Skack Key Uke?

KyRedBear

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I'm a new uke player (less than a week) and I bought a cheapo Diamond Head Soprano to see if I can play (arthritis issues) and I'm loving it. I'm looking now to buy a better instrument and I've kinda fallen for this.

http://www.bluegrassukes.com/purple-heart-concert-ukulele/

But what is skack key? I really like the sound and the look of the uke, but is what I'm hearing a result of skack key? And I'm assuming I can (if I decide I want to) replace the G string with a g string?

I also like the fact that it's built about 70 miles from me so that I could maybe pick it up and get some tips from the builders.
 
Slack key is a musical style. Some say it requires different tuning, others disagree. Usually associated with the guitar.
 
Slack key is a musical style. Some say it requires different tuning, others disagree....

That is what I believe it to be as well. The uke or guitar is tuned differently...to what I do not know as I have my hands full with the uke tuned normally!!!
 
Take your GCEA (high or low g) uke (C6 tuning) and tune the "A" down a full step to "G"
You now have GCEG which is a "C" chord. You are tuned in a slack key open tuning.
Barre the 2nd fret and you have a "D" chord, 5 is "F", 7 is "G".
 
I'm a new uke player (less than a week) and I bought a cheapo Diamond Head Soprano to see if I can play (arthritis issues) and I'm loving it. I'm looking now to buy a better instrument and I've kinda fallen for this.

http://www.bluegrassukes.com/purple-heart-concert-ukulele/

But what is skack key? I really like the sound and the look of the uke, but is what I'm hearing a result of skack key? And I'm assuming I can (if I decide I want to) replace the G string with a g string?

I also like the fact that it's built about 70 miles from me so that I could maybe pick it up and get some tips from the builders.
Road Trip!
If you can play a uke in person before buying, that is well worth a day trip! Meeting the builders will make you feel even more affection for the instrument.
–Lori
 
Slack key, or in Hawaiian Ki ho'alu translates to "loosen the key". It comes from when the Mexican vaqueros (cowboys) were hired by the King to come to the Waimea region of the Big Island to teach the Hawaiians to run the overabundance of cattle they had. The Mexicans brought their guitars with them to play in there down time. When The vaqueros job was done and they returned home many of then gave their guitars to the Hawaiians...but they didn't show them how to tune them. So the Hawaiians just open tuned them to a major chord. From there they adopted there own finger style of guitar playing by using a lot of hammer-ons, pull-offs, harmonics etc. Thus, the invention of "Hawaiian slack key music"...in my opinion some of the most beautiful music out there.
 
Mark Nelson has a book Slack Key Style Ukulele. Nice book for what you want. He tunes low g with the high a first string tuned to high g. Not sure if the low g would work on a soprano sized uke.
 
Thank Neal Paisley for bringing it to the attention of some of us that turning the 4th string down one full step G becomes F. C stays the same. E pulls up a half step to F. and A stays the same for open F . DGBE becomes CGCE. it is a root position C chord. It is a rich sound.
 
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