HI-Tunes

For decades, Hawaii has been the source of a rich musical legacy that extends far beyond the kitschy realm of the late, great Don Ho. One of the Islands’ most evocative home-grown sounds is slack key guitar, a lilting, breezy style that still resonates with Latin roots thanks to the Mexican vaqueros, or cowboys, who brought the guitar along with the herds from California in the mid-19th century. Now, you can learn the seductive style from some of the world’s best at the fourth annual Ledward Ka’apana Aloha Acoustic Workshop, hosted by the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach: August 13-16, 2008.

A prelude to the 26th Annual Hawaiian Slack Key Festival on August 17, the multi-day workshop is a rare opportunity to learn from Grammy winner Ka’apana – one of the world’s most respected slack key artists – together with Grammy nominees David Kahiapo, Ozzie Kotani and Paul Togioka, and Japan’s top female slack key artist Agnes Kimura.