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Basically, it is a genius design some unknown African came up with about 800 years ago Learn More About Kalimba History   People ask me all the time: “Why do some kalimbas have some upward-bent tines?” The short answers: it is a design element in many traditional African kalimbas, permitting two interleaved rows of tines, one with shorter tines and the other with longer tines. This not only makes the instrument physically easier to play, but also suggests a host of harmonies and musical motifs that otherwise would be difficult to play.   By the way, I generally call the instruments with two rows of tines “karimba” instead of “kalimba”. 

Happy Birthday! How would YOU like to celebrate? With 25% off everything? How the Kalimba Came into My Life   I remember the embarrassment shooting across my face like it was yesterday – about 20 years ago, I was playing kalimba on a bus. A certain man was listening intently, and we spoke a bit after I finished playing… and then he told me: “I bet you don’t make as much as a single solitary QUARTER playing that silly little instrument!” I never saw him again, but if I did, I would tell him that for the last 15 years, I have made my entire living from the kalimba. The

These eight steps should keep your kalimba sounding happy for many years Schedule a Visit to the Kalimba Doctor   Customer Samuel asks: “What are the most important things for me to know about keeping my kalimba happy?” I think the most important thing is to not mistreat your kalimba. Don’t drop your kalimba on the ground. Don’t put things on top of your kalimba. Don’t sit on your kalimba. Don’t leave your kalimba in a hot car. Don’t spill juice or soda on your kalimba, and don’t let your kalimba get wet. But what else do you need to know about keeping your kalimba happy?   I have an

With only 9 notes, the Sansula seems underpowered. But the real strength of the Sansula lies in its simplicity and its beauty. It is very easy to make absolutely enchanting music with the Sansula, because of the high German engineering standards of the instrument and its materials, because of the simple and intuitive tuning, and because of the mind-blowing special effects.   When you play the Sansula, you don’t really need to worry about which notes you are playing – you just twiddle your thumbs and out comes enchanting, mystical music. The flip side of this: if you try to make your Sansula play a song you know such as

If you have an F-15 Karimba (Nyunga Nyunga) you can play along with them Visit Stango and Nongoma’s Facebook page   In 1960, Andrew Tracey discovered the karimba player Jega Tapera in the township surrounding Bullawayo (then Rhodesia). Jega Tapera taught Dumisani Maraire to play karimba… which he renamed mbira nyunga nyunga. And Dumisani taught his daughter Chiwoniso to play mbira nyunga nyunga. Jega, Dumi, and Chiwoniso are all gone. But now, there is Stango and Nongoma! If you are looking for inspiration for your karimba or nyunga nyunga playing, check out their music! A rare fusion of guitar and mbira nyunga nyunga, this music is so beautiful! Stango’s guitar

This is a great song to play on the kalimba Click to download the tablature PDF for Payphone   I long thought that the best music was created in the 1960s, and some in the 1970s. However, I am now of the belief that the pop music of the last 10 years is as good as its ever been. So I am starting to learn some of these modern pop songs on kalimba, and you, dear reader, will be the beneficiary of these pop songs. Enjoy this arrangement of the Maroon 5 song “Payphone”. Click on image to download the tablature PDF. We are doing things a bit different here.

Do you have a tired old kalimba that doesn’t ring true? We can help Visit the Kalimba Doctor   The most important thing you can do to keep your kalimba sounding good is to keep it in tune. The second most important thing you can do is to fix any buzzing tines. We give you the resources you need to do these kalimba maintenance items yourself – click through to see the links. If you are unable to accomplish the tuning and fixing yourself, let me introduce you to The Kalimba Doctors: Mark Holdaway, and Mike Ankomeus. Together, we will do our best to improve your old kalimba in about

What makes African kiaat wood so great?   In the 1950s, Hugh Tracey made prototype kalimbas from dozens of different types of African hard woods. In the end, he chose Kiaat for the wood for his new invention, the Hugh Tracey Kalimba. Even though it was a new-fangled instrument, it reflected many design choices from traditional instruments, and the Kiaat wood choice was one of those, as many traditional kalimbas were made from Kiaat wood. And today, in 2020 – or 66 years later for the math challenged among us – the Hugh Tracey Kalimba is still made from Kiaat African hardwood. What makes kiaat so special?   Kiaat is

The Full Historical Document in PDF, Free To You Click Here to DOWNLOAD the 1968 Hugh Tracey Instructioanl Manual   When Hugh Tracey made his new kalimbas back in 1954, there were only a few people in the world who could play this non-traditional African instrument. But what about people in Africa? Didn’t they too play kalimba? They did, but they played instruments with other designs, other setups, and other tunings. The Hugh Tracey Kalimba was a new instrument in the kalimba family, ideally suited to playing western music. Hugh’s eldest son Andrew Tracey went to Oxford to study music so he could write a manual for the Hugh Tracey