Blog

These karimba tunings are a doorway into Ancient Africa. I invite you to peek in to understand something of where your kalimba comes from. And if you are interested, I invite you to step into a karimba journey of your own with one of these instruments. Modern versions of historical karimbas: A) Hugh Tracey Student Karimba (Andrew Tracey, 1962), B) Kankobella (A.M. Jones, 1950), C) Jega Tapera’s Karimba (Andrew Tracey, 1962), D) Kwanongoma Music School Karimba, aka Mbira Nyunga Nyunga), and E) Hugh Tracey African-tuned Karimba. All of these instruments contain the same 8 notes present in the Student Karimba. So, we are just looking into how these karimbas are

“Hey I am looking for tips to play meditation music on the 9-Note HOKEMA Sansula. Any links available?”    – John Burns, from downunder My 2007 Sansula “Space Playing” Video After many requests, I have finally notated the tablature for this old Sansula Video of mine. The download is FREE. This music is for the standard A minor tuning. Download the entire three page PDF for free. Sansula Renaissance Product Page. Sansula Deluxe (Skin) Product Page. Blank Tablature for Sansula and other Kalimbas. And remember: if you want to get part of the Sansula experience, but don’t want to purchase a sansula… you could get an 8-Note (or 10-Note) kalimba

OK – I can help you, but I do not have any music written explicitly for the kalimba in B. First, lets explore what You should be able to follow the tablature for the C standard tuning. I have attached tablature — showing you which tines to play — for a 17/C kalimba. It assumes that you have 6 painted tines. Give this a try? Put red sharpie marker marks on the appropriate 6 tines (the ones that are shaded on the tablature… not the center, but just right of center and just left of center). And see if you cannot follow along with AwayInAManger_17.pdf (attached). You will not care

If you are starting out on the Hugh Tracey Treble Kalimba (17-Notes, key of G, but a low note of B), this is a great place to get started.  This is a PDF eBook, 34 pages with tablature, photos and live links to MP3 files. Includes instruction on technique, help reading tablature, scales, chords, patterns, riffs, and several songs. If you own a new 17-Note Kalimba in C (a copy of the Hugh Tracey Treble, but in a different tuning), this book will not work for your kalimba. See here. When I learned how to play kalimba 30 years ago, there were no books.   Ten years ago, this was the

I am  Mark Holdaway, founder and director of Kalimba Magic since 2005. I am a multi-instrumentalist, but Kalimba takes the front seat in most of my music. In recent years, I have focused most of my musical creativity on my Kalimba Books and Kalimba Downloads. However, I am very proud of my earlier kalimba-based CDs of mostly original music, and I invite you to listen to samples of this music, and purchase one or more CDs if you like the music. Get “Between the Dark and the Light” CD The Dark and the Light: Morocco: Where is the Rain?: Get “Two Thumbs Up” CD Robert’s Dream: Kicked by the Snow:

“I love Mark’s Kalimba Magic’s kalimbas. I own one so far (Hokema Kalimba Sansula Deluxe) and I’m eyeing more to come. I am fascinated by this instrument ever since my teen years spent in DR Congo and Burundi, Africa. My brother and I had a couple of them made by local artisans. Today it means SO MUCH to have someone such as Mark caring for kalimbas and helping them find new owners! This instrument will bring true peace and inspiration to your day. Just one strike and I can step deep within myself, connect with the world around, in a very special way. Mark’s kalimbas are spread with love. He

This is the original 52 Exercises & Songs collection for the Hugh Tracey HotShot-11 (aka “Hugh Tracey Celeste Diatonic Jr.”)… but formatted and done up as a very nice eBook that leads you through playing the HotShot-11 in all of its glory. Get the HotShot-11 Download Today! Most kalimbas start on “Do” (as in “Doe, a Deer”)… the key note of the kalimba. The HotShot-11 is rooted in G… but the low note is D, the 5th, or “So” (as in “Do Re Mi Fa So”). This will slow you down a great deal if you don’t understand it… but if you do understand it, the low 5 in the

Download your “365 Days to Kalimba Mastery, Volume I” Today! The “365 Days to Kalimba Mastery” is formatted to display tablature for about four measures of looped music on your phone. With these bite-sized lessons, you don’t get lost on a big page full of tablature. You can focus in on learning a small bit of music that you can hold in your memory. The PDF eBook includes live links to the sound files, so you can hear how it is supposed to go and play along. The lessons build on each other, to help get you to play some amazing kalimba music! Hear what customers are saying about this

The Magadi tuning hammer has a nice wooden handle that fits perfectly in your hand, and is also perfectly balanced. For a superior kalimba tuning experience. Get your Magadi Balanced Tuning Hammer. Here are some relevant details: we have two types of kalimba tuning hammers, these Magadi hammers with the wood handle, and the generic hammers with just the narrow metal handles. If you add a tuning hammer to your kalimba order, it will be the generic hammer. To get the Magadi tuning hammer, you need to order the product “Magadi Tuning Hammer”. Actually, the Magadi kalimbas do not automatically come with any tuning hammer. The Bamboo 17 and the