Paradise Isle"----C# minor

Rick Collins · Post by **Rick Collins** » 14 Jul 2001 7:59 am

Has anyone worked out a way to play Jerry's, "Paradise Isle" on the E13th or another tuning? I love playing that tune; but it's one of the very few tunes I can play on the C# minor tuning and don't want to keep one neck tuned that way for so few tunes.

It's almost as if this tuning was invented for this particular tune.

Rick

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 14 Jul 2001 8:58 am

If your four top strings are (hi to Lo) E C# B G# just play Paradise Isle as you would in the C#m (or F#9th) tuning, but don't play the 3rd sting. Your slants might feel a bit awkward or slighly out of tune, but ample vibrato will compensate. I have played Paradise Isle for years using the E6th (above). It also sounds great on F#9 tuning. Sam Koki wrote this very simple melody using only 4 chords, but it's sure become a Hawaiian (Steel Guitar) classic! Incidently, there are many, many recordings of this song other than what Jerry recorded. (Jerry is not the composer of Paradise Isle). I might be way off base, but I think Jerry played Paradise Isle using the C6 tuning. I have seen and heard him do it.[This message was edited by George Keoki Lake on 15 July 2001 at 09:59 AM.]

Ian McLatchie · Post by **Ian McLatchie** » 14 Jul 2001 10:16 am

Bill Leavitt transcribed this song for the Leavitt tuning. It's a beautiful arrangement, available from Mike Ihde.

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 14 Jul 2001 12:18 pm

Hi George & all you guys.

That is a great tune,,,one of the very first
I learned from my teacher years ago,,,,I think that tune really hooked me on the steel. There are many versions of this as you well know,,,Noel Boggs did it,,but more in a full chord modern feel,,I think this should be played in a more "dreamy style" as Byrd would do it or some Hawaiian oriented
player,,,there are many others ,,My Tane, Song of Old Hawaii,,I love them all. They bring back memories of a time gone by...

I do it but havent tried it for years,,,I used E 6th on almost everything I did back then,,,George thanks for the great hawaiin links you sent,,,Iam enjoying them and listening and thinking of you,,,many thanks
Jody PS had to edit for spelling,,,it's as bad as my playing.... [This message was edited by Jody Carver on 14 July 2001 at 01:20 PM.]

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 14 Jul 2001 2:27 pm

You and I are on the same wave-length, Jody. I have loved Paradise Isle since I first heard Sam Koki play it. My Tani is a Tahitian song which Hawaiians have lovingly stolen and is also one of my favorites. Drop a line sometime, Jody...o.k.?

Rick Collins · Post by **Rick Collins** » 15 Jul 2001 7:57 am

Mr. George Keoki,

Thanks for the suggestion of E6th for a more versatile tuning accommodating the "Paradise Isle" arrangement.

Please let me know:
Do you use a plain string in the G# position on the E6th tuning.

No, I did not suppose that Jerry was the composer of "Paradise Isle". I just like his recording because the organ on that cut is so complimentary to that Hawaiian tune.

Does anyone know if there are lyrics to the tune; if so, who recorded it with vocal?

Thanks, Rick

[This message was edited by Rick Collins on 15 July 2001 at 08:59 AM.][This message was edited by Rick Collins on 15 July 2001 at 11:36 AM.]

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 15 Jul 2001 8:42 am

Hi Rick...
To answer your two questions..."yes" to both. I use a plain string for G# and yes, there are lyrics to Paradise Isle. I have them somewhere in all this junk I call a music room. If I can locate the lyrics, I'll post them for you...but don't hold your breath, 'blue' won't look too good on you.
I do recall a few lines:

"Paradise Isle 'neath a tropical moon,
Palm trees sway while lover's swoon.
Come with me to my land of dreams,
My own, my Paradise Isle"

(The above may not be quite accurate, but pretty close)

P.S. Rick...just call me "Keoki" and leave off the "Mr."...ok? Oh, Who sang it ?
I know for sure it was recorded by the legendary Alfred Apaka....plus many others.[This message was edited by George Keoki Lake on 15 July 2001 at 09:54 AM.]

