So Many Minor Scales on Your Kalimba – Learn Here!

Most kalimbas sold today are in the key of C Major – and yet, most pop music today uses minor scales. That just means, you should check out the minor scales, they will open a whole new world of music to your kalimba playing.

First: Why Scales?

Each scale has its own sound. The scale sort of sets up the shape of the musical universe that a kalimba inhabits… it shows you something of the sort of music that the kalimba creates. And it turns out that each kalimba has multiple scales. On top of that, we at Kalimba Magic can put any scale onto any kalimba (well, within certain limits).

The Mechanics of Scales: How To

On most kalimbas, you ascend the scale by alternating left, right, left, as you go from inner tines to outer tines, not skipping any tines. On tablature, it looks like you are zig-zagging across the tines:

Why Minor Scales?

They can be sweet but melancholy, moody and mystical. They have their own emotional space. They take you places that major scales cannot take you. And if you are looking to get away from that super-happy-go-lucky kalimba ting-tang sound, the minor scales should be your first stop.

Watch this video to understand a bit of what is possible with the minor scales:

Get One of the Kalimbas From This Video:

Treble Chromatic Kalimba

17-Note Kalimba in Middle Eastern Tuning

Freygish Karimba

Star-13 Kalimba in A Harmonic Minor Tuning

More About Scales:

More explanation of the C Major Scale, the A Minor Scale, and the A Harmonic Minor (or Middle Eastern) Scale can be found in the pages of “365 Days to Kalimba Mastery” – probably the best instructional resource available for the serious kalimba player. We reproduce some of the pages from this resource below:

The C Major Scale – Easy!

The A Minor Scale – The Same Notes, Arranged Differently!

To Get the Harmonic Minor, You Need to Retune… or use a chromatic kalimba!

These pages came from the  “365 Days to Kalimba Mastery, Volume I”