May 24, 2007
The Am9 Chord on the Sansula

Last week, we learned how to play the A minor chord on the Sansula. If we add the remaining tine on the far right and play all of the bottom row tines, we make the A minor 9 chord. Well, strictly speaking, jazz players will say this isn't an A minor 9 chord because it lacks the 7th.

Listen to the A minor 9 Chord

You can play these notes in any order you wish, and they will all sound beautiful together. The fact that the Sansula layout suggests this chord by putting all of these notes next to each other on the bottom row is really great. It makes the instrument easy to play.

If you experiment with coming up with new tunings, pay attention to making beautiful sounds and chords coming out simply and easily. This aspect of the kalimba is what really attracts me to it - that beautiful things are easy and simple. Of course, I am also attracted to the intellectual challenge of creating new tunings that bring the beauty out in new and different ways.

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