Under The Banyan Tree

The beautiful and unique banyan tree has become a common feature of Hawaii's landscape, but did you know that it's not actually native to the Hawaiian Islands? The very first banyan tree in Hawaii was brought over from India in April of 1873 and is located in Lahaina on the island of Maui. This particular banyan, with the help and efforts of many arborists and experts, survived the devasting wildfires that took place there in August of 2023. With their intricately intertwined trunks and vast canopies, the banyan trees have found a comfortable home in Hawaii.

"Under The Banyan Tree" is a nice tribute to these magnificent trees. And given the Hawaiianthemed sound of the piece, it felt natural to include ukuleles. In this case, the ukes start right at measure one. There is a full two-bar drum set-up to set the tempo and help your players know when to start playing. As usual, we have written out a rhythmic part for the ukuleles to follow, but you can always let your players strum freely, or write a simpler part that would work better for your situation. There are only three easy chords used – C6, F, and Ami. For your convenience, there is an extracted ukulele part available on our web site.

Vocally, this song is relatively easy to sing, as it is very repetitive. The accompaniment makes you feel like you are singing and strumming on one of the amazing Hawaiian islands, especially at measure 25 when the ocean, wind, and bird sound effects enter. Sunglasses, Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts, and leis would be perfect for a performance.