Tag Archives: big island

Naupaka Slack Key ~ Early Take

Songsacoustic guitar, beach naupaka, big island, blue sky guitar, guitar instrumental, half flowers, Hawaii, hawaiian guitar, kailua kona, Kamakahonu beach, ki ho’alu, King Kamehameha Hotel, Kohala beaches, Kona beaches, Kona pier, KTA grocery, lilikoi man, Line Audio CM4, mountain naupaka, nahenahe, Naupaka, nick borho, ohana and friends, open tunings, passionfruit, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, sapele tone, slack key, Taylor 312ce, white berries

Here is an early take of Naupaka Slack Key, a song that pays tribute to ‘beach’ naupaka, a cheerful bush that can be found near many beaches in Hawai’i. While the story of separated lovers embodied in the ‘half flowers’ of beach and ‘mountain’ naupaka is poignant, I often think of the little white berries bobbing around in the water at such places as Kamakahonu beach near the King Kamehameha Hotel in Kailua-Kona where I used to swim as a keiki. Not long ago, an old friend reminded me of the ‘lilikoi man’ who used to walk by the beach there selling passionfruit from a KTA shopping bag for a quarter. As kids, we would build sand castles, explore the nearby pier, and take small fishing nets to catch little minnow-sized fish for our beach bucket filled with seawater (which we would return to the ocean not long after). Anyway, the naupaka plant was often nearby during those childhood hours (small kid time, as they say) spent at various Kona and Kohala beaches – mellow and relaxing days with ohana and friends. Hope you enjoy.

Hualalai Sunrise (Slack Key Guitar)

Songsacoustic guitar instrumental, big island, blue sky guitar, Hawaii, hawaiian guitar, Holualoa, hualalai, kailua kona, ki ho’alu, kona coffee, nahenahe, nick borho, open tunings, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, slack key, taylor 414ce-NR, taylor classical guitar, taylor nylon, Telefunken M60

“Hualalai Sunrise” was inspired by the morning sunrises in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Much of North Kona – from Kalaoa where I spent much of my early childhood to Holualoa where I later lived – can see the sun shining over the top ridges of Hualalai in the morning, bathing its warm light over the slopes from the summit to the ocean.

Magic Sands (Original Slack Key, Alt Take)

SongsAlii Drive, big island, blue sky guitar, Hawaii, hawaiian guitar, Honl’s, Kahaluu Snorkel Beach, kailua kona, Keauhou Bay, ki ho’alu, kona coffee, La’aloa Beach Park, laaloa, Magic Sands, nahenahe, Neumann TLM 102, nick borho, Old Airport Beach Park, open G, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, slack key, taro patch, Taylor 412ce, Taylor 412ce-R, taylor grand concert, White Sands Beach

I used to take a guitar to sit and play some slack key at beaches around Kailua-Kona like Old Airport, Honl’s, Kahalu’u, Keauhou Bay, and La’aloa Beach Park… which is also known locally as White Sands, or Magic Sands. La’aloa Beach Park is just off Ali’i Drive a few miles South of Kailua-Kona. Often known as Magic Sands because the sand ‘disappears’ practically overnight from most of the shoreline during winter swells, only to fully ‘reappear’ in the Summer, the beach is a popular spot for residents of Kona. I often used to head over there with a cup of Kona coffee in the early morning before the crowds arrived, when it was still quiet, and sit on the picnic tables and play guitar. Here is a slack key style tune I wrote one day while hanging out with my guitar around Magic Sands. Hope you enjoy.

Hualalai Sunrise (Early Take)

Songsacoustic guitar, big island, blue sky guitar, fingerstyle guitar, Hawaii, hawaiian guitar, Holualoa, hualalai, kailua kona, kalaoa, ki ho’alu, nick borho, North Kona, open tunings, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, slack key, taylor 414ce-NR, taylor classical guitar, taylor nylon, Telefunken M60

Little Grass Shack, Pua Tuberose – Slack Key Medley

Songsacoustic guitar, big island, blue sky guitar, fingerstyle guitar, Hawaii, hawaiian guitar, kailua kona, Keauhou Bay, Keauhou Bay Resort, ki ho’alu, little grass shack, nick borho, open G, open tunings, outrigger Keauhou bay, peaceful guitar, pua tuberose, relaxing guitar, Sheraton Keauhou Bay Hotel, slack key, taro patch

From the vaults, here is an old recording of a slack key medley performed during an informal kanikapila at what was then the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort Hotel (it has since changed hands from Sheraton). The medley starts out with a rendition of Little Grass Shack, followed by the classic Pua Tuberose. Hope you enjoy.

