Tahitian ukulele music...a different sound you can dream on

Tahitian ukulele music is normally played on an 8-string ukulele, carved from one piece of wood, that is the body, neck and head. This type of ukulele - Hawaiian ukulele - has no sound box, but it does have a wide hole bored into the front middle section. The hole is covered with a very thin piece of plywood. The entire area is known as the lower bridge. The back of the carved ukulele has another hole, not as big as the front, also bored out, this is where the music of the Tahitian ukulele is born.

When the ukulele maker carves a new ukulele he can carve out more or less of the body area to create a healthier sound. The Tahitian ukulele is not as old as other variations of the original ukulele styles, it came from French Polynesia, and was introduced into the Cook Islands in 1990.

"Hula Music"

Its introduction came from a band called Te Ava Piti. This unique type of Tahitian style meant strumming very fast for sometimes the whole song. You could compare this motion with the way a violin bow is used on a violin when the musician pushes the bow rapidly back and forth like a machine gun sound. There is a piece of violin classical music called “the flight of the bumble bee” this particular piece emphasises the bow speed, but the sound is still quality.

Tahitian ukulele music chords are not unlike the chords played on a guitar, I have tried this myself and found it to be a little difficult especially with my meat cleavers, and the skinny neck of the ukulele, but the principal is the same. The ukulele produces a sound that is equivalent to that of a banjo, this is due to the design and the 8 strings used. At the end of the day a Tahitian ukulele can be a musical extravaganza or a plain ornament.

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