Rick Collins · Post by **Rick Collins** » 16 Jul 2001 8:12 am

Keoki,

I'm now about to restring for the E6th tuning, because it will give me more versatility, along with the C6th on the other neck.

This is valuable information and I know reliable, coming from a well experienced source,___again many thanks.

"Drowsy Waters" is another one of my favorites. It's on Jerry's "Hawaiian Beach Party" collection. I play it on the C6th; but it sounds, on the recording, like Jerry might play it on one of the E tunings.

I have an eight-string bakelite (post war) Rick; but for my style of playing, I like my Fender Dual Professional 8-string better.

Rick [This message was edited by Rick Collins on 16 July 2001 at 04:18 PM.]

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 16 Jul 2001 10:25 am

Hi again Rick...
FYI, I very seldom use the C6th as it seems to me everyone uses it and most try to imitate the 'Great One'...(an impossibility). I have always used the E6th as a strong workhorse tuning for most Hawaiian and standard songs. It encompasses the old traditional E Major tuning along with the very "Hawaiian" sound of the C#m tuning.
Nothing wrong with the Rick. I love mine. I also love each one of my guitars as each seems to have their own personality when it comes to tone.
"Drowsy Waters", (I wonder where that name ever originated?), is actually the old traditional Wailana Waltz which dates back to the mid or early 1920's. Someone decided to call it Drowsy Waters for whatever reason. ("Wai" does translate to 'water' from Hawaiian to English). I was smitten by the Wailana Waltz when I first heard an old 78rpm recording played by Frank Ferera which was recorded around 1927 thereabouts. You can obtain a nice sound for most any song, (Hawaiian or standard), no matter what tuning you use. It's all a matter of knowing, understanding harmony and theory.[This message was edited by George Keoki Lake on 16 July 2001 at 11:27 AM.]

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 16 Jul 2001 7:35 pm

George,,,yes those are the correct lyric's and by the way,,,you have a nice voice as well,,,can you "falcetto" ??? is that the correct spelling??? I can feel the "balmy breeze and hear the palms in the gentle breeze and the waves hitting the beach,,, a
Tropical moon ,,,,

Gotta take the pups out again,,,aloha George
thanks for the nice music......J...

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 16 Jul 2001 9:25 pm

What "nice music" are you referring to Jody ?
Oh, it's 'falsetto'...that's the correct spelling. As for singing, I've been compared to a frog! (The frog is better). My two strong wishes are: 1.) I had stuck to piano when I was young as I feel a good piano training prepares you for most any instrument; and, 2.) I had taken voice training and learned to sing. Both too late at this stage of the game....especially for an old frog!

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 18 Jul 2001 4:12 am

Sorry about the "mis-spelled word George,,I
just found out that "falcetto" is an "Italian
Pastry,,,,those are sweet too.

But dont eat too many,,,your pants wont fit.

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 18 Jul 2001 8:55 pm

Rick---I played "Paradise Isle" every night in clubs. A well liked song. When I had a 6 string supro, I had A6 on it and just dropped the 3rd string to G# to get the C# minor, then slant the bar and it was beautiful, using a volume pedal for swells to get that real Hawaiian effect.

Later when I got my double 8 non pedal, back about 1939, I put E6 on the the bottom neck and E7-9 on the top neck. E was always the high note on both necks.

On the bottom neck E6, we still got the C#minor on 1-2-4 string.The slant was a little more stretch but it worked.

On the top neck we had Emaj, E7th, E9th, Bminor6 and Bdim all open tuned. The 2nd string was a D, but to get the 13th, I just dropped that D to a C# for some songs. Changed the whole sound of the tuning.

