Tag Archives: big island

Waimea Ride (Slack Key Improvisation)

Songsbig island, Hawaii, hawaii ranch, Holualoa, kamuela, ki ho’alu, mauka, open g tuning, paniolo, slack key, taro patch, Taylor 310, Taylor 310e, waimea cowboy

Today’s song from the vaults, “Waimea Ride,” is a slack key improvisation that blossoms from a familiar type of descending figure. Though often used as part of a turnaround, this type of walk down has also been featured as a melodic device in a number of songs, most notably Leonard Kwan’s classic signature tune Opihi Moe Moe. I also recall Ozzie Kotani using it in some of his songs. Anyway, I thought the descending figure and overall pace of this improv might evoke the picture of a Paniolo riding downslope on horseback, ergo the title. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded in Holualoa, Hawai’i, 1/11/08.

Silver Threads – Slack Key Improv

Songsbig island, blue sky guitar, Hawaii, Holualoa, kailua kona, ki ho’alu, kona coffee, mauna loa tuning, nick borho, open g tuning, slack key, taro patch, Taylor 912ce

Here is an improvisation I did based on Leonard Kwan’s famous slack key arrangement of “Silver Threads Among the Gold.” This classic tune is a popular piece in the slack key repertoire and often one of the first things people learn when exploring Drop C tuning. Most listeners of modern day Hawaii radio will recognize Silver Threads as the slack key passage quoted in the intro to Country Comfort’s Waimanalo Blues, a beloved song in the islands in its own right. Hope you enjoy.

Kaiminani Slack Key

Songsacoustic guitar, big island, blue sky guitar, blueskyguitar, ear trumpet labs, edwina, fingerstyle guitar, Hawaii, kailua kona, kaiminani drive, kalaoa, Keahole Point, ki ho’alu, Kohanaiki, Kona International Airport, Kona Palisades, Mamalahoa, open g tuning, open tunings, OTEC beach, peaceful guitar music, Pine Trees beach, Queen Kaahumanu, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, slack key, taro patch, taylor 414ce-NR, taylor classical guitar, taylor nylon, tranquil song, Wawaloli

Here is an original slack key song I named for Kaiminani Drive in Kalaoa, North Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii. Kaiminani Drive is a main mauka-makai road that connects the Queen Kaahumanu and Mamalahoa highways (lower and upper roads, respectively). It also runs through the Kona Palisades neighborhood where I lived for a number of years as a child. Back then, the neighborhood was less developed, and my friends and I would build tree houses and play in the vacant lots. We could also watch the planes come and go at Kona International Airport at Keahole Point (KOA), and had easy access to then-uncrowded OTEC (Wawaloli) and Pine Trees (Kohanaiki) beaches. Hope you enjoy.

Moment in the Sun & Crossing the Field

Songsbig island, Elixir strings, Fred Kelly, Holualoa, improvisation, ksm141, peaceful guitar music, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, shure ksm 141, Taylor 310, taylor 310ce, Taylor 310e, Taylor Dreadnaught guitar, taylor guitars, thumbpicks, tranquil song

“Moment in the Sun” and it’s companion song “Crossing the Field” were recorded as a pair of songs to set the stage for the second half of my “Awake Again” album. Following the dramatic strumming of “Make” that closed the first half of the album, “Moment” & “Field” frame the mellower vibe of the album’s remaining songs. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded in Holualoa, Hawai’i, 4/20/09.

Outro (Awake Again)

Songsbig island, improvisation, peaceful guitar music, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, shure ksm 141, Taylor 310, taylor 310ce, Taylor 310e, tranquil song

This short piece was recorded to provide a final track for my “Awake Again” project. The outro echoes the intro’s use of harmonics and changing of the guitar’s tuning during the piece. It’s short, but provides a few sweet phrases to close the album. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded in Holualoa, Hawai’i, 6/20/09.

Transition I (Awake Again, 3/1/09)

Songsbig island, improvisation, peaceful guitar music, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, shure ksm 141, Taylor 310, taylor 310ce, Taylor 310e, tranquil song

This is another improvisatory piece recorded for my “Awake Again” project, which included a handful of songs that were connected by mostly shorter and improvisatory ‘transitions’ such as this. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded in Holualoa, Hawai’i, 3/1/09.

Bull by the Horns

Songsbig island, Holualoa, improvisation, peaceful guitar music, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, shure ksm 141, Taylor 310, taylor 310ce, Taylor 310e, tranquil song

Bull by the Horns is a longer folk fingerpicking piece from my “Awake Again” project. I don’t often use a capo, but sometimes it’s nice to have that bright, chimey sound and snappy playability you get from moving up the neck. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded in Holualoa, Hawai’i, 2/14/09.

Ohio River Rag (Awake Again Version)

Songsbig island, Holualoa, improvisation, peaceful guitar music, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, shure ksm 141, Taylor 310, taylor 310ce, Taylor 310e, tranquil song

Here is a version of my song “Ohio River Rag” recorded for the Awake Again project. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded in Holualoa, Hawai’i, 3/1/09.

Morning and Night (Awake Again Version)

Songsbig island, Holualoa, improvisation, peaceful guitar music, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, shure ksm 141, Taylor 310, taylor 310ce, Taylor 310e, tranquil song

Here is a version of my song “Morning and Night” recorded for the Awake Again project. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded in Holualoa, Hawai’i, 6/20/09.

Dust Yourself Off

Songsbig island, drop C, Hawaii, Holualoa, improvisation, ki ho’alu, peaceful guitar music, relaxing guitar, relaxing music, shure ksm 141, slack key, Taylor 310, taylor 310ce, Taylor 310e, tranquil song

Dust Yourself Off is a slack key influenced fingerstyle song from my Awake Again project. I hear the song as imbued with a sense of renewal and starting a new journey. This was to be the first full length song in the setlist, preceded by only a brief instrumental introduction. Hope you enjoy.

Recorded in Holualoa, Hawai’i, 2/24/09

Nick Borho

Slack Key & Fingerstyle Guitar

Tag Archives: big island

Waimea Ride (Slack Key Improvisation)

Silver Threads – Slack Key Improv

Kaiminani Slack Key

Moment in the Sun & Crossing the Field

Outro (Awake Again)

Transition I (Awake Again, 3/1/09)

Bull by the Horns

Ohio River Rag (Awake Again Version)

Morning and Night (Awake Again Version)

Dust Yourself Off