What's the Buzz at Kalimba Magic

---

New International Shipping Policy

Due to a change in the way the USPS handles the customs forms for Priority Mail International, we have decided to fall back to the First Class Mail International as our primary means of shipping kalimbas internationally. Packages heavier than 4.0 pounds will still be sent Priority Mail International.

The charge for sending a kalimba via First Class Mail International is about $12 to Canada and $22 to the rest of the world - i.e., less than we had been charging for Priority Mail. First Class Mail International tends to take a bit longer - typically 10-14 days, but it can take longer.

Note that international shipments of a kalimba can require that you pay a customs tax to your government. I do not collect any taxes, except in sales to local Arizona residents. As you do not pay any VAT or similar tax on the kalimbas you purchase from me, this is your government taking a piece, as it does for most legal sales in your country. But considering that the structure our governments provide permits commerce in a generally peaceful time for many locations in the world, I say it should be an honor for you to support your own government in this small way. That said, we do not forget the wars that do rage in this world, and hold in the light the prayer that all people will come to peacefully coexist.

Shipments within the domestic US will still be sent via US Priority Mail.

Advanced Christmas Carols Books Are Here!

I am very pleased to have completed a new 48 page book containing 20 advanced arrangements of Christmas Carols, one for the Alto Kalimba and the other for the Treble Kalimba. These books are available now.

Learn more details in this month's newsletter article about these books.

By the way, Sharon Eaton of KTabS (the Kalimba Tablature Software, which made all of these arrangements possible) helped me prepare these books, and I am very thankful for her hard work. Part of that thanks included sending her copies of the new Christmas books, and she has been busy working on the songs in them, and I share this message from her:

I just have to tell you how much I am enjoying learning some of these advanced Alto carols. I feel like the little rhythms you put in are the kalimba expressing its own unique take on these carols. This is something I could not do on my own-- had I never met you, I would forever play chords and chords alone on the kalimba. It would have been beautiful, but not like this. Even now that I understand what you are doing, I can't really duplicate it myself-- I have to have the sheet music to teach me. When one plays from the music, something mysterious happens that seems like more than the sum of the notes. These carols really make me think of the global perspective-- a host of angels singing-- a global choir, not just an American church choir. It seems fitting to be able to make this kalimba dance a little African dance while playing the familiar carols. Thank you once again!!!

—Sharon

The Sansula Book is Here!

You may have noticed that I've been harder to reach on the phone, or I don't reply to my emails the same day you send them out. This is in large part due to a labor of love that I've been struggling with—and I am very pleased to be telling you today that the new Sansula book is here!

Learn more details in this month's newsletter article about the new Sansula book.

Updated Learn How Pages for Alto, Treble, and Sansula

We've been writing books lately at Kalimba Magic. Sharon Eaton has done the leg work that resulted in four books: classical books for both the Alto and Treble, which I co-wrote with Sharon; and the advanced Christmas books arranged for both Alto and Treble. We have also written the African American Spirituals for the Alto Kalimba and have just completed the book Playing the Sansula. To reflect these new resources, I am updating the Learn How pages and have just finished updating these three:

• How to Play the Alto Kalimba
• How to Play the Treble Kalimba
• How to Play the Sansula

Chromatic Kalimbas Now Tuned Like G Alto on Front

The Chromatic kalimba, as originally envisioned by Sharon Eaton, had an Alto kalimba tuned to C Major on the front and a Pentatonic kalimba with the sharps and flats on the back. The placement of the "flats" was such that they were right behind their unflattened counterparts one half step higher on the front side.

Sharon and I were confident that music was possible on these kalimbas, and we had them made tuned to C on the front side. However, over the last two years, it has become evident to me that the Chromatic kalimbas should be like the G Alto on the front side - right down to the painted tines. The back side is still arranged according to Sharon's scheme, but as F# (i.e, Gb) is on the front, we need to have the F natural on the back. And rather than being right behind the G, F natural is actually the "flat" of F#, so it will be on the opposite side of the back.

Why is it a good idea to tune to G on the front? There are thousands of people with good chops on the Alto kalimbas, and there are about 10 books or downloads available for the Alto kalimba. In other words, there is a culture of understanding already in place for the G Alto, and very little for the C Alto. As such, the G chromatic kalimba is much more accessible to the world than the C chromatic kalimba was. You can pick up the G chromatic and play every single song you knew on the alto, plus add a diminished note or a minor note here and there. The tuning scheme allows the world to ease into the chromatic kalimba.

Furthermore, we have changed the hardware used to mount the chromatic tines on the back - instead of using the 11-note pentatonic "z-bracket" mountng hardware, we now use the 15-note Alto diatonic mounting "z-bracket", but still use just the 11 chromatic notes.

Why use the 15-note hardware for just 11 tines? Because not every note has a flat. For example, the G note's "flat" is F#, which is on the front, so G has no chromatic note right behind it on the back side of the kalimba. But if we use the 15 note hardware, it will put all those flat notes exactly where they need to be, without tilting the tines to the left or right.

From here on out, there will be NO setup charge for a G chromatic kalimba, and a $10 setup charge for a C chromatic kalimba (which now requires the same amount of setup that the G chromatic used to require).

Great Deal on Last Celeste Chromatic Kalimba w/o Pickup

Celeste kalimbas are mounted on a solid board instead of a box (see photo to left). We still have one of these left, and it is available for only $70, plus cost of setup: C Eaton setup is an additional $5, G Eaton setup is an additional $10. If you would like a Celeste Chromatic kalimba w/o pickup, contact me.

 

Don't forget! You get 10% off all Kalimba Magic purchases when you use the coupon code CAT09 when you check out at the Kalimba Magic Shop!