Rather than a distinct genre, Hawaiian music reflects a style of playing. Steel objects, rather than the left-hand fingers, are used to touch the strings on the fingerboard of guitar-like instruments. The ukulele came to Hawaii in 1878 when Portuguese laborers brought with them the braguinha which the Hawaiians renamed the ukulele. Emerging around 1950, the slack key guitar is an acoustic guitar where the tuning is changed by loosening the strings. The guitar is tuned in open chords, and then melody patters are played over the open strings.
Genre Guide 2000 · World/Folk › South Pacific