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Topic: Waikiki Swingsters -Who? |
David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 29 May 2020 11:57 pm |
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Here is Ralph Kolsiana in great form. Can anyone tell me how he gets that weird effect in the beginning of his fourth round?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E2bueYy1bo
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Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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Sebastian Müller
From:
Berlin / Germany
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 4 Jun 2020 1:03 am
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Hi Sebastian. The effect begins at 2.04, which is the beginning measure of Ralph's 4th steel guitar round of the melody. I now suspect he achieves this by the use of harmonics, vibrato and the particular microphone used in the room.
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Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 4 Jun 2020 2:12 am
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You called it: palm harmonic, vibrato and distance from the mic. Ralph recorded this at RCA in Camden NJ using his Rickenbacher frypan in E7th tuning. At the time, the band were headliners at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, NJ. They had to compete with a horse that jumped off a high platform into a pool of water, ridden by a beautiful woman in a bathing suit.
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Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 4 Jun 2020 4:25 am
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That's interesting, Andy. Its such a great record. I have only had a precursory look at the first round, key of A. It lays out pretty well in C6th, kicking off with a forward slant A C# F#. But I suppose 1937 might be a bit early for C6th. I will investigate E7th.
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Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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Nic Neufeld
From:
Kansas City, Missouri
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Posted 4 Jun 2020 8:42 am
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Just FYI...Ralph Kolsiana was interviewed and his story takes up a few pages in Lorene Ruymar's excellent book "The Hawaiian Steel Guitar". Not exactly required reading, but nearly, for fans of the instrument/style.
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Waikīkī, at night when the shadows are falling
I hear the rolling surf calling
Calling and calling to me |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Jim Mckay
From:
New Zealand
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Posted 4 Jun 2020 11:56 am
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| David Matzenik wrote: |
| That's interesting, Andy. Its such a great record. I have only had a precursory look at the first round, key of A. It lays out pretty well in C6th, kicking off with a forward slant A C# F#. But I suppose 1937 might be a bit early for C6th. I will investigate E7th. |
Hi David. C#m Hi to lo "E-C#-G#-E" top four strings.
The start is on strings 2-3-4 on the 17th fret. No slant, straight bar.
Regards Jim
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Canopus d-8
Excel Jerry Byrd frypan
T-8 Stringmaster |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 5 Jun 2020 3:34 am
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You're right, Jim. I had to go back to my own book to check.  Ralph told me he developed his tuning on his own but called it E9th even though we'd call the 6-string version C#m today.
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Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 5 Jun 2020 3:42 am
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This may be so, but I hear an A and an F# as Ralph's opening phrase, no G#. If he did start on the 17th fret, where would he go for the higher stuff? You can do it, but you rapidly lose tone and maneuverability up there.
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Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 5 Jun 2020 6:46 am
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His 8-string version was (low to high) E, G#, B, D, F#, G#, C#, E. Exactly what tuning he used with the Swingsters is anyone's guess though somewhere, I think I have a letter that explains it. In may be in Lorene Ruymer's book.
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Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 5 Jun 2020 2:42 pm
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If his strings are, from the top, E, C# G# F#, he's playing a slant 3rd - 13fret, 1st - 14fret. Or a partial A6th. However, I am going to take that "anyone's guess" and say the 2nd string is a B note. Listen to the shift on the 5th measure. Its E major straight bar 12th fret. Another indication is the 3rd measure, which starts with a three string rip on E major chord.
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Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 6 Jun 2020 3:10 am
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Being inherently lazy and coming off a killer work week, I'm not going to do the audio forensics on this cut but generally speaking, E7th makes more sense to me - especially as I have a dim memory of Ralph telling me that's what it was.
(low to high) B, D, E, G#, B ,E
Ralph acquired the 4th Ric frypan made for free when, to promote them, Rickenbacher outfitted the whole band with their new fangled electric instruments. It's the same guitar in the video above and that was used on the RCA Bluebird recordings.
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Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 6 Jun 2020 3:24 am
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Now, that makes sense. Ralph would not make things difficult for himself by sticking a C# in the middle of an E chord, in what is a simple major 1-4-5 tune.
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Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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