{"id":33,"date":"2006-11-26T16:34:53","date_gmt":"2006-11-26T23:34:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ukuleletonya.com\/blog\/2006\/11\/big-island-hawaii-trip%e2%80%94november-2006\/"},"modified":"2009-08-04T13:13:30","modified_gmt":"2009-08-04T20:13:30","slug":"big-island-hawaii-trip%e2%80%94november-2006","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ukuleletonya.com\/blog\/2006\/11\/big-island-hawaii-trip%e2%80%94november-2006","title":{"rendered":"Big Island (Hawaii) trip\u2014November 2006"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s been a week since we returned from our 11-day trip to the Big Island and I\u2019m still smiling as I recall all the great ukulele fun I was able to enjoy (and the smiles are still there in spite of coming back home to 41-degree weather and rain!).<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve never had the chance to visit Hawaii and play ukulele with friends there, let this account clue you in to the great fun\u2014and learning\u2014that can be yours in the land of sun, surf, sand and GCEA tuning (if you’re not a “word” person and just want to skip to the pictures, go here<\/a>):<\/p>\n

Travel and lodging<\/big><\/strong><\/big>
\nWe took Hawaiian Airlines<\/a> from Sacramento to Kona Airport, via Honolulu. Definitely sign up for their frequent flyer program, Hawaiian Miles, even if you\u2019re not one (yet) and don\u2019t even have any trips planned at this time. Credits\/miles can be transferred at no cost to\/from friends and family members and with only 35,000 miles you can book a round-trip ticket from the West Coast to any Hawaiian island. Get the HA Visa credit card and you get one mile credit on your Hawaiian Miles account for each dollar charged\u2014sweet!<\/p>\n

We stayed at the Kona Bali Kai, overlooking the lava tidepools and the popular local surf break, Banyans. We\u2019ve stayed at this condo complex five times, almost always renting directly from a unit\u2019s owner; that way you can choose exactly what unit you\u2019d like (we prefer the third and fourth floor) and even see how the unit \u201clooks\u201d ahead of time so there are no unpleasant surprises. This unit was the best ever\u2014decorated beautifully, free in-room wireless internet access and scrupulously clean. It was a true haven\u2014and the huge oceanfront lanai made a great place to play ukulele as the waves crashed below.<\/p>\n

A private lesson with James Hill<\/big><\/strong><\/big>
\nYes, that<\/em> James Hill<\/a>! James was slated to perform at the Ukulele and Slack Key Institute, held in Waimea Nov. 8 through 11 and I was able to book a 45-minute private lesson with him on one of the institute days\u2014thanks to the help of Alva, at the Kahilu Theatre<\/a> and my trusty Visa card!). The theater hosted the standard workshop sessions but the private lessons were held in a nearby community center, which also was the site for some Sunday School classes\u2014hence the background posters in the photos of James here.<\/p>\n

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I recorded the lesson on my iPod and will be putting it on a CD for future reference. My advice if you have a private lesson is to record it. Unless you\u2019re a lot more organized than I am, it\u2019s really difficult to hold your thoughts, play, ask questions and write down the stuff that\u2019s being shared with you.<\/p>\n

James\u2019 lesson for me, at my request, focused on what I can do to further develop my musical knowledge and playing and have a \u201cdirection\u201d to travel in to continue my learning on my own. He quickly assessed my skills\/knowledge (very quickly, really!) and decided to help me, as he put it, take the many bits of information I\u2019ve gleaned from my shelf of books and the myriad workshops I\u2019ve attended, and \u201calign\u201d them, much as a chiropractor would align a spine, to give me a true working knowledge of playing. All the ukulele things I\u2019ve popped into my musical brain in the past are like \u201cloose change,\u201d James said. As loose change, it\u2019s really not usable until I can get it organized so I can go spend it. I was inspired!<\/p>\n

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So, I moved out of my comfort zone at the first position chords and James reviewed the higher position chord shapes then worked with me for the rest of the lesson on integrating that into my playing. Yes, I know I have all the books and chord guides and I\u2019ve even taken a workshop from Byron Yasui on the same topic, but James actually had me recognizing \u201croot\u201d positions for chords and their first two inversions. Really! Exercises included finding multiple positions for the same chord, finding inversions and recognizing the melody note and using the correct inversion to keep that note on the top. By the end of the lesson I was even putting together a (very!) simple version of \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d using various chord positions and the melody notes. Watch out world!<\/p>\n

