Customer Reviews

Mel Bay Playing Guitar Hawaiian Style (Book/CD Set)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is, quite simply, the best introduction to learning slack key you can find. While there are plenty of other books and resources that pick up where Ozzie leaves off, this book establishes a solid foundation for the others to build on. Each song builds on the skills used in the previous one and Ozzie breaks each song down, measure by measure, to make them easy to learn. The songs are in the old style, very sweet and simple, but don't let that put you off...the more you listen to them (and play them), the more you will fall in love with them. Highly recommended.

I bought this book based on the two earlier recommendations and am glad that I did! It's a much better book for beginners than Keola Beamer's (which is more suitable for skilled guitar players). If you're just starting out, use this one. This is Volume 1 of a 3-part series. Volume 2 should be released in 2003.

From a beginner--
My guitar teacher and other students I spoke with said this is definitely the book to start with. Ozzie takes you through each exercise step by step, so that you learn a little more at each level and it's not too intimidating to start out. I never played a note on any instrument in my life and I'm having FUN. Players experienced with guitar but not with slack key will progress faster but definitely won't be bored.
You don't have to be able to read music--the included C.D. lets you hear the rhythms and what each exercise should sound like, while the fingering is explained in charts in the book.
Best of all, the songs sound GOOD--good enough to listen to the C.D just for enjoyment and good enough that I feel like I'm not just playing finger exercises, I'm playing real music that I like. (The very first exercise is actually part of the title track from Ozzie's C.D. of several years ago "Kani Ki Ho'alu." What a way for a student to feel like they're learning "real" music.) I'd give this one six stars if I could.

This is a highly recommended resource for anyone of any level, whether you are a beginner or have been playing many years. If you love the relaxing and soothing style of Hawaiian Slack Key or "Ki ho ' alu", then this will for sure speed up your learning curve and you will be playing a few songs in no time. I highly recommend buying Ozzie Kotani's DVD that came out in 2007 called Guitar Playing Hawaiian Style w/ Ozzie Kotani: Ki Ho 'alu Vol. 1, together with the Book & CD and you will be well on your way to learning how to play the guitar and Ki Ho 'alu!

I am 42 years old and have never played a musical instrument in my life! I have always wanted to learn to play the guitar because of my love of Slack Key and finally took the plunge and bought a nice guitar and Ozzie Kotani's Book/CD & DVD. I have already learned to play 2 songs in just 2 weeks and can play them pretty well! I really enjoy playing and always look forward to "MY TIME" playing and learning.

It is helpful if you have been around a guitar, not a pro but know the basics. Music is easy to read and the tips for each exercise are great.Hope there is a intermediate book out because that is where I am going next. Lots of fun and satisfaction.

This is a great book to get you going. You can learn some
basic alternating bass finger picking. The open tunings in this book sound beautiful. Don't be fooled, some of these songs can take a while to get down. Thats what is great here. Some songs are slow and easy, a few are fast and alittle harder. This is another book where the written music
and the cd match. This music is made to improvise too. The timing may throw you, but listen to the cd and you will be getting it down in no time. Open tuning is not just slide work. This book is beautiful!!!!!!!!

I had been told by a slack key instructor to get this book and I'm so glad that I did. It's for the beginner to slack key, so it wasn't so hard that I got discouraged, but instead with some practice have been playing some beautiful exercise pieces and building towards improvising my own songs.

Ozzie Katani has been the most instrumental and established slack key guitar teacher in Hawaii. This book and cd is by far the best available material for the beginner player. He uses tabliture, gives pointers, and the cd allows you to hear how it is supposed to sound. I would highly recommend getting this book to anyone interested in learning traditional Hawaiian Slack Key guitar. It could not be made anymore simple and straight forward and you can not beat the price.

This book, written by Ozzie Kotani, is the perfect starting place for those interested in Hawai'ian Slack Key Guitar (or "Ki ho'alu"). The materials are laid out in logical, step-wise, intuitive fashion with clear concise explanations. The accompanying CD is the perfect complement to the book. More than merely a tab book, this important learning tool also places the material in historical context, complete with some rare and beautiful historical photos. While I am a student of the author, I didn't fully appreciate the value of these materials until I began teaching others from them.

Though I'm not a beginning guitar player, I hadn't used tablature much. I bought another slack key book before this and realized it was written at a level more difficult than what I had expected. With this book, I was able to play the first song all the way through. The key thing about this book is the guidelines on which finger to place on which string. To me, this is an important part of the foundation of learning this style of playing. Now that I have worked through most of the songs, I am able to go back to that difficult book I bought before and apply what I have learned.

The CD is extremely helpful. The one drawback to this book is the lack of musical notation. Unless you listen to the CD, you won't know the timing or rhythm of the songs.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in a solid introduction to slack key playing, even if you don't understand musical notation or never picked up a guitar. It's that easy!