Hawaii considers making it official with ukulele

[Tx4obama]

Hawaii considers making it official with ukulele

Feb. 13, 2014 1:31 AM EST

HONOLULU (AP) — Its frisky four strings are the sound of Elvis's "Blue Hawaii," of Tiny Tim tiptoeing through the tulips and lately, beyond all reason, of a popular "Bohemian Rhapsody" cover.

Above all, the humble ukulele — dubbed "the underdog of all instruments" by virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro who busted out his rendition of the aforementioned Queen classic in a recent performance — sounds like Hawaii.

Lawmakers here are considering a bill that would dub the ukulele the official state instrument, a designation that seems in some ways like a formal ceremony for a common-law marriage.

"Denying this bill would be like denying a significant part of who we are," Ani Martirosian Menon, a Honolulu resident by way of Los Angeles, told a House committee hearing Wednesday.

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Full article here: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/hawaii-considers-making-it-official-ukulele-0

[dipsydoodle]

1. Ukulele weeps by Jake Shimabukuro.