James is not only a great performer, but a truly gifted teacher. He was able to take my areas of confusion (many) and pull them together for me so they made sense. My brain was spinning by the time the lesson was over.<\/p>\n

Ukulele display and performer \u201ctalk story\u201d<\/big><\/strong><\/big><\/p>\n

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As part of the institute, four top-notch ukulele players provided an informal, \u201ctalk story\u201d session and the audience was able to listen and ask questions. The players were James Hill, Brittni Paiva, David Kamakahi and Gordon Mark. Topics included how they approach their playing, their inspiration and even how to get an ukulele on as carry-on in spite of less-than-understanding airport officials (Answer: Check in the case, carry the ukulele wrapped in your coat).<\/p>\n

How many chances do you have to hear four great ukulele players share their thoughts, both with each other and with audience members? As I looked around at the gathered folks in the theater\u2019s audience I recognized a friend from previous festivals\u2014Joel Eckhaus of Earnest Instruments<\/a>. Joel had been at Honolulu the week before for the Ukulele Guild of Hawaii and had made a short hop over to the Big Island to visit the Waimea event (and probably to escape some of the Maine winter weather!).<\/p>\n

Ukulele folks are friendly souls\u2014as I got out of the car in the theater\u2019s parking lot, I heard a, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHey, Tonya!\u201d and met up with Scott B., whom I\u2019d met at a Kona-area music store in November 2004. A few steps further and I was spotted Willie P., who teaches the beginning ukulele class held in Keahou Shopping Center (Kona area) on Friday mornings. We\u2019d been in Hawaii less than 20 hours and I already had met old friends. Traveling with an ukulele is great for increasing your list of good friends!<\/p>\n

A local kanikapila\u2014and they invited me!<\/big><\/strong><\/big>
\nSam Rosen builds ukuleles, sells ukuleles and exhibits a huge variety of ukulele art at his store, Holualoa Ukulele Gallery<\/a> on the green slopes above Kailua-Kona. Sam\u2019s a peach of a guy\u2014generous with his time and energy; he loves teaching others to build their own ukulele and is even modifying his gallery to allow for more \u201cworkshop\u201d space for his students who are learning to craft their instruments.<\/p>\n

Sam and KonaBob<\/a>, who lives nearby in Holualoa, both invited me to an informal Hawaiian \u201cjam\u201d or kanikapila session held Wednesdays at Sam\u2019s place. I drove up the winding, narrow two-lane Hualalai Road (in the dark for the first time, no less) and was amazed at number of cars lining the road in front of the Holualoa Ukulele Gallery. I walked down the driveway and, there in the huge open-sided garage, was a group of 24 folks, happily playing and singing (mostly) Hawaiian songs.<\/p>\n

Most were ukulele players, but, as a late arrival, I found myself between two guitar players and quite near a woman from Minnesota playing a mandolin. There were also a couple of slide-steel guitar players. KonaBob provided bass accompaniment with his upright Kona WalkingStick bass<\/a>\u2014it\u2019s an amazing instrument that\u2019s fun to play and fun to play with. Every ukulele player needs to have a friend who plays the Kona WalkingStick!<\/p>\n

I was welcomed warmly at the kanikapila and enjoyed my evening with these happy folks. Most of our playing was from the ubiquitous Hawaiian song\/chord book, Na Mele Aloha (aka, \u201cthe blue book\u201d). I hadn\u2019t brought mine but was offered one for the evening. Next time I\u2019ll bring snacks to share, guys!<\/p>\n

Playing with Bruddah Mark<\/big><\/strong><\/big>
\nBruddah Mark<\/a>, who hails from the La Jolla\/San Diego area (and has developed a fun, island-themed clothing line) has family on the Big Island. In past November trips to Hawaii, it seemed we (*my* Mark and myself) were always on island at the same time as Bruddah Mark, but we never found each other. This year we had the chance to get together. What a blessing that was\u2014and what fun Mark and I had with Bruddah Mark!<\/p>\n

