Slack string guitar playing was brought to Hawaii by Spanish cowboys. Well, they brought the guitars, but they didn’t teach the local people how to tune them. The result is a kind of echoing play, very subtle.
We had a performance at our Binational Center by a Hawaiian slack string musician Keola Beamer. Follow the link to learn more about him and his music. I really suggest you DO follow the link. It is worth it. It was enchanting music, smooth and peaceful. And Keola was such a nice guy, explaining the stories and making the evening just great. Sometimes he sings in Hawaiian. Like all Polynesian languages, Hawaiian is heavy in vowels, so it sound musical even when it is not sung.