July 26, 2006
Chords in Collision II

Last week, we invented a chord made from the 1-5 chordal backbones of the G and D chords. In the end, we decided it was a sort of suspended G.

This week we take the same exact chord and call it a suspended D. This is par for the course: the chords on the kalimba are sort of like galaxies passing through each other. Galaxies are like 99.9999% empty space, so when they collide, they mostly pass right through each other like kalimba chords.

This week, we are using KtabS to demonstrate the lesson. Yesterday's tip gives a bit of background on getting and using KtabS.

You'll first need to download the KtabS file for the exercise, which is shown below.

If you have installed KtabS, your computer will be able to PLAY this tune and you can see exactly how it goes. Slow it down if you need to by changing the Tempo (select the first bit of music and select "Tempo" from the "insert" menu).

In measure 1, we are playing an Am chord - well, it is the 1-5 of Am and the 1-5 of D, but the context makes this an Am.

In measure 2, the right hand does the same thing, but the left hand has scooted out by a tine (ie, higher). The left hand is doing a C, the right is doing a D. Which is, to me, a C suspended on the 2 and 6.

In measure 3, the right hand STILL stays in the same place, but it is NOW playing on the beat, a sneaky little move that puts the right hand's D in the harmonic driver's seat. The left side moved up and out by two more tines from last time, so the left thumb starts on the same note it ended on in measure 2. In context, this chord is a D with a 4 note suspension (ie, the G played on the left side).

Harmonically, the progression is: Am, C, D, D. The left thumb dominates on the Am and C, and the right thumb dominates on the D.

Another fun thing to do: if you have KtabS, let your computer play the part I wrote, and you go off and have fun coming up with your own part. You may want to set the repeat count to 8 or 16 then! OR cut and paste to write your own variations down in a KtabS file.

The same exercise is presented below for the Treble kalimba. The low A is very prominent in this tune (it is in the key of A minor), but that note is missing from the Treble kalimba. However, KtabS let me copy this tune from the Alto file and save it as a Treble file, transposed up an octave. When you go up an octave on the kalimba, what was on the right switches to the left, and what was on the left switching to the right.

Download KtabS file