Kalimba Magic NEWS

We know that silence equals consent when atrocities are committed against innocent men, women and children. We know that indifference equals complicity when bigotry, hatred and intolerance are allowed to take root. And we know that education and hope are the most effective ways to combat ignorance and despair.
—Gabrielle Giffords

I've been playing music [for years] - a bit of piano, a bit of marimba, a bit of harp - and I was able to take that knowledge and plug the kalimba into it. None of those instruments were the thing for me. But I was trying to find this instrument - the [chromatic] kalimba - my whole life. When I came across it, it was like: This is the one! This is the instrument for me!
—Aaron Chavez

March is just around the corner, and I'm getting ready for St. Patrick's Day performances. You can't play a St. Patrick's Day performance without the song "Danny Boy." I am giving you the tablature for this iconic song, arranged for the Hugh Tracey Alto, Hugh Tracey Treble, and Hugh Tracey Bb Treble Kalimbas.

KTabS, the Kalimba Tablature Software, is a fantastic and powerful tool for notating kalimba music. Watch a video of me writing out the tablature for "Danny Boy" in KTabS. Watch and see how KTabS makes it possible for this to be done in less than 10 minutes...

The Student Karimba (the lower 8 or 9 notes of the full African-Tuned Karimba) is the common denominator among essentially all southern African lamellaphones and is at the heart of the mbira dzavadzimu. Our instructional book has received excellent reviews and check out the new Goshen Student Karimba!

I have been taking small drums, my three pentatonic kalimbas along with assorted softer percussion instruments and we have been having an "Organic Music Making" session once a month for some time now. In October, one of the folks asked if they could learn a Christmas song and perhaps play it for the in-house Christmas Party that we have every December. So we started with "Go Tell It on the Mountain."

In Africa, all of the kalimbas have some sort of buzzers. The buzz is just a natural part of the kalimba sound, representing the voices of the ancestral spirits. Every action that living things undertake evokes approval or disapproval from the ancestors, hence their buzzing voices chime in with every note. These new Thomas Bothe 2B kalimbas have a great soft buzz. Plus, new tunings!

There is still space in our upcoming kalimba/music workshop! 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? Come to our kalimba and music workshop at Essence of Tranquility Hot Springs Spa, jam with us and soak away the cares of civilization in the deliciously relaxing hot springs!!

We think this could very well be the most important article in this newsletter. Two or three years from now, people will be coming back to this article to review the insights shared by these professional kalimba musicians:

• Paul Tracey
• Eric Freeman
• Patti Broussard
• Andy Robinson
• Carl Winters
• Laura Barrett
• Martin Klabunde
• Kevin Nathaniel
• Kevin Spears
• Mark Holdaway
• Mwana (Percydee)

We haven't had any submissions to our upcoming contests, so we're pushing back the deadlines. There is $150 of free Kalimba Magic shop credit on the line for each contest, and nobody is biting! So check out these juicy contests...