Ernest Kaai's Hone A Ka Wai
Published on June 18, 2020
Hone A Ka Wai is one of the European style dance tunes that Ernest Kaai included in the 1916 edition of his book The Ukulele and How It’s Played.
This delicious waltz has been later arranged by John King (for his book Famous Solos & Duets for the ‘Ukulele), James Hill (in a campanella style) and many others. Here’s my own arrangement, thought to be played on a low G ukulele –although perfectly playable as is on a reentrant tuned instrument.
I conceived this setting for students to practice three techniques in just one piece:
- Alternate picking with middle and index fingers;
- Left hand position shifts;
- Controlling note duration with planting fingers.
