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Honolulu & O’ahu : Hawaiian Music and Dance Essentials

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Top 10 Hawaiian Music and Dance Essentials

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  • 1. Pahu

    Perhaps the most sacred of hula implements, pahu are drums, traditionally made using coconut tree trunk with a covering of sharkskin.

  • 2. Ipu

    A hollowed-out gourd that, in skilled hands, is used to keep the beat in hula.

  • 3. ‘Ili’ili

    Smooth stones – two are held in each hand and played by hula dancers in a style similar to Spanish castanets.

  • 4. Pū’ili

    Bamboo sticks, one end of each cut into a fringe so that they produce a rattling sound when played by hula dancers.

  • 5. Kāla’au

    Pairs of sticks of varying length that are struck against each other during dancing.

  • 6. ‘Uli’uli

    Gourd shakers that are filled with seeds and usually topped with feathers.

  • 7. ‘Ukulele

    A gift from the Portuguese that’s now integral to modern Hawaiian music. “Jumping flea” was how Hawaiians first described the sound.

  • 8. Guitar

    Whether slack-key, steel, acoustic, or electric, the guitar is essential to Hawaiian music.

  • 9. Standing Bass

    As in jazz ensembles, the standing bass has found its way into a lot of contemporary Hawaiian music.

  • 10. Falsetto Voice

    Most easily described as male vocalists singing above their regular range, there is arguably no sweeter sound than the Hawaiian falsetto.

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