Kalimba Christmas Music: 10-Note Kalimba

Christmas Songs on Kalimba

Christmas carols are one of my favorite things to do on the kalimba. I have spent thousands of hours working out dozens of carols, and I’ve written the arrangements out in tablature for a whole bunch of kalimbas.

Here is a list of kalimbas you can play carols on, arranged from the simplest kalimbas to the hardest and most capable kalimbas:

8-Note Diatonic Kalimba in C

10-Note Kalimba in C

Moon-10 in Silver Moon Tuning

Moon-10 in Gold Moon Tuning

Hugh Tracey 15-Note Alto Kalimba

Hugh Tracey 17-Note Treble Kalimba

17-Note Kalimba in C

Chromatic Alto Kalimba

Chromatic Treble Kalimba

Each week, until we run out of kalimbas to talk about, I will show you the Christmas carols that you can play on these kalimbas, starting with the 10-Note Kalimba. Right, I should have started with the 8-Note, I will get there at some point. But the 10-Note Kalimba is surprisingly capable!

Get your 10-Note Christmas Kalimba Download Today!

Get Your 10-Note Kalimba in C

This collection of Christmas favorites has been arranged specifically for the 10-Note kalimba in C.

This 59-page PDF download with clickable links to MP3 files has tablature for 28 different carols. Now that is quite something, really… so few notes and such a huge repertoire! Read on to find my secret technique for expanding the range of this tiny instrument. This book has enough to keep you learning carols each holiday season for years!

Exactly how do we get 28 Christmas songs out of a very basic 10-Note kalimba? By retuning one tine (B to B flat), which turns the C kalimba into an F kalimba. Consider that a lot of songs won’t fit on the 10-Note kalimba, for a variety of reasons. By retuning a single tine, a whole class of songs, such as “O Christmas Tree,” magically are shifted onto the 10-Note kalimba in F tuning. This is a magical judo move that takes a minimum amount of energy (retuning one note a half step) and gets a maximum result (being able to play 20 Christmas carols that would otherwise be impossible on your 10-Note kalimba).

Look at the Table of Contents from the download and see how many more songs you get with this tiny trick that can take seconds to accomplish. (The red box contains the songs that this kalimba can play without retuning. The green box has all those that you can play after retuning that one tine. The download includes a link to a YouTube video showing you just how to accomplish the retuning.)

Almost anyone should be able to sit down with this download and play the Level 1 songs on their 10-Note kalimba today. The Level 2 songs should be within reach of most players after a few days of playing. The Level 1 and Level 2 songs are quite simple, and they help you build the skills you will need to take on the Level 3 songs, which have both melody and full chords and should be your goal after a few weeks of playing. The few Level 4 songs have counterpoint – meaning two different melodies at once, which is complicated, and you may get to that point after weeks or months of playing.

And if you still have doubts about playing all these carols on a little 10-Note, watch me work this magic in the video, demonstrating a red (tine-painted) 10-Note kalimba in C Tuning and a green 10-Note kalimba in F Tuning.

Get your 10-Note Christmas Kalimba Download Today!

There are actually a bunch of downloads for the 10-Note, with some really cool music:

32 Songs for the 8-Note (or 10-Note)

African Music on the 10-Note Kalimba

Everything You Need to Know About 10-Note Kalimba

Kalimba Duets for 10-Note With 17-Note Kalimbas

Fun and Games for the 10-Note Kalimba

When We Ship Our 10-Note Kalimbas, We Include This Booklet for Free!

Or, if you are international, you can get the 10-Note Intro Download to avoid paying for shipping.