Kolowaka (Soda Water)

 

This original ballad was originally published in my first slack key instruction book from 1973, “Keola Beamer’s First Method For Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar” (which was expanded and issued with a flexi-disk including this song in 1977 on Oak Publications with the title “Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar”).
Kolowaka is a beautiful lullaby type piece in my signature nahenahe (soft and gentle) style, exploring the idea of theme and variation. I wrote it for my students as a kind of etude. Simple on the surface, it opens up a lot of possibilities for growth and for playing one’s own variations.

After you have finished this piece, go on to Isa Lei.

Keola Beamer

Lesson Resources

Tuning: G Major “Taro Patch” Tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D) (jump to the Taro Patch lesson)


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