Land of the Jumping Fleas: Ukulele Fever Grips Taiwan(b)

Land of the Jumping Fleas: Ukulele Fever Grips Taiwan

　　This sudden ukulele fad has given many folks the misconception that it's an instrument that has only recently appeared on the scene, but its history actually goes back over a century. The ukulele has its origins in Portugal. In the 19th century, three Portuguese craftsmen settled in Hawaii and fashioned instruments modified from the four-stringed cavaquinho. When playing, the fingers glide quickly up and down the fretboard, so the Hawaiians dubbed it ukulele, which means jumping flea.

　　This imported instrument won the affection of the Hawaiian royal family as well as the general population. Following the Panama-Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco in 1915, the ukulele's allure spread through the US, and instrument manufacturers, such as Gibson and Martin, joined the ukulele-making business. The ukulele saw a downturn in the 1960s, and it wasn't until 2008 that the craze was rekindled in North America and Europe.

　　In the 1960s, when the US military was stationed in Taiwan, Western pop culture was introduced to the island, leading to a guitar craze. At that time, a ukulele or two could actually be seen in Taiwan's musical instrument shops. "But in those days, the shops usually used ukuleles for decoration. Nobody took them down to play, and the craftsmanship wasn't as fine as it is now. If you played them, the tuning pegs would loosen up," said Shen Mu-heng, a teacher at KHS Musical Center in Taipei who has studied the guitar for over 20 years.

　　Fueled by pop culture, the ukulele is no longer playing just a supporting role. Shen is among the musicians who have no hesitation when it comes to using the four-stringed instrument. Besides teaching, Shen often plays in a band at the bar Oldie & Goodie, near National Taiwan Normal University. He says that because ukuleles have just four strings, it is hard to perform complex pieces on them, but the instrument is now often at the heart of his show regardless.

 

流行新浪潮──乌克丽丽疯

　　这波突然兴起的乌克丽丽风潮，让许多人误以为它是近期才出现的新乐器，但事实上它的历史已超过一世纪。乌克丽丽源自葡萄牙。十九世纪时，有三位葡萄牙籍乐器工匠在夏威夷定居，并以葡萄牙四弦乐器 cavaquinho 为原型，改良而成现今的乌克丽丽。由于表演时，弹奏者的手指必须在指板上快速地上下滑动，因此夏威夷人称这种乐器为『乌克丽丽』，意思是『跳跃的跳蚤』。

　　这种外来的乐器赢得了夏威夷王室和一般民众的喜爱。1915 年在美国旧金山举办的巴拿马太平洋国际展览会过后，乌克丽丽的魅力传遍了全美，乐器制造商 Gibson 和 Martin 等也先后加入了生产乌克丽丽的行列。1960 年代，乌克丽丽曾经一度式微，直到 2008 年，这股热潮才在北美及欧洲等地卷土重来。

　　1960 年代，驻台美军将西方流行文化传入台湾，掀起一股吉他热潮。当时在台湾的乐器行中，总会见到一、两把乌克丽丽的踪影。学习吉他长达二十多年的功学社台北音乐中心教师沈睦恒说：『但早年的乐器行大多都把乌克丽丽当成店内装饰，没有人拿来弹奏，做工也不如现在精致。弹一弹，调音弦钮还会松掉。』

　　由于流行文化的推波助澜，乌克丽丽已不再只是配角。谈到使用这种四弦乐器，身为音乐家的沈睦恒可是不落人后。除了教学之外，沈睦恒经常在师大附近的酒吧 Oldie & Goodie 组团表演。他表示，由于乌克丽丽只有四根弦，难以演奏复杂的乐曲，但无论如何，这项乐器现在经常是他表演的重心。

 

本社为尊重《台湾光华杂志》，中文原文登出，仅供参考，中英文如有不尽相符之处，敬请包涵。