DK Travel : Honolulu & O’ahu : Hawaiian Music and Dance Essentials

Honolulu & O’ahu : 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.