Slack Key - `Imi Au Ia `Oe

"`Imi Au Ia `Oe" (I Search For You) is attributed to Charles E. King and also to Queen Lili`uokalani. The song speaks of the yearning for a lost love: "I search for you, my love, in the fragrant groves of Puna."

I love slack key waltzes, the Sonny Chillingworth vocal version of this song caught my ear and inspired me to create an instrumental arrangement. You can hear Sonny's wonderful performance on the "Endlessly" CD from Dancing Cat records.

I recorded this video with a Flip Mino HD, and captured the audio with a Zoom H2 handheld recorder. I edited the audio in Adobe Audition 3, and synced the audio and video in Avidemux.

Please visit http://www.kaleponi.com for more video and audio clips and other slack key related stuff.

If you're interested in the technical side of video and audio recording, please visit http://www.homebrewedmusic.com for articles on recording solo acoustic guitar at home.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• slack key
• fran guidry
• acoustic music
• kaleponi
• slack
• key
• slack-key
• solo
• acoustic guitar
• acoustic
• fingerstyle
• hawaiian music
• hawaiian
• open tuning
• world music
• folk music
• sonny chillingworth
• chilingsworth

[TheAuntiebabe]

Oh, so lovely, a great arrangement gives me "chicken skin" I play this on slack key, but nothing like this. Geri

[franguidry]

@TheAuntiebabe Thank you, Geri. Where can I hear your version? Were you inspired by Uncle Sonny as well?

Fran

[franguidry]

Thanks to everyone for the very kind comments. Please check out Sonny Chillingworth for the real deal.

Fran

[BubbaFart]

Very nice! :-) Is that an Epiphone Masterbilt? It sounds really nice. I understand Ledward Ka'apana plays an Epiphone Masterbilt too.

[franguidry]

Hi, Layne. That is a Epi Masterbilt EF-500RCCE (cedar top cutaway). Led used an Epi EF-500M (mahogany and spruce non cutaway) for a while this past year while waiting for his Martin to come back from the factory. But as soon as the Martin came back the Epiphone got moved to second place.

Fran

[wjc1952]

Fran - this is amazingly beautiful; so soft and so sweet. Thanks for the nice, nice music.

Me ke aloha,

Wanda

[franguidry]

Hey, Wanda, I'm doing an audio enhancement how-to video around this clip. I also have a version I'll be loading up on Vimeo with camera sound and some processing.

Fran

[TheAuntiebabe]

@franguidry Hi Fran, No I didn't, I have love the song like forever, and my mom used to play it on steel guitar. Just before she passed away I wanted to learn it on slack key for her. Bill campbell tab it out for me in taro patch, in fact he is the one that found you on YOUTUBE. My version is ok...I guess, but I don't have it out so anyone can hear it, I just play for me. I guess I don't have much confidence to do that. I'm sure enjoying you other songs too. Geri

[Haliaka]

Beautiful, it makes me wanna sing!

[slackkey808]

Nice one Uncle, maybe I can attempt to learn this :)

[simmo303]

Nahenahe, the epitome of Slack Key.

RK's spirit lives on.

[manaman545]

Nice one Fran, cool guitar too!