slack-key
See also: slack key
English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From a translation of the Hawaiian kī hōʻalu (“loosen the [tuning] key”).
Adjective
[edit]slack-key (not comparable)
- (music) (of a string instrument or a manner of playing one) Performed with loosened strings, such that all of the strings play in the same key (most often G major).
- 2007, Tim Brookes, Guitar: An American Life, page 56:
- Spanish-style guitars played in the standard position, though probably in altered tunings slack-key fashion.
Usage notes
[edit]Slack-key is almost always used in reference to Hawaiian music, where it is an important technique. In this context it may be referred to as a music genre, slack-key guitar. Transliterations of the original Hawaiian are also common: Kiluea tuning or ki ho'alu guitar.