Kalimba Magic NEWS

If you have purchased a kalimba from Kalimba Magic in the last few months, chances are you are wondering who Jordan is! Jordan started working for Kalimba Magic on May 1. He replaces my son Timothy in helping me ship kalimbas, and is taking on other Kalimba Magic responsibilities as well. The history of Jordan's kalimba playing is closely linked to the history of Kalimba Magic...

Don't ask me where the time has gone! We haven't released a real newsletter since May, which means we missed the June 20 celebration of 6 years of making Kalimba Magic. However, it is never too late to celebrate, so here we go! When you check out at the Kalimba Magic Online Shop, be sure to use the coupon code 50books to get 50% off on any books or downloads.

At Kalimba Magic, we are kalimba players, sales people second - so we understand the importance of showing you what you need to know to get the most out of your kalimba.

Kalimba Magic is pleased to announce we will be carrying the new AMI box marimbas and bass marimba bars. The most exciting aspect of these marimbas is their amazing portability. I am able to fit all three marimbas in the video into my Honda Fit, with enough extra room for a guitar and amplifier. In other words, I can fit an entire marimba band (OK, sans marimba players) in my compact car. Pretty amazing, isn't it? How can this be?

One of the music stores that I ship Hugh Tracey Kalimbas to, 8th Street Music in Pennsauken, NJ, recently unearthed a real gem: a mint condition Hugh Tracey Treble Kalimba, with the five bicycle spoke screws on the back and the 1968 16-page instructional manual, in the original Creative Playthings box. This is a piece of history, and I do my best to unpack the messages it has for us.

The first part of this video demonstrates the scale and range of the Catania 12-Note kalimba. The rest of the video shows me playing "Parsley, Sage, Roemary and Thyme" in a rather loopy manner. People have asked me for the tablature for this song, so here it is.

I have enjoyed great YouTube success with my performance of Nowhere Man on the Bb Treble Kalimba. People have been asking for more Beatle songs on kalimba. But those guys had such interesting harmonies in their music, you can't do most of their songs on a diatonic instrument like the kalimba. But the Hugh Tracey Chromatic kalimba is exactly what you need to play Beatle songs. And learning Beatles music is building up the Chromatic kalimba player in me!

A sought-after solo performer, multi-instrumentalist and harmony singer in the Chicago area, Jenny Bienemann has shared the stage with Andrew Calhoun, Kat Eggleston, Gina Forsythe, Sons of the Never Wrong, Sloan Wainwright, and Hans York, among others. Jenny harmonizes with herself via looping. You never actually see her play the kalimba, but you hear what was fed into the loop before the camera started rolling.

Back in 1975 Betsey and her husband left Alaska in a 34 foot sail boat. On their way down the coast, they visited with cousin Barbara who knew how much Betsey wanted her boys to have music, but her husband's guitar and her flute would not do well on a salty venture. So Barbara gave Betsey the kalimba that was on her piano believing this instrument could withstand the sail...

We are finally finishing up the contest for original music based on the Mbira Cycle. Congratulations, winners! Thank you for your excellent submissions! Each of you will receive $50 in Kalimba Magic store credit. Who won? Oh, come on, give me a little CLICK, you'll find out soon enough...

This month I describe the minimal acoustic effects of pickups in kalimbas when they are not plugged in, and I explain why I will not tune a Mid-East-Mfg kalimba, an extremely poor quality knock-off of the Hugh Tracey kalimba.

Innovation and inspiration from your fellow kalimba enthusiasts!