This video shows the discovery process associated with Joaquin Murphey's unique F#9 tuning that i... more This video shows the discovery process associated with Joaquin Murphey's unique F#9 tuning that is detailed in chapter 8 of my thesis "Across the South: The origins and development of the steel guitar in western swing".
This tuning can be observed in the very first recording of Murphey in a 1944 soundie with Spade Cooley: "Take me back to Tulsa" https://youtu.be/K0TU-way7HM?t=34
The 6 string tuning is a variant of one used by Murphey's mentor, Hawaiian Dick McIntire.
A contexualition of Sol Ho'opi'i's 1938 recording of Gershwin's classic tune for the National Rec... more A contexualition of Sol Ho'opi'i's 1938 recording of Gershwin's classic tune for the National Recording Preservation Board
Origins of Leon McAuliffe’s iconic ‘Steel Guitar Rag’ lie in its close similarity to Sylvester We... more Origins of Leon McAuliffe’s iconic ‘Steel Guitar Rag’ lie in its close similarity to Sylvester Weaver’s ‘Guitar Rag’. This paper juxtaposes McAuliffe’s various accounts of its genesis with selected contemporaneous recordings in order to trace the precursors of its content and style.
In the early 1930s, the steel guitar, a Hawaiian invention of the late 19th century, was adopted ... more In the early 1930s, the steel guitar, a Hawaiian invention of the late 19th century, was adopted by musicians in an emerging form of dance music known as western swing, a subgenre of country music. The design of the newly amplified instrument and the style of its players underwent continual change as the music of the genre evolved. However, in the 1950s, as the popularity of western swing declined, the steel guitar was completely supplanted by the pedal steel guitar and a new stylistic approach that it enabled. Through transcription and analysis the study offers new perspectives on what have been anecdotal observations surrounding the various stages in development of the steel guitar between 1935 and 1955.
Conference Paper: Instrument of Change: The International Rise of the Guitar (c. 1870-1945), University of Melbourne, 2016
This paper explores the development during the 1920s of alternative steel guitar tunings, specifi... more This paper explores the development during the 1920s of alternative steel guitar tunings, specifically, the dominant seventh. Faced with the increasing harmonic complexity of the emerging jazz repertoire, steel guitarists needed to expand the existing triadic tunings of Hawaiian music. Transcription and analysis of an obscure solo guitar piece reveals the moment when the dominant seventh tuning emerged. The paper then provides evidence of its subsequent adoption by Hawaiian ensembles across America
This project examines the transformation in the early 20th century of the steel guitar from a Haw... more This project examines the transformation in the early 20th century of the steel guitar from a Hawaiian folk instrument to a mainstay of American popular music. The steel guitar – here characterised as a prepared instrument and a performance style whereby a guitar is positioned face up on the lap of a seated player who stops the strings by means of a steel bar – is a late 19th century Hawaiian adaption of the Spanish guitar. Its original role was that of a solo and accompanying instrument in the performance of Hawaiian music, which was itself an ethnic music tradition that had developed under American and European colonial influences. Once Hawaiian music was exposed to Western audiences in the early 20th century, its popularity grew rapidly and it evolved from an ethnic curiosity to a global popular music phenomenon. The steel guitar was at first synonymous with Hawaiian music, but just as the music became more global in its outreach, so too did the instrument itself. The steel guitar came to be gradually divorced from its original, ethnic Hawaiian context, and was incorporated steadily into a range of mainland American popular music stylings. This study examines the origins of the steel guitar, the evolution of early steel guitar style and the context in which the evolution occurred.
International Country Music Conference, Nashville, 2018
Although the origins of the steel guitar are irrefutable, historians have been loath to attribute... more Although the origins of the steel guitar are irrefutable, historians have been loath to attribute much of the art of western swing steel guitar to Hawaiian influences. First applied to the inceptive stylings with which Bob Dunn cemented the position of the instrument in the western swing ensemble in 1935, this prejudice does not survive a close examination of the evolution of steel guitar style in the 1930s. This paper will show how prominent steel guitarists of the South West drew on innovations and stylings from a dynamic Hawaiian music scene that was evolving simultaneously.
This video shows the discovery process associated with Joaquin Murphey's unique F#9 tuning that i... more This video shows the discovery process associated with Joaquin Murphey's unique F#9 tuning that is detailed in chapter 8 of my thesis "Across the South: The origins and development of the steel guitar in western swing".
