Lesson 1: Sailing through space on a Sofa

This lesson actually predates the existence of the Kalimba Klub, but it was part of the motivation for the Kalimba Klub. It was September 2005, and I had just gotten back from my first Kalimba sales trip, lugging a hundred kalimbas, a hundred CD's, and about 60 books through New Mexico and Colorado. However, back in Tucson, nobody really knew what I was up to, and I wasn't selling kalimbas.

Enter Robert and Donna. For a long time, everyone I played music with, I met directly or indirectly through Robert. Robert invited Deb and me for dinner, and wanted to buy a kalimba. After a great dinner, we all sat on the couch and played together. All four of us had kalimbas, though between two and three of us didn't know what to do. But no worry, we each played a bit sparsely and listened carefully to what we were all doing, and after a time, it felt as if we were starting to fly -- I was imagining that we were on a magic sofa-spaceship speeding through the cosmos, powered by the kalimba.

Hey, I want my money back, this isn't a lesson!

Cool it, dude, and learn.

The first lesson is this: Donna didn't have a Hugh Tracey kalimba. The Hugh Tracey kalimbas have painted certain tines blue or red to help you navigate, and Donna's tines were not painted. She had a 12-note kalimba, and it actually started on the low G, the same note as Robert's brand new Alto. However, that G was on the Left side and not the Right. And finally, Donna's kalimba was tuned to the key of C with an F natural while Robert's was tuned to the key of G with an F#. So, to bring Donna into our little trip, we had to do a kalimba makeover on her instrument.

First, we tuned the two F's into F# using a chromatic electric guitar tuner to tell us if we were flat or sharp.

Second, we decided to change the handedness of Donna's kalimba, and retuned all the tines up or down a note so that the low G would be on the Right side to match Robert's.

Third, we should have painted the appropriate tines with some blue nail polish (I figure it will come off if you don't like it). If you paint the tines the same way as the Hugh Tracey kalimbas, then you will be able to read the music right off of the Kalimba Tablature, even if you don't have a Hugh Tracey kalimba.

I have now done this makover to three kalimbas. If you already know what you are doing on your non-Hugh Tracey kalimba, you should probably just keep it as it is. But if you need some help learning how to play, come on over to our team!

But the most important lesson I learned that night was that a bunch of people who know a bit about music but next to nothing about the kalimba can spontaneously make cool, exciting, and joyful music basically right out of the box. This is partly because of the simplicity of the instrument and partly because I know how to lead a herd of roving kalimba players into nice country. So, I realized that if I am going to sell kalimbas, I'm going to need to teach people how to enjoy them too!

While we've since gone on to greater treasures in our Kalimba Klub meetings, this first ever kalimba klub will always live on fondly in my heart.

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