For our Summer session of the Happy Valley Ukes we tackled music about islands, bays and beaches. We did four songs from Hawaii, two of which were in Hawaiian and one mele hapa haole (a song half Hawaiian, half English) … Aue Ke Aloha E, Nu’a O Ka Palai, Aloha ‘Oe and Pearly Shells (the C&H song).

I have a free Duolingo account, and was scrolling down to see which languages they had available … I started with Spanish, but now am learning French, German, Italian (singing languages I started at university) and HAWAIIAN! Yes, they have a free Hawaiian course. I was so surprised.

I’m still in the ‘basics’ section, but it is a lot of fun to start piecing together the syntax of what I’ve been singing without really knowing what I’ve been singing (something you can get used to when singing a lot of different languages, but would of course be better with real understanding).

Although the ukulele is not technically a Hawaiian instrument (it migrated there from Madeira), it does have a really strong connection with Hawaii and they can take credit for making the instrument famous … just thought I’d share this free way to expand your appreciation of Hawaiian songs, language (which is beautiful) and culture. You can sign up for free at Duolingo.

If you’re interested in learning the Hawaiian songs I mentioned above: All our Summer rehearsal sessions are available to watch at our Patreon page: Happy Valley Ukes (just make a pledge to support the project at the four dollar Strummer’s level for instant access). Other songs we learned in this session include four Irish tunes in tablature, Jamaica Farewell, Day-O, Moonlight Bay, By the Beautiful Sea, and Surfin’ USA.

Post filed under All UkulelePlay! Blog Posts, Ukulele Education, Ukulele Tips.