Steve Cheney Featured in PCC Article

May 2, 2021 • Alan Akaka • News

Steve Cheney is one of HIMELE's featured artists in our Hawaiian Steel Guitar festivals and lately in our livestreamed Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcases. We are fortunate to have Steve as a participant in our events.

What many people don't realize is that Steve is also a steel guitarist for the Polynesian Cultural Center. Steve and his son Ben have been the Center's steel guitar players since 1996 and provide the music for the Center's productions.

The Cheneys were featured in an article a few years ago in the Polynesian Culture Center's online blog.

The article begins with a brief history of Joseph Kekuku then transitions into how the legacy of the steel guitar is preserved by Steve and his son, Ben.

In the article, Steve offers some great insight about playing the steel guitar. "If a person has the aptitude, he can pick it up reasonably quickly," he says. "But most people don't, so nine-out-of-ten trying it will drop out. They just don't have the patience for it."

His son Ben added, "You have to look at where you are on the neck. Unlike a regular guitar, you can't feel the frets because the steel guitar strings are elevated. Likewise, the steel bar has to be right on the fret-line, not in between like with a regular guitar or ukulele."

Steve makes an astute observation that is a noticeable characteristic of steel guitar players. Steve said, "If you look at steel guitar players, you almost never see them looking up. They're almost always looking down at the frets to see where they are."

The article is an interesting read and offers unique perspectives from a professional steel guitar player. To read the entire article, visit the Polynesian Culture Center's blog.