Kalimba Magic NEWS

The big news around Kalimba Magic is that we are gathering funds to pay the good people in Africa who make the Hugh Tracey Kalimbas. So, November 11 and 12, we are giving 20% off everything at Kalimba Magic - kalimbas, books, CDs, downloads. Just use the coupon code 20Now when you order online at the Kalimba Magic shop.

We had a great plan for a Kalimba Calendar, featuring wonderful kalimbas and great kalimba players, along with Glen Davis' beautiful kalimba nature photographs. But it isn't happening. Why not? And what is going to happen instead?

"One day I accidentally left a little kalimba with a solid body on a drum. I played on it while it was laying on the drum head and so I discovered the Sansula sound. When I first heard the sound of a kalimba amplified by a drumhead, I knew that this was the idea of my life. All my friends and my wife too were a little bit skeptical but I was sure from the beginning, that the Sansula would become a very successful product." - Peter Hokema

The first written words describing the kalimba came in 1586 when Portugese Father Dos Santos documented an 8-Note instrument played in Mozambique. At that time, the kalimba was already an ancient instrument. Andrew Tracey says he knows how that 8-Note Kalimba was tuned - the same way, he says, that the most ancient kalimbas some 1300 years ago were tuned. Kalimba Magic celebrates these eight notes in a remake of this ancient instrument, the Student Karimba.

Kalimba Magic is proud to announce a book with CD to bring the Student Karimba to life. We have 16 traditional African tunes, several exercises to build you up to the level where you can play the traditional tunes, and several orginal compositions. This book will turn your mind on to the complexity of music Africans were making over 1000 years ago!

After traveling around Africa for decades studying and recording traditional African music, Hugh Tracey started producing kalimbas for export from Africa in 1954. The Hugh Tracey kalimba was responsible for the Kalimba Craze of the 60's. Here is a short account of Hugh Tracey's life with the kalimba.

While this song hasn't become a YouTube hit like First Look Inside, I have received several requests for the tablature for "Running With You II." I personally think it's a beautiful song - but, without a doubt, it's a great workout for the intermediate kalimba player seeking to expand his or her capabilities.

Kalimba Magic is happy to announce a download including 20 songs in tablature for the Heavenly A Sansula, available for $8. This download includes tablature PDFs, the KTabS files, and MP3s of my computer speakers playing the 20 songs with KTabS. Also included - in case you don't have the Sansula Book - are the Heavenly A chords and a few pages on how to use the chords. Good stuff!

Are you ready to step up to the next level in your kalimba playing? Is there a song you would love to learn on the kalimba but just can't seem to get it? Would you like to come together with other kalimbas players and make a joyful noise? We are having a kalimba and music workshop at Essence of Tranquility Hot Springs Spa! Come, relax in the hot springs, have a great time, and learn!

We found it very difficult to not award all of the good submissions we received in response to the What-Do-You-Feel Kalimba Contest, but our judges finally decided on three lucky winners who will receive $50 in Kalimba Magic store credit. Check out the winning submissions and read about next month's contest!