Blog

How to play them, what they mean, and what is I, V, and all that The essential chords on your Alto Kalimba that are playing now The kalimba, with its unique bi-directional note layout, makes playing scales a bit difficult because you have to zigzag your way up and down the tines, plucking first one on the right side, then one on the left, then the right, and working your way up or down the scale. It is easy zigzagging at the bottom of the scale, where the tines are close together in the center. The higher you go, the higher the chance of misplacing a finger, and zagging where

The essential harmonic progression in western music, going from the “V” chord to the “I” chord, is ubiquitous in African music too! Music of the karimba and mbira are analyzed and understood in terms of classical western harmony   The core principle in western music theory is that when you are on the “V” chord – denoting a chord based in the fifth degree of a scale – (or “V7” chord) it pushes the music to go to the “I” – denoting a chord based in the first degree of the scale. Everything else in music theory is window dressing, giving us interesting ways of taking our time to get

He was taught by Dumisani Maraire A Box Lotus and a Regular Lotus Karimba I met Cornelius Duncan in Longmont, Colorado, at the Jensen Guitar Company and Willow River Music Emporium.   I was visiting my dad in Longmont, having just left a music therapy conference a few miles away, and I had a load of kalimbas leftover from that event.  I got a call on the phone from Sam at Jensen Guitars.  “Hey, I’m in downtown Longmont Colorado, and I’ve got a gentleman here, Cornelius Duncan, who would like to see a few of the Hugh Tracey kalimbas with pickups – could you send us some?”  Sam thought I was at

I love this karimba design for fast Celtic jigs and reels The new Celtic D Karimba Over the years, I’ve had about a dozen people specifically request a kalimba in the key of D for Celtic music. (To be sure, not all Celtic music is in D, but quite a bit of it is in this key.) In the past, I would end up pointing inquirers to the D Treble kalimba. But this isn’t the most desirable solution either. While the D Treble is a fine kalimba, the tines are close together and if you have large hands, you might not like to play on this one. Additionally, Celtic music

Have you thought about getting a kalimba for Mom or Dad? Or for yourself? A Box Lotus and a Regular Lotus Karimba We are living longer – and hopefully we are living better too. Better knowledge of health and the human body help us take better care of our bodies and minds, leading to the potential of living well as we age. But part of aging is dealing with loss. I have known elders who played violin, cello, piano, or guitar in their younger days – all physically demanding instruments. At some point, the demands of these instruments can exceed what a body has to give. When dealing with loss,

A special offer makes it easier to have oh-so-much fun together A Box Lotus and a Regular Lotus Karimba Playing the kalimba can be a profoundly personal journey. Playing takes me within myself, like taking a deep breath and diving to the bottom of a clear and peaceful pool. The diversions and annoyances of the world evaporate, leaving me with whatever problems, challenges, successes and joys that may come up between me and my kalimba. But, often, as players we like to share that deep space with another special person. A grandmother wants to play with her grandchild, or a father wants to play with his child. A high school

Is it Cultural Appropriation? Editor’s note: Klara is a valued contributor to the Kalimba Magic blog. She is currently spending some months in Zimbabwe developing her mbira skills, and has given us another rich, intelligent and stimulating piece; here she considers the sensitive cultural issues around her endeavor. The Bridge that Klara writes about (the Machipisa Foot Bridge in the city of Harare) was first built in 1998. Its journey from a very scary place to what it is now is discussed in the two articles linked at the bottom of this page. These articles, from local periodicals, give a rare glimpse into life in a faraway place, and it’s