About This Newsletter

Steel Trappings™, a Resource Center for Hawaiian Steel Guitar Enthusiasts, is produced by HIMELE as a service to the steel guitar community. Contributed articles are authored by respected steel guitarists, musicians, authors, educators, and others who have a desire to share their information and knowledge with anyone interested in Hawaiian music, culture, and the Hawaiian steel guitar.

HIMELE's philosophy is to make as much information as possible about the music, the culture, and the instrument freely available to the general public to promote and encourage interest. By doing this, HIMELE hopes to reach a wide audience including today's youth who will become tomorrow's musicians.

Why the name Steel Trappings? A source of resources for the Hawaiian steel guitar should have the word "steel" in its title to impart some association with the instrument. "Trappings" are signs, features, or objects associated with a particular situation, role, or thing — in this case, the steel guitar. Finally, "Steel Trap" describes an acute intelligence about a subject.

Please see HIMELE's website for more information about who we are and what we do. Mahalo for your interest!

Links to External Websites

Where appropriate, clickable links to external websites that may be pertinent to an article's content are included as a convenience to readers. These links are audited periodically to ensure they are still appropriate and responding. If it is found that a link is no longer responsive, the website reference in the article will remain but the link will no longer be clickable.

Use of Hawaiian Diacritical Marks

Hawaiian diacritical marks (‘Okina and Kahakō) are used with all Hawaiian words and names wherever appropriate to denote proper Hawaiian usage. Diacritical marks will not be used with Hawaiian words that are a part of a business, product, or trade name unless that name includes such markings. For example, references to the movie "Blue Hawaii" will not include the ‘Okina since the movie name did not contain the ‘Okina.

Addison Ching, Steel Trappings Editor