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Bruddah Mark told me about Auntie Marjorie, who taught him some of his first ukulele licks and who teaches on Mondays at Waikola King\u2019s Shops. We drove up the coast, parked at the pretty ritzy shopping complex and quickly spotted Auntie Marjorie\u2014a classy Hawaiian woman with a no-nonsense approach to teaching ukulele and a falsetto singing voice that\u2019s as sweet and nahenahe as you could hope to find on the island.<\/p>\n

I sat down by Bruddah Mark (whom Auntie Marjorie was delighted<\/em> to see again) and the group, which included some \u201cregulars\u201d who attend every Monday, quickly moved into playing a wide range of hapa haole as well as traditional Hawaiian tunes. The breeze was gentle and warm, the music lilting and Auntie Marjorie\u2019s singing let me know I was truly in Paradise.<\/p>\n

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Mark, Bruddah Mark and I all headed over to the Big Island Steak House for lunch after the lesson\u2014but not before Bruddah Mark taught me some new \u201creggae\u201d sounds as we sat outside in the plaza. I enjoyed playing his koa tenor by G-String\u2014although you can see by the lack of folding money in the case that I didn\u2019t get a lot of financial encouragement from passersby!<\/p>\n

Later in the week, Bruddah Mark dropped by our condo and he and I headed out to the lawn and beach to play together for another hour or so (and enjoy some local Kona Brew Pub varieties). He was generous with his instruction\u2014including breaking down an intro from a Jake Shimabukuro song (I\u2019m gonna wow Dominator with this one, I\u2019m sure!) and some island-style strums and licks.<\/p>\n

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Bruddah Mark is one of those folks who\u2019s a real inspiration to me and embodies the aloha spirit\u2014he never speaks badly about anyone, he\u2019s genuinely interested in others and his smiles and giving heart make the day that much sunnier\u2014even in Hawaii. Mark and I were lucky to get to know Bruddah Mark on this trip and hope to make it an island tradition!<\/p>\n

Non-ukulele fun on the Big Island<\/big><\/strong><\/big><\/p>\n

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It wasn’t all about chords and new ukulele tunes, though. Mark and I took sunset walks along the bluff, feasted on ono sandwiches (and loco moco\u2014a real sacrifice for Mark), discovered oceanside petroglyphs, explored a chocolate orchard (farm? factory?) and snorkeled at Two-Step.<\/p>\n

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Thursday found us exploring The Painted Church with our only sustenance that morning six warm malasadas and a cone each of Tropical Dreams “Chocolate Macadamia Nut” ice cream. While we were on the Big Island there was a tsunami watch, an earthquake (we napped through it) and one of our favorite snorkeling beaches had a shark warning. We managed to tough it out; somebody’s gotta keep the tourism economy going over there.<\/p>\n

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We returned home totally refreshed, energized and ready for the holiday season and a Thanksgiving holiday shared with Alden (Matthew and Danielle remained in their new home in Ojai). What could be nicer?
\nThe $64,000 question: Did I buy a new ukulele?<\/big><\/strong><\/big><\/p>\n

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No, I didn\u2019t. Not that I didn\u2019t see some great ones by talented luthiers on the Big Island. Mark, as always, encouraged me to actively look at them and consider buying. None of them, though, \u201cspoke\u201d to me this time around. But that\u2019s not closing the door on a new koa ukulele in the future. Besides, Bruddah Mark says I could really use a \u201cbigger\u201d instrument than my little LoPrinzi soprano for more fingerpicking fun\u2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a week since we returned from our 11-day trip to the Big Island and I\u2019m still smiling as I recall all the great ukulele fun I was able to enjoy (and the smiles are still there in spite of coming back home to 41-degree weather and rain!). If you\u2019ve never had the chance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10,4,1,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hawaii_travels","category-performers","category-personal","category-ukulele-festivals"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Wqkt-x","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ukuleletonya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ukuleletonya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ukuleletonya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ukuleletonya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ukuleletonya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/ukuleletonya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118,"href":"http:\/\/ukuleletonya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33\/revisions\/118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ukuleletonya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ukuleletonya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ukuleletonya.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}