Hidden Gems of Hawaiian Music: Beyond the Ukulele—Discovering Unique Instruments and Styles

Most visitors to Hawaiʻi first encounter its music through the ukulele — a cheerful, portable instrument that arrived with Portuguese immigrants in the 1880s. But the soundscape of the islands runs far deeper than that familiar four-string strum. Before the ukulele, before the steel guitar, Hawaiians communicated with their gods through the pahu, a sharkskin drum whose construction required special prayers chanted during the process of lashing the skin to the base. That sacred instrument, brought from Tahiti five or six hundred years ago, tells a different story about Hawaiian music — one rooted in ceremony, percussion, and oral tradition rather than melody.

This guide moves past the ukulele to explore the instruments and vocal styles that defined Hawaiian music before Western contact — and the ones that still anchor performances today. You will learn about the ipu gourd drum, the oli chant tradition, the steel guitar invented by a teenager with a railroad spike, and the Tahitian drums that drive modern luau shows. Each section includes practical details for experiencing these sounds in person, from the Merrie Monarch Festival to local hula performances.

Beyond the Strum: The Percussion Roots of Hawaiian Music

Traditional Hawaiian instruments were percussive rather than melodic — a fact that surprises most visitors expecting gentle string music.

Before European contact, Hawaiians had no string instruments. Their music relied on voice and rhythm. The mele — ancient chants — preserved history, genealogies, and prayers. These were not songs in the modern sense; they were oral archives, passed down through generations. The oli, a specific type of chant performed without instruments, remains central to ceremonies like welcoming guests. You will hear it at formal events and some cultural centers, delivered in a call-and-response style where one person sings a line and others answer back.

The ipu is one of the most distinctly Hawaiian instruments — a percussion instrument made from a single gourd, struck with the hand to produce a deep drum-like sound. Unlike the pahu, which traveled from Tahiti, the ipu grew directly from Hawaiian soil, both literally and culturally. Gourds were cultivated specifically for use as containers, instruments, and ceremonial objects. At the Merrie Monarch Festival, no guitars, pianos, or horns are allowed — only traditional rhythm implements, most handmade by the dancers themselves under the watchful eye of their kumu hula (teacher). The ipu is always present. It is the anchor of ancient hula.

One limitation worth knowing: the ipu and pahu produce relatively quiet, low sounds. In a large luau setting with amplified Tahitian drums, these older instruments can be hard to hear. Seek out smaller, non-commercial performances — university hula showcases or cultural center demonstrations — where the ipu takes its proper place as the rhythmic foundation.

Where to Hear the Real Sounds: Key Venues and Festivals

The Merrie Monarch Festival

Held annually in Hilo on the Big Island, this week-long event is the premier hula competition in the world. The musical rules are strict: only traditional percussion instruments are permitted on stage. No ukuleles, no guitars. This is where you will hear the ipu heke — two gourds pieced together to produce a sharper, more complex sound than the single ipu — alongside the pahu. The festival takes place in spring, typically the week after Easter. Tickets sell out months in advance, but the free hula shows and craft fairs around town offer excellent access to live traditional music without a ticket.

Luau Performances with Tahitian Drumming

Most commercial luaus feature Tahitian drumming as the high-energy centerpiece. The ensemble starts on the tariparau, a large bass drum traditionally made from two membranes of sharkskin, struck with a mallet to produce the underlying rhythm. The faʻatete, a single-membrane drum struck with hands or drumsticks, builds on top. The toʻere, a slit drum, adds the sharp, syncopated accents. Together, they create the driving heartbeat that accompanies the fast hip movements of Tahitian dance. The ranking system in the drums helps transmit rhythms — starting on the tariparau gives the musician aural access to the patterns played on the other drums while maintaining the foundation.

The Steel Guitar: Hawaiʻi’s Own Invention

In 1885, a teenager named Joseph Kekuku found a railroad spike while walking along the tracks near Lāʻie, Oʻahu. He began experimenting with sliding the steel along guitar strings, discovering a sound no one had produced before. That crying, beautiful tone — played with metal bars on steel guitars — became the signature sound of classic Hawaiian music. Unlike the ukulele, which was imported, the steel guitar was invented in Hawaiʻi. You can hear it at the annual Steel Guitar Festival in Honolulu, typically held in August at the Royal Hawaiian Center. The sound is unmistakable: a sliding, vocal-like wail that shaped country music and blues on the mainland after Hawaiian musicians toured the US in the early 1900s.

Planning Your Listening: Timing, Access, and Costs

The best time to hear traditional Hawaiian music depends on whether you want festival energy or intimate cultural settings.

