Hawaiian Music - Question (Hilo, Kailua: fit in, to live, shop)

[gtrguyMN]

Hey all, brief background if we haven't met yet or you don't recall who I am (no one terribly important... ) - I visited Hawaii this February and talk about epic life changing...no news there right? Well I'm a musician, live in Minnesota and the last couple nights as I've been organizing material for my upcoming album, I decided to do a song based on my experience and new found love affair.

However not being native, I have obviously limited command of the native tongue and pidgin too. But I gave it a go, and from my haole stance, it looks good though has many warts to work out.

My question(s) for you in the know...

1 - Would it be 'offensive' for a guy like me to try and do something like this? I wouldn't try to pass myself off as something I'm not, musically/lyrically, but I have a deep love and respect for the Islands and want to pay tribute.

2 - Would someone be willing to go over the lyrics and advise if I'm making general sense, not making a mockery of anything and generally authentic without making a jackass of myself? If that makes sense?

I guess I just want someone to give it an 'approval' of some sorts, not that not having it would necessarily stop me but this is a serious, professional endeavor, not just some hack, bedroom recordings...

I'm not saying it's good necessarily either, lol. Just sayin'.

Thanks much for your thoughts and input!

[hothulamaui]

I think you should write a song about how you feel about the islands. leave out the pidgin, nothing worse than someone using it that doesn't really know it. check out the song "molokai slide" it is a song written by a canadian who fell in love with molokai. he does use pidgin words but they are more for flavor as opposed to trying to be a real sentence. it has been covered by a lot of artisits and done quite well in all it's forms

YouTube - Ehukai - Molokai Slide: Da 808 Experience I

[jayteefoster]

I think it'd be more appropriate to incorporate some element of Hawaiian music in your piece rather than try to use a language you don't understand.

How are you supposed to express what you feel if you can't even grasp the language you're using?

[gtrguyMN]

Originally Posted by hothulamaui

I think you should write a song about how you feel about the islands. leave out the pidgin, nothing worse than someone using it that doesn't really know it. check out the song "molokai slide" it is a song written by a canadian who fell in love with molokai. he does use pidgin words but they are more for flavor as opposed to trying to be a real sentence. it has been covered by a lot of artisits and done quite well in all it's forms

YouTube - Ehukai - Molokai Slide: Da 808 Experience I

Thanks hothula, I'll check this out when I get home. It's not that I'm using a lot of it, if anything it's limited to names of specific places, and as far as pidgin goes just "da kine", kind of a flavoring like you said.

Originally Posted by jayteefoster

I think it'd be more appropriate to incorporate some element of Hawaiian music in your piece rather than try to use a language you don't understand.

How are you supposed to express what you feel if you can't even grasp the language you're using?

I understand what you're saying, which is why I posted jay...not to sound like a smart a$$. I do plan on using a few elements of the style of music as well, I guess I didn't mention that aspect of it. Like I was telling hothula, I think the most pidgin of it all is "da kine", and the rest is primarily single word (friend, hello, etc.) usage, or names of places. (Kailua-Kona, Puna, Hilo, etc.), mixed in with regular mainland english.

So you're definitely on to what I'm concerned about. It's not that I'm completely ignorant either, but who knows if the many websites out there are comprehensive enough for me to use a word here or there. It's pretty simple really, I'm not writing full verses using the language by ANY stretch.

I have read how there's a disdain of sorts from hearing mainlanders use the language(s). On one hand it seems normal, I wouldn't want anyone butchering my language either ( it's inescapable for me ), but on the other hand it seems kind of silly to NOT want people to learn and immerse themselves in a culture, as long as it's done tastefully and respectfully.

It also, to me, seems kind of silly to write about a place, without using any influence whatsoever from said place. How do you write about the snow if you have experienced it, and can't use words like cold, ice, and snow? See what I mean? There's a lot of resources out there that I use, am not afraid to use and this is just kind of a reference check.

[Calico Salsa]

To me, there are many different styles of music Hawaiian, and they are intended for and targeted to different audiences.

Those who are writing and singing 'Hawaiian style' music for the non-local audience, are going to have a very different flavor and expectation than those who are writing more authentic styles that are intended for the residents... and even both of those are quite varied.

For example, pop songs are probably for a wider audience, meant to be played on the radio, listened to by visitors and locals alike. They convey a feeling by the writer/singer, whether they were enthralled by a visit or happy to live here. That would be different than, for example, chants or songs that incorporate more Hawaiian language, and are intended for those who might utilize the music in performances or those who understand the words and references.

Music, like all art, is an expression of the artist. If the expression is genuine, then it doesn't really matter what each individual might have as a reaction. But if someone is disingenuous, and trying too hard to fit into a style that isn't appropriate to that individual... well that shows up pretty quickly. One example - there's a fellow here who likes to go by a 'street' rap name. He thinks he's a street as can be, but everyone knows he lives off his parents money, doesn't work, never been in trouble of any serious kind, and has NO IDEA of what street means. His music is not good rap, and not because of the words he uses, but because his expression just doesn't match up to the content. He might be a good songwriter (I can't tell) but he sure isn't believable in what he's attempting.

Of course the reaction we have will be colored by our own experiences too. Art stimulates a reaction and the artist can't be responsible for all of those reactions either.

gtrguyMN, you know of course that anything posted in a public forum will get a variety of responses. If you are looking for only approval, that probably isn't the way to go about it... but as a musician, I'm sure you are used to some cheers and some boos too. If you are not trying to come off as a home-grown local, then you probably don't have anything to worry about. Using 'da kine' is no big deal. And of course you have to use proper nouns like names of places. As for usage of other words, it is a good idea to run them past some folks who live here, as what you might have heard used, as a visitor, could be different than what people say in regular conversation. Residents do say aloha and mahalo, but perhaps not with the emphasis and elongation that they do at visitor events.... "Aloooooohaaa"

Local style words that aren't Hawaiian language, but are Hawaiian usage, could also be incorporated:
Slipper instead of flip-flop or sandal
Rubbish instead of trash or garbage
Wagon instead of shopping cart

[KoaHawaii]

i think you probably already have the idea but i'd try to use as little pidgin and stay away from hawaiian unless describing a place etc. using words like aloha or da kine etc. are fine and as you know as long as you dont try to act like you one local it should be fine. the attitude is that pidgin is spoken by locals only or those who have family ties in hawaii (they practically grew up here) it can be offensive to have someone try to speak the lingo if theyve never lived here or actually been brought up with the culture because the language is a part of our culture. but like i said it seems you already know and i think a tribute is a great idea to sort of honor your experience and what youve gained from da islands and that is appreciated and many will see that and love that more than if one were to try and act like they were something they werent. good luck