May 17, 2007
The A Minor Chord on the Sansula

The Sansula is a beautiful and mesmerizing kalimba made in Germany by Peter Hokema. We will demonstrate some of the tricks the Sansula knows.

The most basic chord on the Sansula is the A minor chord. Play all of the notes on the lower row of tines, except for the far right:

Listen to the four notes of the A minor chord

The A minor chord is often written as Am. It is minor because it has a C in it. A C# is required for A major. You cannot play a C major on the Sansula without retuning the C tine to C sharp. You can play other major chords on the sansula though. The A minor is sort of the root chord of the Sansula - it is home base, the place where the music often starts and often comes to rest, and it is also one of the most obvious things to play.

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