Coconut Hat

Coconut Hat

"Coconut Hat", by Jim West, is a collection of new, original "slack-key" guitar instrumentals, that takes the listener on a musical voyage to Maui's Hana Coast, a part of Hawaii that is rich in cultural heritage and seemingly endless physical beauty. It is a must-have for any guitar music afficionado and especially for fans of slack-key guitar. <P>In Hawaiian, this music would be described as "nahenahe", meaning sweet and relaxing in sound or character. "Coconut Hat" is unusual in the fact that its appeal is not limited to an island audience only, as is much of this genre's offerings. This music will speak to any listener, with the same gentle voice. <P>"Slack-key" guitar is a traditional Hawaiian style of guitar fingerpicking in which the player "slacks" or loosens the strings to form different, and often personal, tunings. These tunings allow the player to carry melodies on the upper strings while keeping a steady bass pattern on the lower strings.