The Importance and Significance of Hawaii Music

The Importance and Significance of Hawaii Music

For most people Hawaiian music revolves around the steel guitar, slack-key guitar, and the ukulele, but it is important to realize that there is much more to Hawaiian music than this.

There is really nothing more culturally and fundamentally important to the state of Hawaii than flowers and music. Hawaii music in particular is representative of the Hawaii culture and traditional Hawaii music includes an array of traditional and popular styles, ranging from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop.

This music is a major part of the state's musical heritage, and the Hawaiian people have inhabited the islands for centuries and all throughout that time made sure to retain their traditional music knowledge. This explains why music festivals and venues are also so significant to the Hawaiian culture, and major music festivals in Hawaii include the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, Big Island Slack Key Guitar Festival, Steel Guitar Association Festival, and the Atta Isaacs Slack Key Festival.

Types of Hawaii Music

There are actually a few different specific types of Hawaii music that are considered as being most popular, one which is Hawaiian Renaissance. The Hawaiian Renaissance was truly a sort of resurgence in terms of the interest of Hawaiian music, and a few of the more traditional players included Sonny Chillingnworth, Ray Kane, Leonard Kwan, Ledward Ka'apana, Dennis Pavao, and Peter Moon.

Jawaiian is another popular type or style of Hawaii music, one that is a sort of Hawaiian take on reggae music, and in Hawaii, ethnic Hawaiians and others in the state began playing a mixture of reggae and local music in the early 1990s, and by the end of the decade it had come to dominate the local music scene.

Hip hop is also very popular in the Hawaii area, and Hawaii hip hop can actually be dated back to its first inception in the early 1980s. Some of the Hawaii hip hop crews and solo emcees that have been most recognized are Club Rox Rock, Rhythm & Rhyme, C.O.D., Skream Team, Aiga, Earth Movers, and Amphibieus Tungs.

Not only is jazz another of the most influential styles of Hawaii music, but as well there have been some very notable jazz players who have come out of the area, including Gabe Baltazar, Ryan Kunimura, Robert Shinoda, Tim Tsukiyama, and Danny Del Negro.

The music of Hawaii is one of the most traditional and culturally respective aspects of the state, and music in general plays an incredibly large role in the way that Hawaiian people live and cultivate.