Mark Holdaway

A great many people now own kalimbas made in China.  These kalimbas apparently were created with an intent to play western pop songs. However, you can also play traditional African music on them… and I will show you how. It turns out there is a traditional 8-Note karimba that is particularly important in the evolutionary tree of African kalimbas. It is thought to be the original tuning, the grandmother of the African-tuned Karimba and the mbira dzavadzimu. I call it the Student Karimba and Andrew Tracey, Hugh Tracey’s son, called it the  “Original Mbira”. The notes on this 8-Note instrument are arranged differently than the new 10-Note kalimbas, but the

The Star-13 is a very interesting kalimba. It is built on a resonant frame similar to the Sansula… so it can do that cool “wah-wah” effect. However, the pentatonic 9-Note Sansula is mainly an instrument to just kick back and make cool sounds with, while this diatonic 13-Note kalimba is an instrument to play songs on. Here is the Star-13 in standard C tuning. Even though it is in C, the low note is G, the 5th of C… which is very useful for songs as “Amazing Grace” or “As I Went Down to the River to Pray”. Here is the Star-13 Kalimba in G major tuning. Why in G

Hey, if you are looking for a new and different experience with kalimba, consider the Pentatonic 9-Note Olive-9 Kalimba. While most 17–Note kalimbas these days implicitly push a precise playing mindset, this kalimba is all about fun and freedom: Of course, within that fun and freedom, you can still do some awesome things: But improvisation is key on this cool kalikmba: This kalimba has a routed out body – which means you can make the cool “wah wah” effect by placing it on a flat surface as you play, and then lifting it up: And every Olive-9 Kalimba shipped from Kalimba Magic contains this 36 page manual to help you

Kalimba Magic Gives You the Tools You Need to Succeed Does your kalimba need tuning? Read Here! Does your kalimba have a buzzy tine? Read Here! Do you need to paint your tines? Read Here!   BUT, what if the kalimba job is beyond you? The Kalimba Doctors can Help I’m Mark… but it turns out that my associate Mike is just as skilled as I am at getting your kalimba looking and sounding its best. I recently went away to a wedding, but before I hopped onto that plane, I left my two prized kalimbas – my very-first-ever blond Bb Treble from circa 1970, and my ancient Alto Kalimba

The EZ Numbers Book uses numbers above the lyrics to 63 well-known songs to help you learn to play the songs very simply. This looks simple… but exactly how do I translate these numbers to, say, a B11 Kalimba? There are two details to be aware of: first, a 6-Note Kalimba (or an 11-Note Kalimba) cannot play the same music that a 17-Note Kalimba can play. (On the flip side, a 17-Note kalimba will probably be able to play everything the 6-Note or 11-Note Kalimba can play.) So, the EZ Numbers Book is split into different sections, based on how many, and which notes you need to play it. The

Hey, did you get a 21-Note Kalimba, only to discover that there aren’t any books for it? The 21-Note Kalimba Tuning is typically just like the 17-Note Kalimba… with four extra notes in the middle, below the low C = 1. People often think that this kalimba is in the key of F. However, to be in F, you would want to have Bb (B flat) notes, instead of B. So, what are those low F, G, A, and B tines doing right in the middle? Well, they are mainly used for harmony, chords, and accompaniment… all relatively advanced concepts. F is the 4 of the key of C, and

If you preordered this ebook and you are waiting for it… your wait is almost over. I have been making good progress on this book while I’m in England. I go out for a kalimba walk in the cool green woods here, and I think of five more things to write about. Then I come home and write about them. I am currently at well over 100 pages. These are gems of wisdom gleaned from my over 37 years of kalimba experience. (Yes, I bought my first Hugh Tracey Kalimba 37 years ago this month. And I started Kalimba Magic 18 years ago this month.) But rather than tie these

We still have a few more Goshen Kalimbas. These are high quality, American-made kalimbas, suitable for beginners or for people who just want a pretty instrument that plays beautiful sounds. Here are the Goshen Kalimbas we sell. Goshen 8-Note Box Kalimba: Goshen 8-Note Student Karimba Goshen 9-Note Student Karimba