and I can only assume he is using open G to get the succession of notes alternately fretted and open on the same string.

[Ken Byng]

Brilliant!!

Maybe Basil H can shed some light on the tuning.

[mick hearn]

Have got the Steel Guitar Rock sussed. Some lovely moves in it and can be played on 6 string C6. Now all I have to do is record it. This man has such a feel and technique it's very hard as with any good player to get into his heart and play like him. It's his feel that makes this work. There is a very fast triplet in the song which takes some doing. It's either an alternate thumb and finger (you need to be very nimble with finger and thumb) or T,2,1,T on the same string whilst raising the bar by four frets - and a ton of co-ordination . Think I favour the finger roll.

OOh I love the challenge.

[Danny Mitchell]

Gaun yersel Mick!! What a fantastic find, that guy's a killer player Look forward to hearing your version, too.
Great post, thanks.

[mick hearn]

The information is it's Rudi Wairata playing the steel. You are right - what a player. Another Buddy Emmons (oops - get crucified for that). When you used to see Buddy doing something like this with his little tricks you see a big grin across his face. I can imagine it with this player getting as much fun out of the steel as he possibly can. He must have been high on adrenaline as he was doing this - I know I would have been.

[Ken Byng]

Rudi's tuning on the USA steel forum was listed as D B A F# D A.

[mick hearn]

Thanks for that Ken - been looking there myself. Basil did know and had met him.

[Will C]

It certainly sounded like a 6th tuning, Mick. What you put up is Bm7 - in other words D6 if my dubious music theory isn't wide of the mark.

They were all Dutch apparently:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilima_Hawaiians

Depending on when this was recorded it could have been any one of the three lap steel players, but you've obviously got a hit from SGF. Holland seems to have been a lap steel powerhouse in those years, I remember how popular Wout Steenhuis was.