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I write kalimba books for fun and for my living. I write tablature-based books. Kalimba tablature might look complex, compared to the numbers-based system. But really, the tablature method is not difficult to use. I have always had success with using the visual kalimba tablature with children as young as 6 and 7… so I am sure you can do it too! But the real strength of tablature is that it is flexible and capable of notating essentially anything you can do on the kalimba. And I can tell you, I can do a lot on the kalimba! And I can notate my accomplishments in tablature. Which means, if you

Are you in a kalimba rut? Let one of these exotic kalimbas free you into a new land of music!   The Magadi line of kalimbas are all high quality instruments, generally with exotic tunings and innovative designs. Each Magadi kalimba we sell comes with a free booklet that I wrote – the implication being that these are insightful guides that will help you get the most out of these kalimbas. I should note that these booklets are not available anywhere except Kalimba Magic. To popularize the Magadi Kalimbas, we are offering a 30% off coupon code: Magadi30 Here are the words of Peter Oxland, one happy Kalimba Magic customer:

A common theme: the more notes you have, the more musical possibilities you have. The flip side: if you are overwhelmed by the possibilities, get a simpler kalimba with fewer tines. And yet another theme: kalimbas with restricted numbers of notes and restricted possibilities can explore new spaces of possible music simply by changing the tuning. That is the main reason why I explore new tunings. Here are two fundamentally different ways of approaching kalimba tunings: Three different B11 Tunings Above Video, Left: Standard B11 Tuning (G Major) The standard tuning has just over a two octave range. If you were to have every note in the scale, that would

I know that there are too many types of kalimbas and karimbas to keep track of. But little by little, I can address that with my Facebook Live events. Please join me for a Facebook Live Session on the Modern Karimbas on Aug 26 2022, 3-4 PM MST (which is 6PM EDT). There is a one-day only 40% discount coupon code that will be revealed there. Download your program for the “Modern Karimbas” Facebook Live Event. The “Program” is a 2 page PDF document that lists the karimbas I’ll be playing, in order. I also indicate a few items you should pay attention to – right index finger technique for

Are you an advancing kalimba player? Consider this book, the 33 Intermediate Songs book for the 17-Note Kalimba in C. It has songs in five sections: classical music, African music, Americana, African American Spirituals, and Great Songs. In a way, these five musical genres and periods flow, from one to another. Americana is a blend of Western classical music and African American music. African American Spirituals flow from Americana, African music, and classical music. This is a unique offering in the world of kalimba literature. I am especially psyched about the nine traditional African karimba songs that have been arranged for the 17/C Kalimba. Here is one of them –

“The Sound of Silence” on 17-Note Kalimba in C   You can download free tablature for my video: “The Sounds of Silence”. Are you a beginner? I start with a melody-only version of the song: The full video is laid out in the tablature starting at Measure 16: You can download free tablature for my video: “The Sounds of Silence”. Here is the Spiral-17 Kalimba that I played the song on. I am playing on a “Double Painted” example of the 17-Note Kalimba. Enjoy!

Hi, I’m Mark Holdaway, founder of Kalimba Magic, and I invite you to sign up for my Facebook Live on Friday, Aug 19, 3:00-4:00 pm MST, 2022.   Schedule for the Kalimba Magic Live Event 3:00    Welcome to Kalimba Magic 3:05   Performance: “The Sound of Silence” on 17-Note Kalimba in C 3:10    Instruction: How I play “The Sound of Silence” 3:20    Q & A 3:30    The Evolution of the Karimba – performance and instruction 3:45    Q & A 3:50    Performance: Meditative Music With the Sansula 3:55    Q & A 4:00    Signing Off   Our Plan For the Future This current newsletter has too much to cover in a

What name should I use for my thumb piano? The Karimba/Mbira Family Tree   When discussing thumb pianos, people use the instrument names kalimba, karimba, mbira, mbira dzavadzimu, and mbira nyunga nyunga – sometimes with specific intent, and sometimes nearly interchangeably.  Where are these different names from, and what do they mean? In this “family tree” photo, we have the Student Karimba in the center; two African karimbas (also called mbira nyunga nyunga) on the outside bottom row; and at the top, two mbira dzavadzimu. So where does “kalimba” fit in? Lamella means plate, or tongue. “Lamellaphone” (also spelled “lamellophone”) is an ethnomusicological term describing any instrument that makes its

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