Hi Jim! Thanks for turning up here to ease our curiosity. I've enjoyed the couple of live gigs of yours I've been to.
What's it been like learning to sing in Hawaiian? And is it true that the lyrics of most Hawaiian songs are about... flowers?
Learning Hawaiian
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snoodle
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Hawaiian language is fairly easy to pronounce, once you know the rules.However, the language is extremely complex and I'm not a speaker by any means.
I've found that it's essential to understand the meaning of the lyrics when singing in Hawaiian,otherwise you are just singing meaningless syllables.It helps you to remember the lyrics when you know what the next verse is about.
Hawaiian songs and their predecessors,the ancient chants, are spoken in metaphors which can be very confusing. This is called "kaona". Many songs mention flowers and beautiful places but actually are talking about sex! I learned this the hard way when, while singing what I thought was a beautiful lyric, all the Hawaiians started laughing.
Aloha,
Jim
I've found that it's essential to understand the meaning of the lyrics when singing in Hawaiian,otherwise you are just singing meaningless syllables.It helps you to remember the lyrics when you know what the next verse is about.
Hawaiian songs and their predecessors,the ancient chants, are spoken in metaphors which can be very confusing. This is called "kaona". Many songs mention flowers and beautiful places but actually are talking about sex! I learned this the hard way when, while singing what I thought was a beautiful lyric, all the Hawaiians started laughing.
Aloha,
Jim
