Indigenous and Pacific Music Concepts

Vocabulary flashcards covering instruments, vocal techniques, and musical traditions of Indigenous Australian, Papua New Guinean, Hawaiian, and Kiribati cultures.

Didjeridu

A long trumpet made from a tree branch (typically eucalyptus or bamboo) hollowed out by termites, played using circular breathing and recognized as a well-known symbol of Australian Aboriginal culture.

Drone

A continuous, unchanging sound or note that plays constantly in the background of a piece of music.

Melodic contour

The shape or overall direction of a melody as it moves up and down in pitch (e.g., ascending, descending, arch-shaped).

The Manikay Tradition

A musical tradition featuring nasal voice, bilma (clapsticks), and yidaki.

Wagilak Manikay (Likandhu-nupan Djuwalpada)

A tradition/song in which the Wagilak ancestor Djuwalpada dances with elbows pointed as he finds his home.

Likan

Translates to 'elbow' and represents 'connecting' in describing family connections, language, country, and the purpose of song.

Luku

Translates to 'feet' and represents 'moving, travelling'.

Gumurr

Translates to 'chest' and represents 'crying for country'.

Garamut

Large slit drums from Papua New Guinea.

Kundu

Hourglass-shaped drums from Papua New Guinea.

Susap

A bamboo mouth harp from Papua New Guinea commonly played for self-entertainment, characterized by a 'twangy' timbre and belonging to the lamellophone/linguaphone subcategory of idiophones.

Lamellophones

Instruments with multiple flexible tongues (each known as a lamella) that are typically plucked to produce sound, such as thumb pianos and mbira.

Mele Hula Pahu

Hawaiian drum-dance-chant considered free from European influence, featuring a full vocal timbre, frequent short vibrato tones, and portamento.

Portamento

A sliding technique where a vocalist emphasizes an upper pitch and slides in a continuous movement to a lower pitch.

Mele

Hawaiian word for poetry.

Pahu

A Hawaiian cylindrical, carved footed base drum usually covered with shark skin.

Kilu

A small Hawaiian drum made from a coconut shell, usually covered with fish skin.

Hawaiian slack-key guitar

A guitar played with loosened strings.

Steel guitar

A guitar that requires a steel slide to stop the strings.

Ukelele

A small chordophone.

Bino

A sitting dance from Kiribati in Micronesia featuring unison singing of men and women with handclapping, with lyrics about WW2 due to Japanese occupation.

Monophony

A single melodic line with no harmony.

Homophonic singing

Singing where several musical parts blend together, similar to church music.