How To Play

New Age musician SaReGaMa is a master at inventing new kalimba tunings. He has turned on a whole new generation of kalimba players, with both his brilliant playing and innovative tunings, the Lotus, the Freygish, and the Air tuning. Instruments, books, and downloads.

The 10-Note Kalimba in C is a great instrument for learning. That is just 5 notes per thumb. Sounds possible, right? Because it is. Soft, wide tines, with extra space in between. Lower, soothing sounds. And there is a lot of music you can play with just 10 notes, and a bunch of instructional resources available for it. Plus, everything you play on the 10-Note immediately translates to the larger, more capable 17-Note Kalimba in C. This is a great kalimba to start with, no matter your age.

If it matters to you what notes you are going to play – that is, if you want to learn specific songs and want to achieve specific learning, Kalimba Tablature is a very good way to go.  Tablature is a map of the kalimba that shows you which tines to play.

The Moon-10 Kalimba is new sort of Sansula made by Magadi in China. They are high quality instruments, the playing experience ranges from fun to meditative to exhilarating. Available in several tunings, ranging from capable to exotic.

“Learning to play kalimba,” says Andrew Tracey, son of Hugh Tracey, who in the 1950’s created and gave the world a kalimba that the western ear could understand, “is best done by learning from someone who knows how to play kalimba.”  But what if you don’t know anyone who plays the kalimba?

The kalimba is one of those rare instruments that you can play without really knowing anything about music or anything about the instrument.  There are certain “rules of thumb” you can learn, and you can sound really good armed with those and a bit of confidence.

If you know very little about the kalimba, start here! We’ll introduce you to  some important things to know about the kalimba, including how to tune it, how to fix a buzz, and what the different parts are called. This is your crash course on all things kalimba!

The most important thing you can do to sound good is to keep your kalimba in tune. If anyone tells you that kalimba tuning doesn’t matter, don’t believe them! Tunings were passed down in African villages from generation to generation. Of course, it is easier if you use an electronic tuner!