Kimo Plays Slack Key Instrumentals

1. "Na Mele O Ka‘iulani" - Kimo plays an original love song for Ka'iulani on Takamine nylon string guitar, using "Gabby's C tuning," tuned down to B.

2. "Sorry" - Kimo was driving in Kaua'i one morning and heard Cindy Combs talking about a song that she wrote. She was using Keola's C tuning but had messed it up. Instead of CGDGBE, she had CGDF#BE. The high G had been tuned down to F# and she didn't realize it at first. So she liked it and went ahead and used the opportunity to write a new song. So Kimo turned around right away and headed back to Waipouli and set it to Cindy's C tuning, as we can call it now. He very quickly came up with this song, and when Kai heard it she said "What is that ? It is so sad !" and Kimo just said "Sorry..."

3. "He Aloha Mo‘opuna" - Kimo composed this song in the Hawaiian Slack Key style during the Summer of 2009 while on Kaua'i. It is a gift for their first Mo'opuna (granddaughter) Aubrey Margaret who was born in October 2009. Kimo plays the Taylor guitar in DADF#AD tuning tuned down to B.

4. "Hurricane" - (Ka Makani Pahili) Kimo composed this song in the Hawaiian Slack Key style during the Summer of 2009 while on Kaua'i. On the island of Kauai , life was peaceful and beautiful, but it was interrupted on September 11, 1992 by Hurricane Iniki, which brought much devastation to the island. The devastating blows to the island are heard three times in this song, and Kaua'i is beautiful once again. Kimo plays a 12 string Takamine guitar in his unique tuning CFCGBD.

5. "Fall Colors" - The Fall season is truly beautiful here in Rochester, NY. It is a riot of colors and it is a feast for the eyes. Yet, the fun summer is over and we anticipate a long cold winter, so there is a bit of melancholy in the crisp morning air. This song captures this feeling, using the Takamine 12 string guitar in "Leonard's F tuning," tuned down to E, with a Kala Ubass accompaniment.

6. "Hanalei Paka Ua" - An original Slack Key composition by Kimo Knox. The misty...soft Hanalei raindrops that envelop you in warmth, is the essence of this composition. Kimo's harmonics represent the raindrops on a tin roof dancing in the night. This song was inspired by a beautiful night at the Tahiti Nui bar in Hanalei. Kimo plays on a Takamine 12 string guitar in a unique CFCGBD tuning.

7. "Promise" - An interesting new song in BbACFAC. Kimo was teaching the beautiful Keola Beamer song Mino'aka to one of his students, and one part was particularly difficult for the student. Kimo created a repetitive exercise and told the student to go home and play it a few hundred times, and then he would get the pattern and rhythm. Kimo liked it so much that he told the student on the second lesson "I'm going to write a whole new song based on that exercise." and on the next few lessons the student said "where's the song?" Every time Kimo said "I'm working on it." Then at the next lesson, Kimo said "OK - I PROMISE you that I'll have it done by your next lesson!" And he did. That had to be the name of the song. Note that Mino'aka uses a C bass note in CFCFAC, so Kimo had to change the tuning a bit to make the new song work. Also note that there are five different parts all played in the same tuning, two of which use brass slide.

8. "Pono" - Kimo composed this Slack Key Guitar instrumental piece for all the good in their lives together. Life does not come without sadness and pain. If you can work through it ...you will achieve the feeling of this song...pono...all will be right (ho'oponopono). Kimo plays on a Takamine 12 string guitar in CGCGBD tuning.

9. "Joy Twelve" - on twelve string guitar in E Wahine or BEBF#BD# begins with a new song that Kimo wrote that is happy (Joy).

10. "Malie" - This song is a fusion of Slack Key style in "Leonard's F tuning," tuned down to E. Kimo plays most of the song with a brass slide. This is an unusual combination of tuning and slide. The title to this song means "calm," and there is a calm portion in the middle of the song when Kimo stops using the brass slide and uses fingers on left hand.

11. "Na Huaka‘ipo O Waipouli" - Kimo composed this song in the Hawaiian Slack Key style during the Summer of 2009 while on Kaua'i. The Huaka'ipo are the Night Marchers in Hawaiian legends. In this song, a beautiful calm night is interrupted three times by the night marchers. A Kaua'i kupuna (elder) told Kimo that he heard the Night Marchers calling out to him through this song. Kimo plays a Takamine nylon string guitar in BbFCFAC tuning.

12. "Hilo Bay" - Kimo's wrote this song while sitting in the Lanai of the Hilo Bay Hotel, just before leaving back to the Mainland and leaving daughter Leilani at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. It was a happy and sad moment ! Kimo uses a very unique tuning AEBEBE for this.