Current state of Hawaiian Steel

[Duane Becker]

An article in my local paper from the Los Angeles Times on the state of current Hawaiian Steel Guitar. Mentions Alan Akaka too.
Leaves the impression of the Hawaiian Steel coming back, but so far, I haven't seen evidence yet. All I see is two or three people sitting around and playing two guitars with a uke.

[Joe A. Roberts]

That picture is not particularly legible, but Alan Akaka truly has inspired and taught many young people, including Malie Lyman, whose name I see mentioned in that article when I squint:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2ehfj_oIsg

There seems to have been a dark age of the instrument, where most players were older with a rare niche interest among younger people.
Many of those older folks have passed, and now I think there are more younger people interested in the instrument than there has been in decades.
So many brilliant Hawaiian musicians since the 1960s have chosen not to play the instrument, I guess it was passe. Bigger focus on slack key, etc.

A steel renaissance probably wouldn't be the same magnitude as the ukulele one, with the steeper learning curve and all, but it is happening.

[Doug Beaumier]

Here is a link to the online article ——-> https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/st ... eel-guitar

[Chris Clem]

Alan deserves a lot of credit for teaching the young ones to play.

I do see Hawaiian music from a long distance away,so I don't have any real facts as to what is going on there.

I love the classic Hawaiian bands from the 30s and 40s. Most of those bands featured 3 part vocal harmonies, solid rehearsed arrangements,steel guitar,uke,guitar,bass sometimes a little more.

There are some great steel players in Hawaii, but do any of them even play in a band?..... Seems like that would be the next step to the steel gaining some popularity.

[John Larson]

A steel renaissance probably wouldn't be the same magnitude as the ukulele one, with the steeper learning curve and all, but it is happening.

Well add in the relative lack of mid price solid instruments too. Lots of cheap stuff and lots of pricey stuff. Fender needs to reissue the string masters as a Squier vintage series.

[Anthony Lis]

Here is a link to the online article ——-> https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/st ... eel-guitar

Thanks for the link, Doug Beaumier.