By Kai Lani | WAHA Surf Shop
Hawaiian Music Traditions
Hawaiian music is far more than background sound for luaus. It is a living art form that carries the history, values, and spirit of the Hawaiian people. From ancient chants to modern interpretations, Hawaiian music offers a window into island culture.
The roots of Hawaiian music stretch back centuries before Western contact. Music was inseparable from daily life, woven into religious ceremonies, navigation, farming, and storytelling. Understanding this context changes how you hear Hawaiian music. What might sound like pleasant background melody is often carrying stories, prayers, or historical records that have been passed down through generations.
Slack-Key Guitar (Ki Ho'alu)
Slack-key guitar is Hawaii's most distinctive musical contribution to the world. The name comes from the practice of "slacking" or loosening the strings to create open tunings, producing a rich, resonant sound that evokes ocean waves and swaying palms.
Characteristics of slack-key guitar:
- Open tunings that allow bass notes to ring while playing melody
- Fingerpicking style that creates multiple melodic lines
- Traditionally passed down within families as closely guarded secrets
- Often instrumental, allowing the guitar to "sing"
The secrecy around slack-key tunings is one of its most fascinating aspects. Families developed their own tunings and techniques, and revealing them to outsiders was considered a betrayal of trust. Some tunings died with their creators. In recent decades, masters like Keola Beamer and Ledward Kaapana have worked to preserve and share these traditions, recognizing that wider knowledge protects the art form better than secrecy can.
Steel Guitar
The steel guitar, invented in Hawaii in the 1880s, produces the signature "crying" sound associated with Hawaiian music. Played horizontally with a metal bar, steel guitar later influenced country, blues, and rock music worldwide.
Joseph Kekuku is widely credited with inventing the steel guitar technique, reportedly after sliding a metal bolt across his guitar strings and discovering the distinctive sound. That accidental moment in the 1880s launched an instrument that would reshape popular music across the globe. By the 1930s and 40s, Hawaiian steel guitar had become one of the most popular sounds in American music, influencing the development of country and western music in particular.
Ukulele
The ukulele arrived in Hawaii with Portuguese immigrants in the 1880s and was quickly adopted and adapted by Hawaiian musicians. Its cheerful sound has become synonymous with Hawaiian music, though it's now popular worldwide.
The name "ukulele" roughly translates to "jumping flea," possibly referring to the quick finger movements of skilled players. According to the instrument's history, King Kalakaua championed the ukulele and helped establish it as central to Hawaiian musical identity. Its small size, affordability, and relative ease of learning have made it one of the most accessible instruments in the world, though mastering it takes real dedication.
Traditional Hawaiian Music
Mele (Chants and Songs)
Before Western contact, Hawaiian music consisted primarily of mele, chants and songs that preserved history, honored the gods, and celebrated nature. Traditional mele remains an important part of Hawaiian culture.
Mele served as the Hawaiian equivalent of written records. Expert chanters memorized genealogies, land boundaries, weather patterns, and historical events, encoding this knowledge in rhythmic chants that could be passed down accurately through generations. The loss of many mele during the cultural suppression of the 1800s represents an irreplaceable loss of Hawaiian history.
Hula
Hula and Hawaiian music are inseparable. The ancient form (hula kahiko) accompanied traditional chants, while modern hula (hula 'auana) interprets contemporary Hawaiian songs through graceful movements.
Every hand gesture, foot placement, and hip movement in hula tells part of the story. Skilled hula dancers are storytellers who translate lyrics and chants into visual narratives. Learning to read hula movements adds a dimension to Hawaiian music that listening alone cannot capture. If you visit Hawaii, attending a traditional hula performance is one of the most rewarding cultural experiences available.
Modern Hawaiian Music
Today's Hawaiian music scene blends traditional elements with contemporary styles:
- Contemporary Hawaiian: Modern songwriting with traditional instruments
- Jawaiian: Hawaiian reggae fusion that's hugely popular locally
- Hawaiian Slack-Key Revival: New generations keeping traditional sounds alive
- Island Pop: Pop music with Hawaiian themes and instrumentation
The Grammy Awards introduced a Best Hawaiian Music Album category in 2005, giving national recognition to an art form that had long thrived locally without mainstream attention. Winners have included traditional slack-key artists, contemporary Hawaiian singers, and collaborative projects that blend old and new approaches. This recognition helped introduce Hawaiian music to audiences who might never have encountered it otherwise.
Surf Music and Its Hawaiian Roots
The surf rock genre that exploded in California during the early 1960s owes a direct debt to Hawaiian music. Dick Dale, often called the "King of Surf Guitar," drew heavily from Middle Eastern and Hawaiian influences to create the fast, reverb-heavy sound that defined the genre. The connection between waves and music runs deep in surf culture, where playlists and soundtracks shape the identity of the community.
Modern surf music has expanded far beyond the twangy guitar instrumentals of the 1960s. Today's surf playlists include reggae, indie rock, folk, and electronic music alongside traditional Hawaiian sounds. What ties it all together is a feeling rather than a genre, music that evokes open water, warm sun, and the relaxed pace of coastal life.
Beyond Hawaii: Tropical Music
The spirit of island music extends throughout the tropics:
- Reggae: Jamaica's gift to the world, built on messages of peace and resistance
- Calypso: Trinidad's storytelling tradition with African and Caribbean roots
- Bossa Nova: Brazil's smooth fusion of samba and jazz
- Steel Drum: Trinidad's unique instrument creating carnival sounds
Each tropical music tradition reflects its island or coastal origin, shaped by the specific blend of cultures that came together in that place. Reggae emerged from the African diaspora in Jamaica. Bossa nova grew from Brazilian samba meeting American jazz. These different threads share common ground in their connection to warm climates, ocean proximity, and multicultural community life.
Experiencing Island Music
To truly experience Hawaiian and island music:
- Attend a slack-key guitar concert in Hawaii
- Visit the Ukulele Festival in Honolulu
- Listen to local radio stations when visiting the islands
- Explore recordings from master musicians
If you can't make it to Hawaii, streaming services carry extensive catalogs of traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music. Start with artists like Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, whose version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" introduced millions to the beauty of Hawaiian vocal and ukulele music. From there, explore ukulele traditions, slack-key masters, and contemporary artists to discover the full range of what island music has to offer.