For our last ukulele class, we gathered for an ukulele kanikapila. Kanikapila is defined as “to play music together in Hawaiian; singing usually accompanied by ukulele and/or guitar,” (Urban Dictionary). Our kanikapila included all of our classmates, my instructor, some of his students from his Hawaiian/Ensemble class, his dad and uncle who were the guest musicians. Everyone gathered around in a circle with their instruments and played to Hawaiian music. During class, we usually have music and notes to read, but since it was the last class our instructor wanted us to just have fun and jam. We basically had to listen and play by ear, which was very difficult. Our instructor explained that in the past, that was the way people learned how to play music. Back in the day, there was also no written language: everything was through oral communication. Even today, many people teach themselves and find it easier than reading music.
We played and sung to many Hawaiian and local songs. Our instructor’s uncle even taught us how to play a Tahitian song, which was amazing. The Tahitian song seemed somewhat more upbeat and faster. It was like the rhythm of the drums in Tahitian performances. As for the Hawaiian songs, they were sung in a much slower pace and sounded more soothing. The girl that was the lead singer in these local and Hawaiian songs had such a beautiful voice. The songs played were all mostly in Hawaiian language and one in Tahitian. Tahitian and Hawaiian are closely related in language because they are part of the Eastern Polynesian group. I enjoyed this ukulele class because it allowed me to learn more about music, especially in the Hawaiian culture. This kanikapila was very fun and reminded me a lot of back home when all my friends and I just get together, cruise, have a jam session and a good time.
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