Mark Holdaway

I have finished a 54-page PDF instructional download for the Mufrika Edward style Karimba. This includes traditional Karimba songs from the historic repertoire,  songs from Mufrika, and my own insights into making music on this instrument. The download comes for free when you purchase one of the Mufrika Edward style Karimbas. I am now re-making these karimbas on both Hugh Tracey Celeste Boards (left) and the Hugh Tracey Alto Boxes (right). @kalimbamagic##mufricaedward ##karimba ##mbiranyunganyunga♬ original sound – kalimbamagic I am enjoying the Mufrika Edward Karimba as much as I enjoy my Hugh Tracey African-tuned Karimba. It produces different music, so both instruments have a place in my life. Reminder: I

Kalimba Magic is a leader in transforming one type of kalimba to another. For example, in the image above I show you a 17-Note Hugh Tracey Treble Kalimba, which can be transformed into a box karimba. We take the instrument apart, bend half of the tines, reassemble, and tune it up. Why Do Some Kalimbas have Upward-bent tines? To see the steps we take to accomplish this transformation, I made a YouTube video a few years ago. This specific transformation is from the Celeste Treble (in this context, “celeste” means a board-mounted Hugh Tracey kalimba) into a Celtic D karimba: The big thing to consider: the Hugh Tracey kalimba bridge

These songs are derived from the “66 Songs” download collection that was translated from Treble Kalimba… to C-Alto… to 17-Note Kalimba in C.. and yet other kalimbas. The key aspect of these songs that makes them accessible to a mere 8-Note kalimba is that they go down to the 5th of the scale. (Think “A-mazing Grace”, which starts on the low 5 note and goes up the the 1 note.) If only the 8-Note started on the 5 note, instead of the 1 note! Oh – actually if you retune your B tine to Bb, then your 8-Note kalimba is in the key of F, and the low C becomes

These Hard Copy Kalimba Magic Books are now available at Amazon. Hi, I’m Mark Holdaway. I founded Kalimba Magic in 2005 and I immediately started writing Kalimba Books based on my Kalimba Tablature. I am particularly skilled at creating these Kalimba Books. Writing them has been a great joy in my life over the last 16 years, and it is an important component of my livelihood. Kalimba Magic has the best information for playing kalimba. Many of my competitors agree – they have pirated my materials. Now, they are selling books on Amazon that use my copyrighted materials. Even though I have submitted the intellectual property forms with Amazon, they

Of course, Kalimba Magic ships to virtually every country. But do you live in USA, Canada, Spain, England, France, Italy, Germany, Australia, or Japan? If so, when you buy one of the Kalimba Magic books from Amazon, it will be printed in your country, and shipped within your country. When you buy directly from Kalimba Magic, you will find international shipping is rather more expensive. But to a great many people, buying my books on Amazon will be an economically friendly option.   As I transfer more of the Kalimba Magic library to Amazon, I’ll keep you posted! It just means more options will be available to you. And please:

The Intermediate Songs have been available as a digital download since 2019. Now, this collection of classical, African, American, Spirituals, and more is available as a hard copy book… from Amazon! You can purchase the “33 Intermediate Songs” book from Amazon for $12. The advantage of the digital download? The 80-page PDF contains live links to the sound files and other resources for your 17-Note Kalimba in C. But some people just want to have a physical book in front of them. The book comes with a QR code and a URL that will take you to a support page for this book… which includes the sound recordings for each

The glissando is best accomplished if you have some thumb nail, or are wearing Alaska Piks. Tilt your thumb nail slightly so it can sail over the tines as it moves outward, plucking them gently on the trailing side. Three adjacent tines make a triad. Four adjacent tines make a 7th chord. Five adjacent tines make a 9th chord. The tricky part is knowing which tine to stop on.   My Personal Experience Using Alaska Piks Chords on the 17-Note Kalimba in C  

If you haven’t tried Kalimba Magic books or ebooks, I invite you to try one or more, right now, for free. Kalimba Books Using Kalimba Tablature I invented a wonderfully expressive and visually simple Kalimba Tablature in 2004, and I’ve been writing books with this tablature for 17 years now! So, while the books are mostly tablature for different songs or exercises, there are also photos and other graphical explanations. Each of my books or downloads come with a simple means of hearing what the music is supposed to sound like. The books either have a QR code to take you to a support page with the sound recordings… or