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Right thumb backup for Left Thumb improvisation Simplified right thumb backing part These two-note chords can be played by the right hand. The main reason to play entirely with the right hand is that this frees up the left hand to dance on that pentatonic scale. In order to play these two notes with the right hand, play the left note with your right thumb and the right note with your right index finger. The thumb will pluck down, and the right index finger will actually come from under the tine and it will pluck upward. (By the way, this is the mbira right-finger technique. Usually on karimba, the right

We have arrived at the right thumb part Learn this right thumb part – we will use it a lot! Each of these two-note chords is played with the right thumb and right index finger. In going from one chord to the next, you only move the thumb or the index finger, not both. You only ever move by one tine. See the pattern? The right finger usually stays on A, but shifts to G# on the last measure. The right thumb (ie, the left note) usually stays on E, but shifts to F# on the second measure. This somewhat lopsided pattern makes a wonderful chord progression common in both

A left thumb suggestion A suggestion for a left thumb part The goal here is for you to play the right thumb’s two-note chord part more or less as written, and to invent your own left thumb part. You may have already been successful with this, or you might feel you have no clue of what to do. If the latter is true, here is a left thumb suggestion for you. Notice how the left thumb and right thumb do not overlap. The left thumb plays the same part in measures 1, 2, and 3. In going from the high E to the middle A on the left side, you

The fourth intervals Exploring the fourth intervals This is an exercise which uses the “fourth” intervals (ie, they span 4 notes) on the lower row of karimba tines. Again, be sure that you are starting on the right two notes. You may want to go back to the previous tip and see how the “thirds” sound compared to the “fourths”. My take on it: the third intervals sound more European, and the fourth intervals sound more African. Of course, it really isn’t that simple – both European and African music use both 4ths and 3rds, but I think the way the 4th sounds is itself more African, and the way the

Mixing it up on the left side Mixing it up on the left While the three lower right notes sound great together (the C#, B, and A from the previous tip), the best is when you can create melodies using both the lower row notes and the upper row notes. Notice the pattern here – the first note of each measure is changing, but that changing note is answered by an unchanging two note phrase. The long range plan in this series: the right thumb will play something low, strong, and supportive while the left thumb plays a dancing melody. Ultimately, I’d like you to be able to improvise on

The third intervals Exploring the third intervals This is an exercise which uses every “third” interval (some are major thirds, some are minor thirds, but that is not our focus right now) in the lower row tines. They sound great and there are a lot of them. At measure 4, make sure that you start on the correct two notes, as you can start out incorrectly but it still sounds right. In measures 1 and 2, try playing the two indicated notes with the right thumb and right index finger. The long range plan in this series: the right thumb will play something low, strong, and supportive while the left

An Overview of a 13 Part Series of Tips for the African-Tuned Karimba Up and down the pentatonic scale Most karimba music gets two or more different musical lines going at once. Keeping these two different musical lines going is a bit like juggling. Sometimes each thumb takes on a separate musical line, and sometimes the thumbs take on both themes, with one or two musical lines bouncing back and forth between the two thumbs. In this series of tips, I show you a very simple way of thinking about the karimba that will give you access to some basic improvisational skills. For this purpose, we are going to approach

Giving the left thumb some good ideas – an arpeggio Up and down the A major arpeggio This exercise reduces the notes further and only plays the notes in the A major arpeggio. These will often be the most important notes for the left thumb, as they trace out the A major chord. The long range plan in this series: the right thumb will play something low, strong, and supportive while the left thumb plays a dancing melody. Ultimately, I’d like you to be able to improvise on the left side. This exercise lays the foundation for the left thumb dancing.        

Scale fragment on the left thumb Using scale segments I find that there is a lot of African music that can be played in small scale fragments with just three notes. There are a lot of permutations you can make with these three notes. Let symmetry be your first guide, and let your ear be the second guide. A visually symmetric pattern often sounds great, but your ear is the final judge. The long range plan in this series: the right thumb will play something low, strong, and supportive while the left thumb plays a dancing melody. Ultimately, I’d like you to be able to improvise on the left side.