Daniel Ho

Melody, Rhythm & Harmony

In a recent interview with Art Good, of Jazztrax fame, we discussed what makes a song "catchy". Is it a great melodic hook, an infectious rhythm, lush harmonies?

Art felt that the melodic integrity of a song held the highest priority
in his assessment of a tune. What element do you think affects you the most?

Songs are written in many ways. Sometimes a groove is created on which a melody is composed, sometimes you start with a set of chords, other times you write the melody first. My composition teachers always emphasized the importance of melodies, and to this day I still compose the melody first. I harmonize, reharmonize, and create rhythms that support the melodies so as not to restrict the direction of the melody with pre-existing harmonic and rhythmic conditions.

I think you can almost always hear the way a song was composed. For example, I would venture a guess that the melody of "Send in the Clowns" was written first. The harmony to Pachebel's "Canon in D" was the element around which all the melodies and counterpoint was composed. Can you think of a song that was probably written around a groove?

Daniel was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. He grew up listening to his father play Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole records, but soon Daniel's tastes ranged from The Beatles to Chicago to Queen. He studied organ in second grade, ukulele in third, classical guitar in fourth, piano in fifth and sixth, electric guitar and electric bass in seventh and eighth, and in ninth grade, he took up the drums. In high school, he played bass in the school's jazz band and drums in the marching band. He also managed to have his own garage bands throughout high school. When he wasn't playing music, he would go surfing and fishing as often as he could. In his senior year, he made the semi-finals at the Young Keyboard Artists International Piano Competition at the University of Michigan; but when he heard nine-year-olds playing concertos better than he ever imagined, he decided to pursue composing over performing classical music.

He moved to Los Angeles, attended the Grove School of Music where he studied composing, arranging, and film scoring. In the middle of his studies, his father became ill and he returned to Hawaii where he received a scholarship to the University of Hawaii's music program. In 1990, he was offered a job at a publishing company in Orange County and has been in California ever since. In the last seven years, his primary instrument has been the keyboards; however, during that time, his love for the acoustic guitar grew and he found himself playing slack key in the style of his childhood memories.

As the former leader of Kilauea, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Ho released six best selling smooth jazz albums reviewed as "some of the finest, most popular and melodic contemporary jazz music available." Three records reached Billboard's top ten, two hit number one on the national airplay charts, and all placed in the top five.

Daniel has since dropped the name Kilauea to perform and record as Daniel Ho, the solo artist. His debut solo record, Watercolors, is a brilliant blend of Daniel's classic smooth jazz sound infused with highlights of Hawaiian slack key guitar. To complete this unique contemporary jazz/Hawaiian concept, Daniel asked Wyland, the world's premier undersea artist, to create the artwork. Together, Daniel and Wyland are donating a portion of the proceeds to the Wyland Foundation and it's mission toward greater ocean awareness.

Daniel was so taken by the slack key guitar during the making of Watercolors, that he set out to record an entire album of solo Hawaiian slack key guitar. The result was the Voyage Home, a collection of classic Hawaiian music and original compositions by Daniel. His innovative approach to traditional slack key guitar incorporates elements of jazz, blues, and inner counter-melodies. Daniel's uniquely creative style has earned him the distinction as "the Newest Slack Key Master".

The Voyage Home, released in March of 1999, was so well received that Daniel was asked to record a collaboration album with George Kahumoku and Led Kaapana, two traditional slack key masters. He has since performed as a slack key guitarist with June Kuramoto of Hiroshima, George Kahumoku, Led Kaapana and the Brothers Cazimero.

In response to the success of Watercolors, Daniel and Wyland once again blended their crafts to create a trilogy of piano CDs to benefit the Wyland Foundation. Harmony, Mysteries and Paradise feature the fine art of Wyland and the original piano compositions of Daniel highlighted with bass, guitar and percussion.

"I'm always trying to convey the many aspects of who I am, saying some personal things and trying new ideas," says Daniel. "My goal has always been to create music that evokes emotion or energy in people. Either way sincerity should shine right through."