Mark Holdaway

This is a nice little introduction to the 8-Note Kalimba in a western, diatonic C tuning. This is not a traditional African tuning, but it is probably the most popular way to set up the 8-Note kalimba these days. And it turns out there is a lot of African music that you can play on this kalimba, even if it not a traditional setup. This short 12-page PDF booklet is a pretty descent intro to how to make music on this instrument, the history of the kalimba – and how to play some very nice African music on it. Live links to sound recordings accompany the tablature in this book.

The Easter Hymns for 17-Note Kalimba in C have been available as a digital download since 2019. Now, this collection of 12 hymns is available as a hard copy book… from Amazon! You can purchase the Easter Hymns book from Amazon for $12. If you are outside the USA, this may be the best way to get the book. Similarly, you can purchase the Easter Hymns from Kalimba Magic for $12. This book has Beginner (melody only) and Advanced (melody and chords or counterpoint) versions of 12 beloved Easter Hymns. The kalimba is a great instrument for devotional music, and it was a joy putting this collection together.   Easter Hymns

Grow your health, coordination and chops using this great musical hack 6/8 Time is Great for Kalimba Music… and Great for Walking / Running Too! I walk and play kalimba virtually every day. It is part of my morning routine, and it is part of my mental and physical health maintenance. Sometimes, after I’ve been walking and playing and daydreaming for a while, I realize that I need to speed things up to get my heart beating faster for a better balanced physical workout. To put my body into high gear, I just change up the rhythm of the song I’ve been playing, very simply and smoothly, without even changing time

All songs in our downloads and books come with sound files, and here’s exactly how to access them This is the “sound icon” from our ebooks. When you click on the sound icon in an ebook, you will hear a recording of that song.   This morning, as I was playing kalimba and walking along the Tanque Verde wash, I answered a call from a customer who had bought the “44 Beginner Songs” ebook for the 17-Note Kalimba in C. She was so excited about progressing with the kalimba, her first musical success ever! She could read the tablature… but she said she didn’t play any of the songs that

The Kalimba is a great tool for the world to address racism. The Kalimba has a rich, colorful 3000 year history in Africa, leading to diverse and lovely instruments and music. The Kalimba, its African History, and Black Pride – Your “Rough” Guide My point: anyone who falls in love with the kalimba – anyone who sees the brilliance, beauty, intelligence, and humanity of the kalimba – will inevitably confer this respectful admiration to the African people who created these instruments. People can only justify slavery if they do not see the culture and humanity of the enslaved. Or consider the positive inverse of that statement: Once you see the

The PDF eBook “33  Intermediate Songs for 17-Note Kalimba in C” has a bunch of African music. Now also available as a hard copy book. Here is a video of one of the songs, Bustu MTandari: These are mostly songs from the tradition of the Karimba, or mbira nyunga nyunga. The notes of the Karimba are a subset of the notes on the 17-Note Kalimba, so anything you can play on the Karimba can also be played on the 17-Note in C. And by the way, “kalimba” and “karimba” are two different instruments. Read here if you don’t know this: Is it Kalimba, Karimba, or Mbira? It turns out the

I am selling these kalimbas. If you want one, contact me! They are not in the shop, but have been set aside for… you? Coupon codes do not apply to these “grab bag” kalimbas.   @kalimbamagic Hugh Tracey Celeste Kalimba in Middle Eastern Tuning. #kalimbamusic #hughtraceykalimba #kalimbatunings #kalimbamagic ♬ original sound – kalimbamagic Top – $50: This was originally a Hugh Tracey Celeste Pentatonic, but is currently tuned to a Middle Eastern Tuning. Here is it in action     @kalimbamagic Sansula Renaissance #kalimbamusic #sansula ♬ original sound – kalimbamagic Right – $100: This is a Sansula Renaissance. It is not new, but it has also not been used. There

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