Jody---- we are beginning to show our age- We both used a lot of E6th way back when...

top neck
E
Dor C#
B
G#
F#
D
B
G#
bottom neck
E
C#
B
G#
E
C#
B
G#

later on players were putting a A on the 7th string and F# or E on the 8th string. Almost like the C6 of today without the top 2 strings.

One good thing about E6 is you play a lot on the lower frets. I hardly ever went past the 15th fret. The tone was better down there. Those were the days-----al

[This message was edited by Al Marcus on 18 July 2001 at 10:02 PM.]

Richard Gonzales · Post by **Richard Gonzales** » 19 Jul 2001 11:40 am

George and Jody; just reading this thread brought memories to me. When I was a kid in the late 40's I was playing all those tunes you mentioned. Also, one of my favorites is "MY TANE" my sweetheart in hawaiian. I named my first daughter TANE pronounced Tawnee.
Do you guys play that ketchie toon" Malahini
Mele " I now play a S12 8/5 pedal steel but play the old tunings with no pedals or levers.

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 20 Jul 2001 11:07 am

Hate to correct you..."TANE" is NOT a Hawaiian word. It is Tahitian and means "Man"....hence the title, "My Man".
The lyrics state: "Farewell My Tane" or simply, "Farewell My Man".
"Malihini Mele", (often co-titled "Strolling Along the Shore"), is a non-sensical song written by R. Alex Anderson, more or less as a joke on the tourist. Andy once told me he got a great chuckle from the initial reaction of Hawaiians who first heard the tune. The lyrics make no sense at all even if you have a very basic understanding of the Hawaiian language. For example, take the first line: "As I strolled along the shore in my mu'u mu'u made of koa" ... a mu'u mu'u is a ladies dress, koa is wood (which makes for a great sound when used to construct ukuleles)....lousy material for a dress! The rest of the lyrics are just as "pupule" (crazy). It took me a few years to catch on to the joke Andy put across on the tourists. It was only when I took a real interest in the Hawaiian language, I began to see the humour of this great composer who lived a few months short of being 101 years of age. But that's another story.

Richard Gonzales · Post by **Richard Gonzales** » 20 Jul 2001 12:44 pm

Hi George; I do not mean to challenge you as you certainly have the other things right.
I do have the sheet music stating what I said. Could be an error, but I would be happy
to fax a copy to you. Fax#

Thanks,

Richard

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 20 Jul 2001 1:47 pm

George; Moon Over Manakura...Is this a Hawaiian song or maybe some other island. I brought it back from memory when someone else mentioned Speedy West in another thread. When I first heard it I said: Wow, these guys can play pretty music too !! I don't think I have ever heard Jerry play it but wouldn't you agree, it's somewhat of a standard ? I'm also pretty sure Bobby Darin recorded it at one time or another. Trying to recall some of the lyrics but can't.....

Regards, Paul

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 20 Jul 2001 2:25 pm

Paul, here's the scoop on that dreamy island tune: it's by the composer of classics like "Baby it's cold outside" and "Inchworm".

wwww.http://pages.tias.com/222/PictPage/982453.html[This message was edited by Andy Volk on 20 July 2001 at 03:26 PM.]

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 20 Jul 2001 6:25 pm

Paul- Do you mean "the Moon of Manakura" ? We always played that, it was considered a standard Hawaiian tune. Very beautiful steel guitar song. Or was it Hawaiian? sure sounded like it....al

