40th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering

Kī hōʻalu (to slack or loosen the key) is a genre of guitar music that originated in Hawai’i among paniolos (Hawaiian cowboys). When Mexican vaqueros visited Hawai’i to teach the paniolos how to manage the island's wild cattle, they also taught them to play the guitar. Without traditional knowledge of guitar tuning, nā paniolo loosened the strings to an “open G tuning” and this unique style was born. In this workshop, Gary & Kurin Haleamau will teach the Hawaiian “open G” tuning, similar to bluegrass DGDGBD. Using a Hawaiian song as a foundation, students will also learn finger picking and chord progression, which incorporates playing the top three strings for a bass rhythm.