Aloha My Dudes!

Hawaiian Chants and Mele Hawaiian Chants, otherwise known as Mele are probably my favorite thing about Hawaiian music and culture. The Mele is the second part of Hula, the first being the Hula dance. The chants are a way of keeping Hawaiian tradition alive and preserving history. Thats why these are my favorite! They keep Hawaiian tradition alive as time changes, and now, change is happening faster than ever.  The Hawaiian people have no written records, but the society and culture of Hawaii was so complex. The Hawaiian people memorized and passed down information from generation to generation.  Common themes of Hawaiian chants family histories, local tales, religious beliefs and myths and legends. It is said that the call of Hawaiian chants bring healing to your heart and soul.  This picture is from a Hula performance I attended. The chant spoke of an old legend about a fisherman and the sea.  A little bit of history about the chants is that ori...

The Ukulele and The Slack Key Guitar The most familiar Hawaiian instrument to those not living in Hawaii is easily the ukulele. Here are some facts so y'all have a little background info. The ukulele is a a small four-stringed "guitar". The primary purpose of the ukulele to Hawaiians was and still is to be played as a solo instrument and to accompany vocals. Many people believe that the ukulele is of Hawaiian origin, however, the ukulele is a modification of a Portuguese instrument. The original technique to play a ukulele is very fast plucking. This technique brought about the name of the ukulele because ukulele translates to "flying flea". The first time I saw a performance with a ukulele...I LOVED IT! The music was so beautiful and serene and the ukulele simply represented the beautiful Hawaiian culture.   Although I adore the ukulele, my favorite Hawaiian instrument is the Slack Key guitar.  The slack key guitar is an important Hawaiian p...

The Instruments of Hula  The most familiar and well known instruments from Hawaii are the Ukulele and the Steel Guitar. During my visit, I encountered many different traditional instruments that hold cultural importance and are uses in Hula dance. The first and most significant is the Pahu Drum.  I first came across the Pahu Drum during a traditional Hula performance. Hula has two parts, the Hula being the dance and the Mele being the chants. The Pahu Drum accompanies the Mele and is a crucial part. The drum offers a beat to go hand-in-hand with the chants to create a rhythmic chant to go with the dancing.                                        The Pahu Drum is made of coconut tree log with a sharkskin drum head. The larger drums are played with sticks and the smaller drums  are played with one's hands. Pahu drum produce very deep sounding tones and are...

About the Author  Hello! Thanks for reading my blog about the great music of Hawaii! My name is Roxy and I am a ethnomusicology professor from Columbia University in New York City! I have three doctoral degrees in ethnomusicology from Columbia University as well! I began studying the music of Hawaii after my first visit. I fell in love immediately.  I have traveled all over the world with my family studying various cultures and music. I have traveled to Hawaii 15 times and have studied in all seven of the islands to study the culture and music. I hope you love Hawaiian music as much as I do after reading my blog posts and that it inspires you to listen to music from other parts of the world!