hawaiian guitar
C2Specialist, Technical, Musical
Definition
Meaning
A type of acoustic or electric guitar designed to be played flat on the lap, producing a smooth, sliding sound.
A musical instrument and playing style characterized by the use of a steel bar to slide along the strings, creating glissando effects, often associated with Hawaiian, country, and blues music.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term primarily refers to the instrument itself (lap steel guitar) but is also metonymically used to refer to the distinctive playing technique and associated musical genre.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical difference, but the instrument is slightly more culturally embedded in American music history.
Connotations
Evokes exoticism, slides, and specific musical genres (e.g., country, Hawaiian music) similarly in both varieties.
Frequency
More common in American English due to the instrument's prominence in American country and western music.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
play + [Hawaiian guitar]listen to + [the Hawaiian guitar]the + [Hawaiian guitar] + is playeda + [Hawaiian guitar] + soloVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[none specific to the term]”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare, except in the musical instrument retail or manufacturing sector.
Academic
Used in ethnomusicology, music history, or cultural studies papers discussing the instrument's development and influence.
Everyday
Understood by music enthusiasts; may require explanation in general conversation.
Technical
Common in musicology, instrument design, and specific genre discussions (e.g., country, blues, world music).
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- He has started to Hawaiian-guitar his way through the folk repertoire.
- (Note: Highly unconventional as a verb)
American English
- She decided to Hawaiian guitar that old country tune.
- (Note: Highly unconventional as a verb)
adverb
British English
- [Not applicable; no standard adverbial form]
American English
- [Not applicable; no standard adverbial form]
adjective
British English
- The band's sound featured a lovely Hawaiian-guitar melody.
American English
- They added a haunting Hawaiian guitar part to the track.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I like the sound of the Hawaiian guitar.
- This music has a Hawaiian guitar.
- The musician played a slow song on the Hawaiian guitar.
- Can you recognise the sound of a Hawaiian guitar?
- The development of the Hawaiian guitar significantly influenced American country music.
- He specialised in playing lap steel, also known as the Hawaiian guitar.
- The ethereal glissandi of the Hawaiian guitar provided a textural contrast to the driving rhythm section.
- Early recordings popularised the Hawaiian guitar's distinctive timbre far beyond the Pacific islands.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a guitarist playing on a beach in HAWAII, with the guitar lying flat on their LAP, sliding a steel bar to make a dreamy sound.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE SOUND OF THE HAWAIIAN GUITAR IS LIQUID SMOOTHNESS (e.g., the notes flowed like water).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid a direct calque like *"гавайская гитара"* if the context specifically calls for the technical term "lap steel guitar" or "steel guitar." The Russian term is correct but may sound overly exotic for a technical music discussion.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing it with a regular acoustic guitar played with a slide (a 'bottleneck slide guitar'), which is a related but distinct technique.
- Using 'Hawaiian guitar' as a general term for any guitar used in Hawaiian music.
- Incorrect spelling: 'Hawaian guitar' (missing an 'i').
Practice
Quiz
What is a key physical difference in how a Hawaiian guitar is typically played compared to a standard guitar?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Essentially, yes. 'Hawaiian guitar' is a common historical and colloquial term for what is technically called a lap steel guitar or simply a steel guitar. The 'steel' refers to the steel bar used to fret the strings.
You can approximate the sound by using a slide on a regular guitar, but a true Hawaiian/lap steel guitar is specifically designed for this technique, often with a higher string action and different neck profile.
It is most famously associated with Hawaiian music, but it is also a cornerstone of American country, western swing, bluegrass, and gospel music, and appears in blues, rock, and even some experimental genres.
The name originates from the late 19th/early 20th century when the lap-playing slide technique was developed and popularised by Hawaiian musicians, creating a distinctive sound that was marketed worldwide as the 'Hawaiian guitar'.
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