Meadows Slack Key (912ce)

Songsacoustic guitar, big island, blue sky guitar, Elixir Polyweb, fingerstyle guitar, geckos, Hawaii, hawaiian guitar, Holualoa, kailua kona, ki ho’alu, Mamalahoa Highway, Neumann TLM 102, nick borho, open G, open tunings, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, slack key, taro patch, Taylor 912ce, taylor grand concert

“Meadows” is a slack key song I wrote during a full moon in Kailua-Kona. I think the song was influenced by the night air and night sounds – the occasional chirp of geckos, the distant sounds of traffic on Mamalahoa Highway and the waves in the ocean. Hope you enjoy.

Slippery Slack Key (Nylon String Guitar)

Songsbig island, blue sky guitar, fingerstyle guitar, Hawaii, kailua kona, ki ho’alu, nick borho, nylon string slack key, open G, open tunings, slack key, taro patch

Here is another version – this one recorded on a nylon string guitar – of my song “Slippery Slack Key.” Also known as the “Slippery Fish Slack Key,” this is a fast paced and fun to play slack key song that saw various incarnations in my set a few years back. The slippery runs were inspired in part by the fish in the waters off Kailua-Kona. Hope you enjoy.

Meadows

Songsacoustic guitar, big island, blue sky guitar, Elixir Polyweb, fingerstyle guitar, Hawaii, Holualoa, kailua kona, ki ho’alu, ksm141, Mamalahoa Highway, nick borho, open G, open tunings, peaceful guitar, relaxing guitar, shure, slack key, taro patch, taylor 310ce

“Meadows” is an original song I wrote during a full moon in Kailua-Kona. I think the song was influenced by the night air and night sounds – the occasional chirp of geckos, the distant sounds of traffic on Mamalahoa Highway and the waves in the ocean. This version was probably recorded within a year of when I wrote it. Hope you enjoy.

Makalawena (alternate take)

Songsacoustic guitar, altered tunings, anchialine ponds, apogee one, big island, classical guitar, Fingerstyle, Hawaii, Hawaiian coot, kailua kona, Keahole Point, Kekaha Kai State Park, ki ho’alu, Kona International Airport, love, Mahaiʻula Bay, makalawena, mauna loa tuning, Neumann TLM 102, open tunings, peaceful guitar music, relaxing guitar, slack key, taylor 414ce-NR, taylor nylon guitar, tranquil song

Here is an alternate take of “Makalawena,” an original song I named after a charmingly beautiful and relatively isolated beach on the Kona Coast. Makalawena is part of that long stretch of white sandy beaches you see right before landing at Kona International Airport at nearby Keahole Point. The beach is generally accessible via a short hike from the neighboring Mahaiʻula Bay section of Kekaha Kai State Park. I remember camping out at Makalawena as a kid, exploring the rare anchialine ponds with their delicate red shrimp, and swimming in the waters of the bay. Today still, the neighboring marsh is a protected nesting ground, home to rare birds such as the Hawaiian coot. The song’s bridge seems to capture the strange sense of converging energies that I feel in special places such as these. Hope you enjoy.

Slippery Slack Key (310ce)

Songsbig island, blue sky guitar, Elixir Polyweb, Hawaii, kailua kona, ki ho’alu, ksm141, nick borho, open G, shure, slack key, taro patch, taylor 310ce

Years back I was working on some turnaround ideas when I wrote “Slippery Slack Key.” Also known as the “Slippery Fish Slack Key,” this is a fast paced and fun to play slack key song that saw various incarnations in my set a few years back. The slippery runs were inspired in part by the fish in the waters off Kailua-Kona. Kona’s world famous fishing was also brought to mind frequently by my landlord at the time I wrote this song, a local fish boat captain named Chuck. Hope you enjoy.

Nick Borho

Slack Key & Fingerstyle Guitar