Homespun

Here's the perfect introduction to "slack key," a picking style in traditional alternate tunings that's a cross between country fingerpicking and classical guitar. The music, which can be played on any guitar, has a lush sound that is instantly evocative of the islands of the Pacific.

Keola Beamer, a member of one of Hawaii's most illustrious musical families and a master of slack key guitar, has chosen five traditional pieces -- "Isa Lei," "Mino'aka," "Moana's Laundry Basket," "Papa's Okolehau" and "I Ka Po Me Ke Ao" -- and teaches them in depth in this marvelous CD/book package. His tunes employ a variety of techniques, including the use of vibrato, harmonics, slurs, harmonies in thirds and sixths, legato playing and other musical ideas that help create a distinctive guitar sound.