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 20 Jul 2001 8:50 pm

I'll try to settle this "Moon of Manakoora" debate to the best of my feeble ability and knowledge. The "Moon" certainly exists, but "Manakoora" is just a ficticious island which never existed. Look for it on any world atlas and you won't find it. The song first appeared in the ORIGINAL (circa 1937)movie of "The Hurricane", (not to be confused with that lousy Dino DeLaurentis remake in the mid-eighties by the same name which was shot on Bora Bora in
Tahiti). "Manakoora" is simply a figment of the imaginations of composers, Alfred Newman and Frank Loesser. Dorothy Lamour first sang it in the movie as I recall. Her recording, with Dick McIntire on steel became a hit. Since Manakoora does not exist, it is therefore not a part of the Hawaiian Island chain even though many consider it to be a typical Hawaiian song, (which is quite o.k.) IMHO, The most beautiful, expressive version of this tune was played by a virtually unsung hero, a steel guitarist who had a tone to die for. I am speaking of (the late) Jack DeToro who played with the original Johnny Pineapple and his Native Islanders. If you should find an old 78rpm of it in a flea market, buy it and drool.
I stand by my statement regarding "My Tane" which is also known by the title "Farewell My Tani". Tani is NOT a Hawaiian word, it is Tahitian. The Hawaiian word for "Tani" is "Kane", meaning "man". This song originated in Tahiti, was written by Augie Goupil who was a prolific composer/musician of Tahitian songs. It was lovingly adopted by the Hawaiians. In my travels to French Polynesia, (on 4 occasions), I heard many Hawaiian songs being sung by the Tahitians...(poorly, I might add). One could recognize the melodies however all the words were sung in Tahitian, not Hawaiian. Same applies to Fiji where one would hear many "Hawaiian" melodies sung by Fijians in their own language. Melodies seem to drift back and forth across the wide expanses of the islands of the Pacific.
Sorry, I do not have a FAX. Perhaps you could e-mail as an attachment ? [This message was edited by George Keoki Lake on 20 July 2001 at 09:53 PM.][This message was edited by George Keoki Lake on 20 July 2001 at 09:57 PM.]

John Tipka · Post by **John Tipka** » 21 Jul 2001 2:53 am

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 21 Jul 2001 4:00 am

I have a casstte of the orig movie with Jon Hall as the star. According to Harry Stanley,the great man that had the Oahu Pub Co Andy Iona played the song on an Oahu 6 strg and a little Oahu amp using E7 tuning. It was beautiful but only lasted for 46 seconds.

------------------

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 21 Jul 2001 7:56 am

George: I went back to the Jerry Byrd Thread
from a couple weeks back looking for the title of "The Harmonics Lesson" but it wasn't there. Do you recall the name of that song ? I want to look up the tab on it because I went right into it and then got lost on the bridge. Too many strings (12) on my guitar I suppose. There are so many Chime songs I wouldn't want to make a guess.

Regards, Paul

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 21 Jul 2001 9:03 am

Hi fellas...Well JOHN, at least you have confirmed my statement of "My Tani" as being a "Tahitian Love Song". Augie did live in L.A. for a number of years. It would appear he probably teamed up with Gump. However Noble lived in Hawai'i, so the mystery deepens. It's quite possible the tune was composed on the mainland, (or in the then Territory of Hawai'i), and simply named as a 'Tahitian' song. A good example of this theory is the song "Canadian Sunset" which is not Canadian ,'nor was it composed by a Canadian. It was composed by Eddie Heywood, an American. I have always considered "My Tani" to be of Tahitian origin however if I am proved incorrect, I'll gladly concede to those much wiser than myself. That's what the FORUM is all about, isn't it ? Good healthy, lively and knowledgeable discussion. My main point was and still is; the word "Tani" is not part of the Hawaiian vocabulary...it is Tahitian and does mean "man".
And to CCJ, yes I was well aware of Jon Hall being the star, but never mentioned it simply because anyone younger than you and I would probably say "Jon Who ?".
PAUL, perhaps Ray Montee could answer your question about the JB Harmonics Lesson. I have the original book he published back around 1988 (red cover trimmed in gold), but am doing home renovations at the moment and everything is in total chaos around here. I have no idea where to find anything at the moment. I don't know about the rest of you, but I have enjoyed this thread which started out with a discussion on "Paradise Isle" !
[This message was edited by George Keoki Lake on 21 July 2001 at 10:05 AM.]

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 21 Jul 2001 10:59 am

George: Thanks and

Paul