Music of Melanesia

Music of Melanesia
Melanesian music
Maluku
New Caledonia
Papua
Papua New Guinea
Solomon Islands
Torres Strait
Vanuatu
West Irian Jaya
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Our earliest knowledge of Melanesian music comes largely from German musicological studies done in the Caroline Islands of nearby Micronesia (not Melanesia), with only a few studies done since then. Vocal music is very common across Melanesia, as are sitting dances. Hand gestures are an important part of many songs, and most traditional music is dance music.

Folk instruments included many kinds of drums, flutes, pipes and slit-log gongs. European guitars and ukuleles are also used.

See also