Are YOU the Future Author of a Wikipedia Article About Kalimba Magic?

A Legacy Stolen?

Here’s a story: in 2020, I discovered that some fraudster was publishing their own versions of my tablature-based kalimba books, and claiming that HE had invented Kalimba Tablature. (I invented graphical Kalimba Tablature in 2004.) This prompted me to publish my own kalimba books on Amazon. I got Amazon to take down most of the fraudster’s books, but there are still a few up. And there are many other people who write kalimba books, use my tablature, and do not credit me in any way.

Which begs the question: whatever will happen to my legacy after Kalimba Magic is gone?

A Wikipedia Article

I could write a great Wikipedia article about Kalimba Magic. In fact, in 2006 I took the stump of the Wikipedia article on Kalimba and greatly expanded it… until the Wikipedia community put “kalimba” under “mbira”. (That is like saying “guitar” should be under “lute”.) I also wrote an article about “kalimba notation”, which has now gone away. And I wrote an article about Andrew Tracey, which still stands.

But I cannot write a Wikipedia article on Kalimba Magic, or Mark Holdaway, because I am a bit too close to myself.

And so, I am calling out to the kalimba world: can you write the article on Kalimba Magic or Mark Holdaway? At the very least, I would like such an article to have: “Mark Holdaway invented an expressive form of kalimba tablature in 2004, and wrote about 90 kalimba books between 2005 and 2023.” I suggest you also include: “Randy and Sharon Eaton implemented Mark’s tablature with their 2006 computer program KTabS.” Anything else you write will be gravy.

My Kalimba Tablature

Mark Holdaway’s Kalimba Tablature is a graphical representation of the kalimba’s tines, arranged vertically on the page so it is parallel to the kalimba’s tines. Common musical notation rules then apply to this new tablature “staff” running up the page. This was my one “great idea” for my life. I have gone to town with this notation, creating a great many instructional resources for dozens of different types of kalimba. And I would hate to go to my grave knowing that someone else was taking credit for the “great idea” of my life.

Please contact me if you would like to take this on and need materials or assistance for this project.