Music of Tahiti
Oh Tahiti, i came, I danced, i strummed, i sang and i drank of your ancient culture. In the midst of the modern world the Tahitians live on their terms, they love, they share and they give of themselves freely. They are at first intimidating; the women posses a beauty that can stop you in your tracks, the men have the look of bygone warriors. All Tahitians have an air of certainty that can be disarming. These first impressions are quickly cast away when you are blessed with their friendship.
My closest encounter was with the street musicians I got to play my ukulele with every morning. New to the ukulele and new but totally enamored with Tahitian music, I sat at the outside of a group that plays in the street each day from ten to noon. After the first day I was invited in the group and each day learned more music and made new friends. All with very little language exchange, a few words of Tahitian and a few of English but mostly the language of music. It appears that I was the only non Tahitian to have been allowed this privilege—maybe I was the only one who dared seek it.
These ol boys-(and a few women) are what you would pass by in Seattle fearfully avoiding any eye contact and maybe tossing a coin in the hat—not so here. Each day a parade of respectful folks would pass amongst us stopping to touch the hands of each of us in a sign of camaraderie. I was moved when I was first included in this exchange.
The music is deceivingly complicated as the rhythms weave around the song, so my old folk/rock strumming to the bass player style did not work. The ukulele is as much a rhythm instrument as a melodic one and the strumming is fast. The songs just plain tug at your heart and hearing five to ten guys singing them is amazing. Each day they sat a good picker next to me to follow. When I would get the song (all never heard before) I would get in the groove and strum like mad and it was pure joy. This rag tag group was tightly connected by years of playing together and by a passion for their music. I was amazed by the talent that poured off the side walk, these guys could play!
Every culture has its core and every culture has music but here the Tahitians connect to their music as others connect to food and water—it is their energy, their reason for being. Young girls learn to do the amazing dances very early in life and carry that poise for life. Young men learn to drum and strum, they learn the songs of their elders and they move forward the core of the Tahitian soul. Old men sit in the street and play their sweet songs day after day —and for a few days they let one lucky yank join them.