Blog

The B15 Kalimba is a two-tiered kalimba with 15 tines mounted on a solid body, with 7 tines on a lower row made of wider (5mm) tines and 8 tines on an upper row made of narrower (4mm) tines. The B15 Kalimba by Hokema is a great vehicle for all kinds of wonderful kalimba play. The standard tuning is in the key of G – the same two octave range of notes on the Hugh Tracey Alto Kalimba… though the two rows of tines adds a new wrinkle to the playing… but it is roughly similar to the Alto Kalimba in what it can do. But I have one customer

Here is the long story: Hokema made lovely Sansulas with out-of-this-world level wah-wah special effects… but they only had 9 notes. Atmospheric, but not able to play a lot of real music. Then came the B17 – a larger sold-body kalimba with extra space between the tines, and sweet sound and sweet hardware. This plays the same body of songs as the common 17-Note Kalimba in C… but with better high notes and more space between the tines. The downside? To get that extra space between the tines, the B17 was really big, and not so easy to hold. After this came the B15 kalimba – a significantly smaller solid

For 18 years, I have made my living from my business, Kalimba Magic. The basic premise of my business is that the Kalimba is a real musical instrument, capable of much musical magic. And so, I created a great many kalimba instructional guides showing people now to understand their kalimba and how to get good music out of it. I also worked with the community of kalimba players and together, we have made a great many exotic kalimba tunings available to the world, many with specialized instructional materials. But now, I am ready for a change. So, I am looking to the community of kalimba players and kalimba experts. How

About 10 years ago, I made a YouTube video of a song that I wrote, called “The Big Vibration”. “The Big Vibration”, on Alto Kalimba. Customer D. Smith requested the tablature to this song, but the link in the YouTube description went to a webpage that doesn’t exist anymore. So, I told them that I would redo the tablature. And here is page one of the tablature – if you click on the below tablature image, you will be able to download a PDF of the tablature for Alto Kalimba, 17-Note Kalimba in C, and for 10-Note Kalimba in C. BTW, the 10-Note Kalimba has way fewer notes than the

How? By slightly retuning one tine, and by getting our new ebook If you have an 8-Note or a 10-Note kalimba, you may have learned “Joy to the World,” “Ba Ba Black Sheep,” and “Doe, a Deer” or various other simple songs. But what do you do next? Typically, when someone masters a kalimba, they search for another kalimba challenge – usually a bigger or more exotic kalimba. However, I offer you another path, and it’s right in front of you! A very simple modification of your 8-Note or 10-Note kalimba will transform it into a new tuning, with a new repertoire – essentially providing you with the challenge of

Four high quality instructional downloads will supercharge your kalimba journey Four ebooks for the 10-Note Kalimba Kalimba Magic is the leader in kalimba instructional materials. We take that work to the next level with these four instructional eBooks for the 10-Note Kalimba in C. Three of the downloads are formatted for iPad or tablet, but you can use them on your smartphone (or any computer). Each page teaches a bite-sized bit of music. As this music is all cyclical, you repeat those four measures about a dozen times, becoming more sturdy as you go. If you want to hear what each song or pattern sounds like when played by yours

The new ebook will show you some great ways two kalimbas can play together Get the 10-Note / 17-Note Duets eBook The 10-Note and 17-Note kalimbas work really well together, mainly because their notes (tines) match exactly.  This book is a broad exploration of some of the ways that two kalimbas can fit together. Typically, the 17-Note parts will be more advanced than the 10-Note parts, but not always! Playing kalimba together is an amazing way to be close to another human being. This book is intended to help people get close together. Grandparent and grandchild? Yes! Parent and child? Yes! Friends? Yes! Lovers? Spouses? Yes!! I invite you to

Get your Kalimba Magic 10-Note Kalimba today! The 10-Note Kalimba is a great instrument to start on. Great for a child, or for an adult who wants to feel the joy of music without the extra baggage of a larger kalimba. The big thing to remember is that these are the same 10 notes as the lower, central 10-Notes of the 17-Note Kalimba – meaning anything you learn to play on this kalimba can be played immediately on the 17-Note Kalimba. Playing “Mwana Aboyi Mama” on the 10-Note Kalimba. These are very sweet kalimbas, with soft, wide tines, modestly spaced, that are easy on young thumbs and beginners of all

This is Perfect for the Beginning Kalimba Player Get your 10-Note Christmas Kalimba Download Today! 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