Mele Fong teaches how to play the traditional Hawaiian song Akaka Falls. Learn how to form on and off-base ukulele chords in the key of D modulating to C with 11-chords, and how to strum two unique Waltz Strums: Thumb Strum Up Strum Up and Chicken Pluck Pluck. Mele sings in Hawaiian, so you do not need to. In this revised video, see images of the ukulele chords on the video as Mele teaches how to form them and as she sings and plays the song. Play along by downloading the song sheets below.
If you want to skip the ukulele lesson and jump to listening and/or playing along to the song, click on the timestamp for “watch a close-up of Mele's hands as you play along.”
Timestamp:
Learn the strum
Learn the chords: 1:33
Watch a close-up of Mele's hands as you play along: 4:16
This traditional Hawaiian song was written by Helen Parker in 1934. It is also known as “Ka Wailele ‘O ‘Akaka” and tells of a place on the Big Island of Hawaii. Legend says a man named ‘Akaka leapt from the heights of a 442-foot waterfall and his two lovers Lehua and Maile, could not stop their crying. Today, the women are disguised as two smaller waterfalls in a nearby ravine.
This song arrangement of Akaka Falls uses the first three of four original verses, plus an added “Ha'ina” verse from the He Mele Aloha Songbook (two more verses from the songbook that were not in the original music were omitted).
PLAY ALONG WITH MELE FONG – Get the song sheets for Akaka Falls with 2 Waltz Strums for ukulele, chords, lyrics, and more at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1db5ciWEkrnhppqI6COaFBdsMdkzzfoHL/view?usp=share_link
LEARN THE LEGEND and love story behind a waterfall on the Big Island of Hawaii in the video titled Story Behind the Song | Akaka Falls | by Ukulele Mele – https://youtu.be/gqnJ7kz0izg
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PLAYLIST FOR UKULELE MELE LESSONS (4+ chord songs):
PLAYLIST FOR HAWAIIAN MUSIC BY UKULELE MELE:
PLAYLIST FOR UKULELE MELE'S MUSIC
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Native Hawaiian Mele Fong from Maui is an experienced educator and professional entertainer with over 50 years experience playing the ‘ukulele – Hawaii's official instrument. Are UKE having fun yet? Watch. Listen. Play. The Ukulele Mele Way!