This tuning can be observed in the very first recording of Murphey in a 1944 soundie with Spade Cooley: "Take me back to Tulsa" https://youtu.be/K0TU-way7HM?t=34
The 6 string tuning is a variant of one used by Murphey's mentor, Hawaiian Dick McIntire.
A contexualition of Sol Ho'opi'i's 1938 recording of Gershwin's classic tune for the National Rec... more A contexualition of Sol Ho'opi'i's 1938 recording of Gershwin's classic tune for the National Recording Preservation Board
Origins of Leon McAuliffe’s iconic ‘Steel Guitar Rag’ lie in its close similarity to Sylvester We... more Origins of Leon McAuliffe’s iconic ‘Steel Guitar Rag’ lie in its close similarity to Sylvester Weaver’s ‘Guitar Rag’. This paper juxtaposes McAuliffe’s various accounts of its genesis with selected contemporaneous recordings in order to trace the precursors of its content and style.
In the early 1930s, the steel guitar, a Hawaiian invention of the late 19th century, was adopted ... more In the early 1930s, the steel guitar, a Hawaiian invention of the late 19th century, was adopted by musicians in an emerging form of dance music known as western swing, a subgenre of country music. The design of the newly amplified instrument and the style of its players underwent continual change as the music of the genre evolved. However, in the 1950s, as the popularity of western swing declined, the steel guitar was completely supplanted by the pedal steel guitar and a new stylistic approach that it enabled. Through transcription and analysis the study offers new perspectives on what have been anecdotal observations surrounding the various stages in development of the steel guitar between 1935 and 1955.
Conference Paper: Instrument of Change: The International Rise of the Guitar (c. 1870-1945), University of Melbourne, 2016
This paper explores the development during the 1920s of alternative steel guitar tunings, specifi... more This paper explores the development during the 1920s of alternative steel guitar tunings, specifically, the dominant seventh. Faced with the increasing harmonic complexity of the emerging jazz repertoire, steel guitarists needed to expand the existing triadic tunings of Hawaiian music. Transcription and analysis of an obscure solo guitar piece reveals the moment when the dominant seventh tuning emerged. The paper then provides evidence of its subsequent adoption by Hawaiian ensembles across America
This project examines the transformation in the early 20th century of the steel guitar from a Haw... more This project examines the transformation in the early 20th century of the steel guitar from a Hawaiian folk instrument to a mainstay of American popular music. The steel guitar – here characterised as a prepared instrument and a performance style whereby a guitar is positioned face up on the lap of a seated player who stops the strings by means of a steel bar – is a late 19th century Hawaiian adaption of the Spanish guitar. Its original role was that of a solo and accompanying instrument in the performance of Hawaiian music, which was itself an ethnic music tradition that had developed under American and European colonial influences. Once Hawaiian music was exposed to Western audiences in the early 20th century, its popularity grew rapidly and it evolved from an ethnic curiosity to a global popular music phenomenon. The steel guitar was at first synonymous with Hawaiian music, but just as the music became more global in its outreach, so too did the instrument itself. The steel guitar came to be gradually divorced from its original, ethnic Hawaiian context, and was incorporated steadily into a range of mainland American popular music stylings. This study examines the origins of the steel guitar, the evolution of early steel guitar style and the context in which the evolution occurred.
International Country Music Conference, Nashville, 2018
Although the origins of the steel guitar are irrefutable, historians have been loath to attribute... more Although the origins of the steel guitar are irrefutable, historians have been loath to attribute much of the art of western swing steel guitar to Hawaiian influences. First applied to the inceptive stylings with which Bob Dunn cemented the position of the instrument in the western swing ensemble in 1935, this prejudice does not survive a close examination of the evolution of steel guitar style in the 1930s. This paper will show how prominent steel guitarists of the South West drew on innovations and stylings from a dynamic Hawaiian music scene that was evolving simultaneously.
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Videos by Guy Cundell
This tuning can be observed in the very first recording of Murphey in a 1944 soundie with Spade Cooley: "Take me back to Tulsa" https://youtu.be/K0TU-way7HM?t=34
The 6 string tuning is a variant of one used by Murphey's mentor, Hawaiian Dick McIntire.
Papers by Guy Cundell
https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/recording-registry/index-of-essays/
Conference Presentations by Guy Cundell
This tuning can be observed in the very first recording of Murphey in a 1944 soundie with Spade Cooley: "Take me back to Tulsa" https://youtu.be/K0TU-way7HM?t=34
The 6 string tuning is a variant of one used by Murphey's mentor, Hawaiian Dick McIntire.
https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/recording-registry/index-of-essays/