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Mark Holdaway

From African Mbira to the Modern Kalimba – A Hugh Tracey Story

Have you ever wondered how we got the modern Chinese kalimba from the traditional African Mbira Dzavadzimu? The answer runs right through Hugh Tracey, who lived 1903 – 1977, studied the traditional African instruments, and made his own version of the instrument: the Hugh Tracey Kalimba. Check out this video I made to explain: Learn more about the history of the kalimba here.  

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Mark Holdaway

365 Days to Kalimba Mastery Volume II – Available Now

Get your phone-screen-sized, 220 lesson download: 365 Days for the 17-Note Kalimba in C, Volume II [Editorial note: this ebook has been a long time in coming. I originally advertised this book would be out by November 1 2022. It took longer than that. But it is here today – February 20, 2023. Most of the sound recordings are not done as yet, so when you touch or click on the sound icon today, On the one hand, this collection of kalimba lessons is my life’s work. But I also know that this collection just touches the surface of what I have to give. Contents of 365 Days / Volume

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Mark Holdaway

Kalimba Programs in the Libraries

Before Covid, I used to do kalimba performances and presentations in the libraries. Now, I’m coming back with these five classes of performances that I will be looking to book in 2024. I have a great deal of kalimba expertise, and I can tailor my performance to your audiences, but here are five basic shows that I am ready to do for you: The History of the Kalimba – Presentation, Performance, and Hands On Activity The first kalimbas were made from palm fronds in western Africa about 3000 years ago. When the iron age reached southern Africa 1300 years ago, kalimba tines were one of the first uses for the

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Mark Holdaway

Mark Holdaway Kalimba CDs Available as Download

  These two CDs reflect the time when I was highly focused on my Hugh Tracey Alto and Hugh Tracey Treble Kalimbas. These are fully orchestrated band songs, with kalimba usually one prominent voice among other instruments: guitar, mandolin, recorder, bass, and drums. There is some pretty inspired music here, and it is available now for the first time as a digital download. From Two Thumbs Up: Robert’s Dream: From Two Thumbs Up:Kicked by the Snow: Get Two Thumbs Up Download CD Between the D & L: The Dark and the Light CD Between the D & L: Morocco CD Between the D & L: Where is the Rain? Get

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Mark Holdaway

New Book Coming: “Just the Tips: Wisdom for Any Kalimba”

Hey, I am just being myself. I am able to capture kalimba music in tablature and detailed notation. I can show you exactly what you need to do to achieve some particular music. My tablature based books can teach you amazing things, in great precision. But that is not the only way to learn to play the kalimba. There are a whole bunch of high level concepts that can help with your kalimba playing. Very simple things, like: play on one side for a while… then on the other side for a while. Or: if you can’t find the note you are looking for… look on the opposite hand of

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Mark Holdaway

“Intro to 17-Note Kalimba in C” Now Available as a Download

    With every 17-Note Kalimba in C we sell, and with every Hugh Tracey Treble Chromatic Kalimba we sell, we include a hard copy of the 32 page booklet “Intro to 17-Note Kalimba in C”. This is a tablature-based booklet that shows you the ropes on the kalimba. Due to customer requests, this booklet is now available as a PDF download with live links to sound recordings. This is for the 6-painted note setup scheme. eBook: Introduction to the 17-Note Kaimba in C We also have another version of this download created for the 5-painted note setup: eBook: Intro to the 17-Note Kalimba in C in 5-Painted System And

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Mark Holdaway

Kalimba Americana – it is it’s Own Genre!

I grew up strumming folk guitar and singing the songs of my country. I had a wonderful music teacher in elementary school, and I quickly learned to love music – especially the Americana songs we sang in music class. As I grew up, I learned a deeper and more present side of Americana – Bob Dylan, The Band, Woodie Guthrie… and the diverse strands of the fabric of our country’s rich tapestry of musical traditions. And then, in 1986, I fell in love with the kalimba, and started my own kalimba journey. I played Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan songs on the kalimba. The kalimba is like that. It will

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Mark Holdaway

Welcome to “365 Days to Kalimba Mastery, Volume II” for 17/C Kalimba

Welcome – Know that the Sound Files for this ebook are coming very soon. Section 1 files are up today, I will aim to get a new section worth of sound files up every two days, so we will be done in March 2023 sometime. OK – I Will Be Getting a Video Up Here Soon – Mark Holdaway ( Feb 21 2023) If you have feedback about the “365 Days/Volume II” ebook, please submit them to me through the CONTACT ME page.

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Mark Holdaway

A Virtual Kalimba to Explore the Moon-10 Tunings With!

With so many Moon-10 Kalimba Tunings, how do you pick one? How do you keep track? There is a cool new tool at Kalimba Magic that will help you understand the nature of each Moon-10 Tuning: the Moon-10 Virtual Kalimba. To access the Virtual Kalimba, simply go to the Moon-10 Product Page, and click on the “TRY TO PLAY” tab, or click on the icon in the lower right corner with two hands on a kalimba.   When you click on one or the other, up pops the Virtual Kalimba tab. If you are on your computer, try clicking on the playing tips of the tines, and you will hear

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