who can tell me what the only indigenous string instrument is?

Did someone suggest that the ukulele is indigenous to Hawaii? The name is Hawaiian, but it is well known that its antecedents were introduced by Portuguese immigrants in the late 1800s.

It is interesting that most musical instruments were developed from strictly utilitarian objects. Our fascination with modulating sound seems to be hard wired into us.

I find myself listening to the sounds made by kitchen implements and wondering about their musical possibilities. The first man (and it would have been a man) who discovered the musical possibilities of the saw, certainly didn't have his mind on cutting timber that day!

John Colter.
 
I was going to suggest a washtub bass.

Ukantor started me wondering if a man invented that? :rolleyes:
 
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It had to be a man - he wouldn't use a wash tub for its intended purpose!

John Colter.
 
There seems to be an assumption that simple string instruments such as the ukeke were developed from the hunting bow. It seems certain that they are related, but it is just as likely that someone attached a cord to a stick for the purpose of making an interesting sound and then discovered (or someone else did) that it is possible to use the flexing of the stick to launch another stick from the cord.

Chicken and egg?

John Colter.
 
That was a really interesting video. Thanks for sharing it. I had never heard of ukeke before. Great to see young students interesting in both music and history.
 
There seems to be an assumption that simple string instruments such as the ukeke were developed from the hunting bow. It seems certain that they are related, but it is just as likely that someone attached a cord to a stick for the purpose of making an interesting sound and then discovered (or someone else did) that it is possible to use the flexing of the stick to launch another stick from the cord.

Chicken and egg?

John Colter.

I like eggs and I keep chickens
and I love this
 
If a definition stretch is allowed, the Pineapple Ukulele is an indigenous Hawaiian instrument.

John
 
Thanks Stan, I had no idea.
More Hawaiian cultural history, please!
 
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