Kanikapila is a style of

Hawaiian music The music of Hawaii includes an array of traditional and popular styles, ranging from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop. Styles like slack-key guitar are well known worldwide, while Hawaiian-tinged music is a frequent part ...

produced in an impromptu

jam session A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without exte ...

, most commonly taking place at a beach, or family gathering. The term comes from ''kani'' which means

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

. and ''pila'' which means any string instrument in the

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language o ...

. Over the last few decades it formed into a conceptual style reflecting more emphasis on acoustic instruments including the

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

and free following speed to reflect the emotion of the players. The term has started making its way in the dialog of mainland US musicians as well. One way that the kanikapila style music has made its mark in popular culture is songs like "Somewhere over the Rainbow" by

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

where he takes two songs ( " Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "

What a Wonderful World "What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele (as "George Douglas") and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released in 1967 as a single. It topped the pop chart in the United Kingdom, but performed poor ...

" ) mashes them together to form an entirely new song. This is common element of the kanikapila style. It is a popular custom to end kanikapila sessions the same way with the song "

Hawaii Aloha "Hawaii Aloha," also called "Kuu One Hanau," is a revered anthem of the native Hawaiian people and Hawaii residents alike. Written by the Reverend Lorenzo Lyons, (1807-1886), also known as Makua Laiana, a Christian minister who died in 1886, to an o ...

" written by 19th century Christian minister,

Lorenzo Lyons Lorenzo Lyons or "''Makua Laiana''" (April 18, 1807 – October 6, 1886) was an early missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was a songwriter who wrote the lyrics of "''Hawaii Aloha''", which was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in ...

. Kanikapila groups include the Experience Paradise Project.

References

{{Reflist Hawaiian music