|
The Music Culture of Hawaii
The rich music of Hawaii is a unique mix of many influences with peaceful
rhythms and poetic lyrics that celebrate island life. From reggae to
slack-key and steel guitar, falsetto and “Jawaiian,” the musical culture
of Hawaii is unlike any other in the world. The ukulele, Hawaiian music’s
ultimate symbol, is synonymous with island aloha. The beauty of the
islands has inspired some of the most unique and flowing rhythms of
all time immortalized in mele (song).
It is virtually impossible to visit Hawaii and not be affected by the
local music scene. Where else in the world can you hear a falsetto tune
sung in Hawaiian on the radio, listen to a beachgoer sing to the enrapturing
sounds of a ukulele and choose from hundreds of local performances in
any given weekend?
Hawaii’s original sounds have influenced cultures around the globe.
Artists who have helped Hawaiian music gain popularity in Hawaii and
abroad include Gabby Pahinui, The Sons of Hawaii, Eddie Kamae and Israel
Kamakawiwoole. Hear native Hawaiian folk music on the radio, or catch
a local hip-hop video on local channel OC 16. Unique artists like Henry
Kapono continue to immortalize the essence of aloha spirit with meaningful
lyrics and inspirational melodies.
Hapa Haole – a style that literally
means “part white and part Hawaiian,” where English lyrics are dedicated
to Hawaiian themes.
Slack Key – a style which utilizes
a slack-key guitar, a guitar with loosened strings.
Steel Guitar – a style which utilizes
the steel guitar, a guitar with metal strings played by sliding a metal
bar over the fretted neck.
Ukulele – an unmistakable sound
from a fretted four-stringed instrument. Today there exist ukuleles
with eight or even nine strings.
Falsetto – a popular vocal style
using a singing technique that produces sounds pitched higher than the
singer's normal range.
Jawaiian – Jamaican sounds molded
with a unique Hawaiian touch.
Contemporary – Today’s original
Hawaiian music that frequently mixes popular Hawaiian and English lyrics.
Traditional – authentic lyrics sung
in Hawaiian usually set to slack-key guitar, steel guitar or ukulele.
Chants – chanting was a ritual in
ancient Hawaii as a means of preserving history, honoring deities and
organizing genealogies. Chanting can be heard today either stand alone,
set to music, or accompanied by an ipu (gourd drum) or pahu (sharkskin
drum).
The diverse musical influences that reached the islands came from
all over the globe in the mid-1800s. As the Hawaiians learned how to
play musical instruments brought over from immigrants, they were able
to expand their musical capabilities. Ancient chants, called olis, were
set to music for the first time, and these new creative outlets quickly
gained popularity.
Family histories,
legends, local tales and religious beliefs were
expressed in a way never before possible, allowing for a much-needed
method of the preservation of Hawaiian heritage.
With traditional Hawaiian folk music, lyrics may be sung from ancient
chants handed down from hundreds of years ago. You can also hear very
unique drum and ipu beats that serve as emotive background music for
hula performances. An ipu, or hollowed out gourd, creates rhythmic tones
generated by hand slapping and tapping the instrument on the ground.
Ipus can range from small to large (like the ipu heke, a double gourd)
and create a very unique resonation.
Mexican cowboys in Hawaii, called paniolos, brought with them guitars
and showed locals how to play their unique style. Many Hawaiians were
very adept at the guitar and picked it up quickly, eventually adapting
the Spanish style to a style that better suited island lyrics, a finger-picking
method today known as slack-key style, or ki hoalu. If you’ve never
heard slack-key guitar played, you are missing a truly soulful experience.
Steel guitar is another musical style developed in the islands. With
the help of a steel bar that slides along the strings, a very unique
and infectious sound is created. Featured in many Hawaiian bands in
the early 1900s and today, steel guitar remains a highly popular element
in modern Hawaiian music.
King David Kalakaua, the Hawaiian ruler who is regarded as a true renaissance
man, encouraged a musical resurgence and called upon all Hawaiians to
utilize music as an expression of Hawaiian pride. When Queen Liliuokalani,
the last Hawaiian monarch, published her many self-composed songs late
in the 19th century, Hawaiian music hit an all-time popularity high.
Songs like Aloha Oe and He Mele Lahui Hawaii expressed Hawaiian pride
and love of the beautiful land.
Composers of Hawaiian music took several influences and meshed them
all together while creating a sound that was truly unique and new. Gospel,
pop, country western, ragtime, swing and jazz are just a few of the
music genres that inspired Hawaiian musicians.
Gabby Pahinui, labeled the “folk hero of Hawaiian music,” is regarded
by many locals to be the quintessential Hawaiian musician. Combining
culturally-driven lyrics and a combination of jazz and slack-key guitar
sounds, he is credited with helping Hawaiian music make a strong comeback
in the mid 1900s. Gabby Pahinui and Eddie Kamae created the Sons of
Hawaii in the 1960s, a Hawaiian band that epitomized island sounds by
mixing modern and traditional styles.
Today you can enjoy the distinctive and danceable sound of “Jawaiian”
music, a combination of Jamaican reggae and Hawaiian that uses catchy
hooks and upbeat melodies to celebrate island life and convey positive
vibes.
The ukulele, a four-stringed, high-pitched, guitar-shaped instrument
with a name meaning “jumping flea,” gained mainland popularity after
the Royal Hawaiian Quartet amazed audiences at San Francisco’s Panama-Pacific
Exposition in 1915. The ukulele is compact and portable and can be purchased
throughout the islands in even the smallest mom-and-pop stores quite
affordably. It can be heard in many different styles of music, from
reggae, rock, traditional Hawaiian and Jawaiian. Today, locals of all
ages can be seen strumming in the randomnest of places and belting out
flavorful tunes with the power to uplift and turn frowns into carefree
grins.
If you want to experience Hawaiian music, simply turn on the radio in
Hawaii. There are a few local channels that play only island sounds.
Or, check out local venues on your island to find a live performance
and experience the joy that comes with hearing songs sung from the heart.
Attend a major festival, like the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, the
Molokai Music Festival, the Big Island Slack Key Guitar Festival, or
the Steel Guitar Association Festival on Oahu. Many of the local hotels
will also host weekend performances for visitors. No matter if first-time
visitor or loyal Hawaii returnee, experiencing the joyful sounds of
Hawaiian music and understanding its complex roots, will leave you truly
enriched.
Related Links:
|
Whether
you need transportation to and from Honolulu Airport or want a
customized, private tour of Oahu, Island Express Transport covers it
all. 
