African CD: Thandi Moore - Dumela
Most people don't have immediate access to teachers of the kalimba from Africa—but we can all listen to African music on CD. This series of CD reviews is intended to open up an entire world of African musical possibilities, not just by showing you what someone else has done with the kalimba, but also by teaching you how to retune your kalimba so YOU can play along with African music--i.e., the whole world of recorded African music can become your teacher!
Deb Holdaway has an astounding collection of world music and is deeply affected, emotionally and spiritually, by this music. I would like to introduce Deb, my wife, to the kalimba community. She will be writing this series of CD reviews with suggestions for what you can do with this music to support your kalimba playing. —Mark
Artist: Thandi Moore, South Africa
CD Title: Dumela, The Musical Power of Africa
Review by Deb Holdaway
I chose this CD because it is closely linked to music played in a traditional African way. Its roots are from a time when singing and playing music was done as a group with interlocking parts. Often a relatively small percentage of the music was instrumental, with just a few musicians or even just one playing kalimba inside of a gourd (to be heard over the chorus of singers—try playing kalimba inside of a plastic bowl and see how it changes the sound!).
There is a simplicity to the music here, in that it is vocally based (tracks 1, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 17), rooted in the African tradition of chanting. Some tracks add percussion, mostly drums and balafon and uhadi (tracks 6, 10, 14), a one-stringed instrument that is attached to a bowed stick and a small gourd, that is struck with another stick. Tracks 9 and 13 carry a strong rhythmic sense. It would be fun to play kalimba on some of these songs!
The music on this CD balances the mystical and intuitive, blended with technical proficiency. Either of these paths is a worthy one for a kalimba player to take! Listen to the CD and think of it as a ride to a landscape you are visiting for the first time (tracks 1, 9). How does this environment speak to you? How do you respond? What is your intuitive part to play?
In the table below, we list the track title, the title in English, the key of the song, any recommendations for kalimbas that can be played with this song and how you might need to modify the tuning.
| Track # | Title | Title in English | Song Key |
Kalimba & Tuning Recommendations |
| 1 | 'n Sosso na Losso | Come Home, Mamma is Cooking Rice with Sauce | Key of C# mixolydian | Not recommended, too much retuning required. |
| 2 | Dumela | Hello, How Are You? | Key of E | Not recommended, too much retuning required. |
| 3 | Mzabalazo | Historic Song | Key of D | Recommended for any G kalimba—Alto or Treble. Can be retuned to D by changing the C's to C#'s. |
| 4 | Sondela | Come Closer | Key of D | Same as track 3. |
| 5 | Meropa | Drum Rhythm | Key of F# | A G kalimba could be retuned to F# by tuning every note down half a step, but that's a lot of work. |
| 6 | Nkulunkulu | Spiritual Song | Key of Bb mixolydian | Any G minor or Bb major kalimba can play on this song, but you will want to retune the A's to Ab's. |
| 7 | Noga | A Charming Snake | Key of D minor | Since D minor is the same as F, take a C kalimba and turn the B's into Bb's. Or you can retune the Eb's to E naturals on a Gm or Bb kalimba. |
| 8 | Skhumba | About the Bringer of Luck | Key of C mixolydian | C mixolydian is C with Bb, i.e., the same as track 7 |
| 9 | Yishamani | Who Are You? | C mixolydian | C and Gminor - same as track 7. |
| 10 | Yinilena | What Is This? | Key of A mixolydian | Chords G and A. Use any G kalimba, but lift your C's to C#'s. |
| 11 | Ingoma | Come Together | Key of G - with chords G and Aminor | Use any G kalimba. |
| 12 | Emalawini | In the Wise Man's Hut | Key of Eb | Use a Bb kalimba, and change the A's to Ab's. |
| 13 | Langalanga | It's Going On and On and On | Sharp C minor. | Leave this one for the experts! |
| 14 | Qobozela | Song for the Older Man | Key of A mixolydian with chords A and G | Same as track 11. |
| 15 | Theledi | Bring Me the Springbock | Key of G | Use any G kalimba - treble or alto or pentatonic. |
| 16 | Maketa | Wild Party Song | Sharp B | Leave this one for the experts! |
| 17 | Mtandazo | A Prayer | Key of D | Same as track 3. |
| 18 | Ngwana | A Lonely Girl | Key of Ab minor | Leave this one for the experts! |
Thandi gew up in Soweto and left Africa in the eighties as a member of a dance group that toured the world. She applied for political asylum in Holland. There, during the coming years, music grew inside her to become a special friend, a spiritual healer. Where once she would worry, she began to sing and make music! She began to have a great sense of inner freedom and self-realization. Her dreams came true when this CD was released by friend, director and producer Bert Barten.
Discover the world of kalimbas at http://www.kalimbamagic.com
Shop for kalimbas and accessories at the Kalimba Shop