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The distinctive sounds of Hawaiian music greet visitors everywhere in the Islands, as music is a vital part of the local culture and lifestyles.
Visitors to Hawaii are immediately taken by the fragrant aromas of beautiful flowers and stunning, scenic beauty, but they are also greeted with the distinctive sounds of Hawaii that waft through the air. Music is everywhere. To Hawaiians, it’s almost as essential to their daily lives as food. Music is part of their heritage and an important part of their lifestyles, which they are more than happy to share with everyone who comes to their Islands.
Hawaiian music takes on an amazing array of flavors, influenced by many cultures and ancient beginnings. Starting with ritual chanting performed by the early settlers from Polynesia some 1,600 years ago, Hawaiian music is really a variety of genres that define the music of the Islands, from traditional and popular styles, ranging from native folk music and country to modern rock and hip hop.
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Stringed instruments were introduced into Hawaii in the 1800s and, today, provide a wealth of musical styles and unique sounds that range from traditional to modern, folk to pop.
Over the centuries, immigration to the Islands from all over the world influenced musical styles. The popular Hapa Haole music sets English lyrics to Hawaiian themes. A more contemporary style features a mixture of Hawaiian and English words. Jawaiian music combines Reggae with distinctive Hawaiian sounds. And high pitched, falsetto vocals are also prevalent today in all forms of Hawaiian music.
Western string instruments came to the Islands in the 19th Century, which were quickly adapted and assimilated into the Hawaiian culture. Spanish and Mexican cowboys or “paniolos” introduced the guitar. The slack key guitar, which originated in Hawaii, uses loosened strings to create its unusual, acoustic, bluesy sound. The electric, steel guitar has metal strings and a metal bar over the fretted neck of the instrument to produce a wailing, twangy sound.
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The ukulele came to the Islands with the Portuguese in the 1890s and has become a mainstay in Hawaiian music. Visitors are quick to pick up the instrument and give it a try.
The ukulele is unmistakable in Hawaiian music. Called the “Jumping Flea,” when introduced in the lslands by the Portuguese in the 1890s, the small, guitar-like instrument originally had only four strings, but today can have up to nine strings that are joyously plucked by local musicians.
While all of Hawaii’s physical beauty is enthralling, the Islands’ musicality is all embracing. Whether arriving by plane or cruise ship, poolside during the day, at lunch overlooking the ocean or at a lounge as the sun sets over the Pacific, the sound of music will surround you.
For more information on Hawaii and two of its most popular islands–Maui and the “Big Island” of Hawaii–visit www.hawaiihotels.com.
