slack-key

American  

[slak-kee] / ˈslækˌki /

noun

1. a style of Hawaiian popular music played on an acoustic guitar with strings tuned to notes lower than standard guitar tuning for more bass resonance.

---

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to this style of music.

Etymology

Origin of slack-key

First recorded in 1975–80; slack ¹ ( def. ) (in the sense “loose, not taut”) + key ¹ ( def. ); translation of Hawaiian kī hō‘alu, equivalent to kī “key” + hō‘alu “slack”

Example Sentences

Hawaiian Music Festival Feel the vibes with this family-friendly outdoor show featuring vocalist Aolani Kaeka-Preuss and Grammy-winning slack-key guitarist Jim “Kimo” West.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2021

Not long after at a slack-key guitar convention, he met Sunny Chillingworth, who was “Tiny Bubbles” legend Don Ho’s musical director.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 28, 2017

Both movies involve issues of land and legacy, and both attempt to address complex issues while plainly luxuriating in lush landscapes and lilting slack-key guitars.

From Slate • Jun. 1, 2015

But the reaction has been muted in Hawaii, where many slack-key guitarists and traditional musicians had grown disenchanted with the Grammys competition even before their category was eliminated.

From New York Times • Dec. 28, 2011

The most common tuning is C – so the strings are tuned G, C, E, A – although the slack-key open tunings particular to Hawaiian music are sometimes also used.

From The Guardian • Aug. 17, 2010