Nov. 19, 2011Vol. 6, Num. 5
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Kalimba Magic NEWS |
New Music and Learning Materials
How to Play pages, Christmas Songs, Kalimba Kits
- New and Expanded How To Play Kalimba Website Pages
- Free Christmas Songs Download for 8-Note Kalimbas
- 4 and 6-Note Kalimba Kits Coming Soon
New and Expanded How to Play Kalimba Pages
I invite you to visit the How to Play Kalimba pages on our website. We have updated and expanded many of the pages and added several totally new pages to help you get the most out of your kalimba.
Kalimba Magic has collected all of the educational resources available for each of several kalimbas in the How to Play pages. Do you have an Alto kalimba? If so, you really should know about the How to Play Alto Kalimba page. This page collects links to dozens of free resources such as tips of the day and articles about the Alto Kalimba, and also lets you know what books and downloads are available for the Alto Kalimba. In other words, this is a great way to learn how to take advantage of our Anniversary Sale 50% off book and download coupon.
Of special interest are these new pages:
- How to Play the 12-Note Kalimba
- How to Play the Chromatic Kalimba
- How to Play the 2B Kalimbas
- How to Play the Student Karimba
- How to Play Other Kalimbas including sections on the
Free Christmas Songs Download for the 8-Note Kalimba
Do you play the 8-Note kalimba? If so, you had better download this free PDF with seven Christmas Carols right away. This is the same numbers-based system that Steve Catania uses in his books. You just number the tines from longest (and lowest) to shortest (and highest) with "1" through "8". Use a Sharpie marker, the writing can be removed with alcohol wipes. Basically, anyone who can read will be able to follow this simple method.
The 8-Note kalimba is a fairly simple instrument, and as such, it turns out that I could only think of seven Christmas carols that can be played on this kalimba. They include: Joy to the World, Jingle Bells (chorus only), Do You Hear What I Hear, Angels We Have Heard on High, Let it Snow, Deck the Halls and The First Noel.
This free Christmas Download is also a great opportunity to get an inexpensive 8-Note Catania Kalimba for that special child in your life this holiday season. Recommended for ages 6 and up. Also consider the 8-Note Catania Gourd Kalimba or the Hugh Tracey 8-Note Kalimba with pickup for a more electrifying experience.
By the way, these simple songs can be played on any kalimba with at least one octave of continuous notes - for example, the 12-Note or 11-Note diatonic kalimbas, or even the Alto or Treble Hugh Tracey Kalimbas - just find the octave you want to play in and write out the numbers "1" through "8".
Kalimba Kits Coming Soon
It's a cute little project to make a 4-note or 6-note kalimba. I put this kit together for the 6-12 year olds that I taught at the Musical Instrument Museum on July 23.
The basic design owes a lot to Bart Hopkin's ideas for a styrofoam cooler kalimba from his book Making Musical Instruments with Kids. My big innovation is to use the Kalimba Magic shipping box (which will include all the materials you need to make the kalimba) as the kalimba body and resonator.
Very soon, I will have these funny little instruments available for you to build with your own kids or your class. The 4-Note Easy Kalimba Kit will be available for $10, and the 6-Note Easy Kalimba Kit will be available for $12. Here are the instructions.
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