There's no music in the world quite like Hawaii's slack-key guitar. This unlikely marriage of the Spanish guitar with and Polynesia's rippling rhythms gets its name from the islanders' habit of ...

According to Matthew Swalinkavich, known by fans as Makana, there are obvious reasons that few musicians master slack key guitar. "It's a very challenging style technically, and it's hard to learn ...

Even if you don’t know exactly what a Hawaiian slack key guitar (or ki ho’alu) is, you can probably easily recognize its music. It’s that smooth, sweet sound that evokes island breezes and warm sunny ...

The best musicians are usually the most versatile, such as Jim “Kimo” West. Van Nuys resident West is the guitarist for “Weird Al” Yankovic, whose latest effort, the chart-topping “Mandatory Fun” (RCA ...

Jeff Peterson grew up on the slopes of Haleakalā volcano on Maui. His music is featured on two Grammy-award winning albums and was featured in a major motion picture. He composed a concerto, a piece ...

Left-handed James “Bla” Pahinui learned to play on a guitar set up for a right-handed guitarist — “upside down and backwards” for him. Playing “upside down and backwards” meant hitting the guitar ...

Hawaiian slack key guitar is a finger picking style that stands with the world’s great guitar traditions like flamenco and blues. Its resonant sound often associated with Hawaii is alive, evolving and ...

NEW YORK — Cyril Pahinui, a nationally recognized Hawaiian guitarist and singer who preserved and extended the tradition of slack-key guitar, died Nov. 17 in Honolulu. He was 68. His death was ...

Ki-ho‘alu Foundation will present the 28th Annual Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival – Kona Style – for all the fans of Hawaiian music and slack key guitar on Hawaii Island. The festival is scheduled ...