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Legends help us truly feel the origins of instruments and music Where do the Mbira and the Karimba come from? It’s easy to say – Zimbabwe. It’s even easier to follow up with – somewhere in Africa. The Zambezi valley. Or, maybe – who knows? Versions of striking metal on wood could perhaps be found anywhere, really. People always find a good excuse and a good way of making music. Why is the history so important? Maybe it isn’t, true. But the legends are very significant, because they tell us about the self-understanding of the people who made them: no musical instrument comes to us without reason, purpose, and style,

This is the download you’ve been waiting for Get your “Playing the Sansula 2.0” Download The sansula is a wonderful, mysterious contradiction. Whatever you play on the sansula sounds great…and the sansula also has a limited capability. This download goes below the sweet, fluffy outer layer of the sansula’s character and gives you the understandings needed to really work the instrument’s potential, resulting in a lot more joy and music! Included in the ebook: the essential chord progression and melodies of the sansula in standard tuning; play along with surprisingly diverse chord progressions; accompanying another instrument; and alternative tunings – all these give you and your sansula a much wider scope of

11 notes (in any of the exotic B11 tunings), mounted on a sansula resonating body Get your B11 Sansula Today! People have literally been dreaming about this instrument for over 10 years, and now it is here. The Sansula, with its 9 charmingly exotic, crystal-clear notes, was an instant hit, but people wanted more – more notes and more musical possibilities. I have heard dozens of people express their wish for a “bigger sansula” and today that instrument is here. Hokema (its creator) calls it the Melody Sansula, but I call it the B11 Sansula. I think my name tells more about this instrument.   The B11 Sansula is built on a

Well… he recognizes me by my kalimba playing A woman was walking her big black dog over to the fence where Gus is likely to greet neighbors and other dogs. I was playing kalimba on my morning walk as I approached. At first, Gus – a very friendly white dog with black spots – trotted over to great the neighbor dog, but then he cocked his head and raised an ear, as if he was being directed for a movie – and he ran the other way. At first I didn’t get it – but then we stopped near the front gate and rolled over on his back, waiting for

You have to run it in compatibility mode Do you ever wonder how I create kalimba tablature? Those detailed, elongated maps of the kalimba with note symbols dancing on the tines? I use the Windows program KTabS – the Kalimba Tablature Software. This program changed my life, my productivity, and how the rest of the world learns and creates new kalimba music too! KTabS is an old program, and for the last few years, the KTabS website indicated the program would not run on the most current Windows operating systems. But the big news today: I heard from the creators and owners of KTabS, Randy and Sharon Eaton, that KTabS

This one plays in four different scales, without retuning a single note Get yourself a B11 Kalimba today! I love to fall in love. Who doesn’t? Yes, it is a bit chaotic, and your plans might go out the window, but the blissful feeling of falling in love? Of discovering and sharing each’s inner secrets? That is why I devote myself to exploring new exotic tunings on the various kalimbas – because each new tuning is an opportunity to fall in love. I can’t really tell which kalimba or tuning I will fall in love with, but I know it when it happens. All of a sudden, I understand, and

This is a very sweet, reasonably-priced kalimba Get one of these economical kalimbas for yourself! The 17-Note Kalimba in C is a great introductory kalimba. In this post you’ll read about this new instrument and how it can be the door into the world of the modern kalimba. The heart-shaped sound hole of the 17-Note Kalimba in C (made in China for Kalimba Magic) represents my love for the kalimba (and I hope it will be the same for you!). Depending on how you look at it, the wood-etched shadow of the heart echoes the stylized forms of a dolphin and a bird, representing wild and free life. The wood-etched stars

This one plays just as nicely as it did in… oh, 1968? Yes, Virginia, old kalimbas can be made new again! In the 1960s, the Hugh Tracey Treble kalimba was “the thing.” It was new, it was fun, it sounded great. Hugh Tracey’s sons, Andrew and Paul, both learned to play and love the Treble kalimba. In fact, while Hugh was working on creating this hybrid instrument in Africa before anyone in the world was making commercial kalimbas, he sent Paul one of his first prototype kalimbas while Paul was at boarding school back in England. Hugh admonished Paul not to share this kalimba with anyone. It was top secret.

Great jamming and a whirlwind tour of Kalimba Magic headquarters Karl Von Packal is the host of Car Sessions with Karl, a Youtube phenomenon. Mark is invited by Karl to participate in some jamming in Karl’s vehicle, where Karl has done the same with a variety of other interesting musical monsters, including Mike Ankomeus, Mark’s band mate and employee. Mark also takes us on a quick tour of Kalimba Magic’s humble headquarters, and talks a bit about the kalimba’s story and culture (see the Black History month presentation in this newsletter for much more on this). We are treated with clips of the two musicians improvising some great music while