Getting to the Merrie Monarch Festival requires planning. Hilo’s airport is small; flights from Honolulu take about 45 minutes. Hotels in Hilo book out a year in advance for festival week. The free Hoʻolauleʻa on the final Saturday includes live music, craft vendors, and food stalls — no ticket needed, and the sound system carries the ipu and pahu clearly across the street fair.

For the steel guitar, the free festival in Waikīkī is the easiest access point. The Royal Hawaiian Center’s outdoor stage hosts afternoon performances where you can watch players demonstrate the sliding technique up close. No tickets, no reservations — just show up with a mat to sit on the grass.

On the Ground: What to Know Before You Go

Understanding the Instruments You Will Hear

The pahu drum’s tall, narrow body is carved from a segment of a coconut tree trunk, with a head made from dried sharkskin. In pre-European times, each part of the drum’s construction — especially the sennit used to lash the sharkskin to the base — required special prayers chanted during the processes of making the sennit and lashing the skin. The larger version, called pahu heiau (temple drum), was used exclusively in pre-Christian places of worship. It was only after the kapu system was abolished in 1819 that hula masters adapted it into a smaller drum used more openly in hula. When you see a pahu performance today, you are watching an instrument that was once too sacred for public view.

Vocal Traditions: Mele and Oli

Mele are Hawaiian songs or poems that share stories about real people, important places, and cultural beliefs. Each mele can honor ancestors, describe nature, or remember special events. Singing these songs helps keep the Hawaiian language alive — people teach each other the meanings, pronunciation, and feelings behind each word. Oli are traditional chants performed without musical instruments, used at important ceremonies like welcoming guests. You will hear oli at the start of many cultural events and at the Polynesian Cultural Center’s evening show. The call-and-response structure is distinctive: one person sings a line, and others answer back. It is not melodic in the Western sense — it is rhythmic, precise, and deeply connected to place.

What to Bring for a Festival Day

If you are attending the Merrie Monarch Festival or a similar outdoor event, the Hilo weather is unpredictable — expect rain showers and humidity. A lightweight, packable rain jacket is useful. For the free Hoʻolauleʻa, bring a mat or low chair; seating is on grass. Sunscreen is essential for daytime events, and a reusable water bottle will save you from overpriced vendors. If you plan to record performances, check the venue’s policy — the Merrie Monarch competition prohibits photography and video during the formal hula presentations.

Hawaiian Music Questions Visitors Often Ask

What is the difference between mele and oli?

Mele are sung poems that can include instruments and tell stories about people, places, or events. Oli are chants performed without any instruments, used specifically for ceremonies like welcoming guests or opening events. Both preserve Hawaiian language and oral history.

Why is the ukulele not considered a traditional Hawaiian instrument?

The ukulele is of Portuguese origin, developed in the 1880s from small guitar-like instruments — the machete, cavaquinho, and rajão — brought by immigrants from Madeira and the Azores. It became Hawaiian through adoption and royal support from King Kalākaua, but it is not indigenous to the islands.

Can I see a real pahu drum being played?

Yes, but mostly at cultural centers and the Merrie Monarch Festival. The pahu was once too sacred for public performance — used only in temples to communicate with gods. After 1819, hula masters adapted it into a smaller version for hula. The Bishop Museum in Honolulu displays historical pahu drums and occasionally hosts live demonstrations.

Is the steel guitar really Hawaiian?

Yes — it was invented in 1885 by Joseph Kekuku on Oʻahu, who slid a railroad spike along guitar strings and discovered the sliding sound. It is Hawaiʻi’s original string instrument invention, later influencing country and blues music on the mainland. The annual Steel Guitar Festival in Honolulu celebrates this history.

Are Tahitian drums the same as Hawaiian drums?

No. Tahitian drums — the tariparau, faʻatete, and toʻere — are from Tahiti and French Polynesia. They are louder and faster than Hawaiian drums like the pahu and ipu. Most luau shows feature Tahitian drumming because it creates more spectacle, but it is not traditional Hawaiian music.

One Last Note on the Sound of the Islands

The next time you hear a steel guitar slide into that crying, beautiful tone, remember the teenager who picked up a railroad spike and changed American music forever. That moment — a boy walking along tracks in Lāʻie, experimenting with metal on strings — is the kind of accidental innovation that defines Hawaiian music: adaptive, inventive, and never quite what outsiders expect. The ukulele’s influence in Hawaiʻi gets most of the attention, but the real story is older, stranger, and still playing if you know where to listen.

Sources and further reading

Luau Music: The Instruments Behind the Sound of Polynesia. Mauka Warriors Luau, 2026.

Traditional Hawaiian Music Instruments and Styles. Hawaii Star, 2024.

Hawaiian Music Research Documents. Academia.edu.