He Mele Aloha (Spiral-bound)

by et al Carol Wilcox (Author) "The word kanikapila, literally "play music," has come to mean gathering together informally to sing and play..." (more)
Key Phrases: Diamond Head, Kaimana Hila, Mary Kawena Pukui (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
He Mele Aloha: A Hawaiian Songbook is a collection of over 260 songs, listed alphabetically, about 40 of which are hapa-haole songs. It is intended to encourage the tradition of kanikapila. The emphasis is on accurate Hawaiian lyrics and translation. Simple chording and fingering for the ukulele is shown for each song. The lyrics are large for easy reading. It is in a workbook format, with ring binding, large print and room to make notes. Kanikapila: The word kanikapila, literally "play music," has come to mean gathering together informally to sing and play. It was not so long ago that kanikapila was part of our daily lives in Hawai'i. Over the last generation music has moved from the garage party to the concert stage. It has become something to listen to rather than participate in. There is a sense today that singing is reserved for those who are really "good" at it. Still, many people yearn to kanikapila. Translations: English translations favor a less than literal approach, as the translator tried to capture not only the specifics of the language but the essence of the song. Existing translations were edited in order to provide a level of consistency, and were sometimes adjusted to reflect more recent understandings of the poetry. When translations were not available, they have been written anew. Melody and phrasing is not provided-you must know the song to sing it. Most of these songs have been recorded, and one purpose of this book is to encourage support of Hawai'i's composers and entertainers. Profits from sales go to Lunalilo Home.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 289 pages
• Publisher: Oli' Oli Publishing (December 1, 2003)
• ISBN-10: 0974256404
• ISBN-13: 978-0974256405
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #687,742 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars No melodies!, January 16, 2006

By	Taryn - See all my reviews

This would get 5 out of 5 stars if it had the melody given with each song. Only the chords are given above the lyrics. Because I only know a few melodies of the MANY, MANY songs in the book, I must search for recordings and learn the melodies by ear. On the plus side, ukulele fingerings are given above each song and the simple layout of this book is pleasing to the eye, with chords in blue and lyrids in black. The spiral bound is also a plus to any musician.

I would recommend this book only to the person that is already VERY familiar Hawaiian melodies.

A webpage has been made by what appears to be the publisher. All melodies found in He Mele Aloha are listed in solfedge with midi files at: http://mele.home.att.net/home.htm

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mahalo nui loa, January 20, 2006

By	Max (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews

This book is a much-appreciated reference, well arranged and indexed and with (uke) chord diagrams for each song. It does assume that you already know the melodies or have access to recordings. As a lover of slack key guitar I was familiar with about 30 of the mele but that still leaves over 250 that I don't know. It is great to have a reliable set of lyrics and translations for the songs I have on CDs and to have them all in one place. There are classic Hawaiian songs by Queen Lili'uokalani, Charles King, and others; a few hapa haole songs (like, Little Grass Shack); and mele by contemporary composers such as Puakea Nogelmeier (one of the authors), Keali'i Reichel, and Dennis Kamakahi (one of my favorites). One of the stated objectives of the authors is to perpetuate the music. This would be better achieved with musical notation but much of the music is available on CD. Mele.com has a search function for individual songs and composers as well as audio clips. I also recommend http://www.huapala.org/ which is a repository of Hawaiian mele that has a few audio files.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He Mele Aloha, April 11, 2006

By	Hugo de Vries "Hugo de Vries" (Kailua, Hawaii) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you like Hawaiian music, get this book. This is the most complete book of classic and contemporary Hawaiian songs, with lyrics and ukulele chords, you'll find.