News and Announcements

Blog
Mark Holdaway

First Lesson on the Celtic D Karimba

Two simple chords and a trick for using them together Try marking these tines green and red to help you play the two chords While the Celtic D Karimba is made for, and excels at, all sorts of jigs and reels and waltzes, I’m going to show you in this first lesson what it loves to do the most: a very simple two-chord progression. You don’t even need to know what a chord progression is  – you just follow the colors on the tines. I suggest you mark the tines of these two chords with two contrasting colors of Sharpie markers. The marks help make playing the chords very simple and

Read More »
Blog
Mark Holdaway

What’s New at Kalimba Magic?

Save 25%, New Products, New Tunings, and New Services We have a 25% discount coupon code for some of our most popular non-electrified kalimbas. We have a new middle eastern tuning for the Alto kalimba and some great new paired tunings for playing Pentatonic and Alto kalimbas together. We have new kalimba accessories. And for the holiday season, we’re offering gift wrapping service with kalimba purchases.    Now through December 5, 2017 you can save 25% on select Hugh Tracey kalimbas without electrical sound pickup jacks using the coupon code UNPLUG25. Hugh Tracey Alto Kalimba Hugh Tracey Treble Kalimba Hugh Tracey Box Pentatonic Kalimba Hugh Tracey B flat Treble Kalimba

Read More »
Blog
Mark Holdaway

Jerrid’s Kalimba Path

A new sound. Inner peace. Mind-blowing and heartwarming responses. “My other guitar is a Hugh Tracey Kalimba” My name is Jerrid and I am a multi-instrumentalist living in Los Angeles, California. I bought my first kalimba, a Hugh Tracey Alto in standard G tuning, about 2 years ago from Mark Holdaway at Kalimba Magic, and my music has felt like magic ever since. I had been searching for a new instrument to add to my collection that would give my performances a unique sound, and that is exactly what I got and more, right out of the box. I noticed that the craftsmanship was solid as I held the beautifully-grained

Read More »
Blog
Mark Holdaway

Why is Pentatonic Kalimba with Alto such a hot combo??

These two kalimbas can sound so good together! The Pentatonic and Alto Kalimbas The pentatonic kalimba and the Alto kalimba are a great natural pairing. They can create a gorgeous contrast that works when two players can “jam with deliberate abandon” – meaning players who are technically proficient and can also really move, respond, and dance with each other’s music. The pentatonic’s basic traits contribute to the very attractive alliance it can make with the Alto. The pentatonic kalimba is a bit of a mystery. It seems so simple – a perfect instrument for a beginner. Everything you play on it sounds great – playing it is a bit like finger painting

Read More »
Blog
Mark Holdaway

The Hitzaskiar Persian Scale

This exotic scale sounds “WOW” on the Alto Kalimba I remember being 8 years old, getting to stay up late to watch “Lawrence of Arabia” on TV. Even as I drowsed, I found myself listening attentively to its dazzling music. How grand! The music’s sumptuous scales sounded ethnic and different. It was moving and magical. Did the composer actually understand middle-eastern music and scales? Or was he just “making it up”? Probably both. The cool thing about the kalimba is that you can just “make it up.” Here, I have made up the “Hitzaskiar” tuning for the Hugh Tracey Alto Kalimba. The Hitzaskiar is an actual ancient scale from Persia, but

Read More »
Blog
Mark Holdaway

Avatar: the Last Airbender

you Can Play This Music on Two Different Kalimbas Many people born in the last couple of decades were first turned on to the sound of the kalimba by the animated TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The kalimba was regularly featured in the sound track.  The kalimba can really pull on your heartstrings in a sweet, simple way… a perfect accompaniment for animation! In this post we feature two different Youtube videos by people who acquired their kalimbas in order to learn how to play some of the kalimba music from Avatar: the Last Airbender:  one on the Hugh Tracey D Treble Kalimba, the other on the Goshen 11-note Kalimba. In

Read More »
Blog
Mark Holdaway

On “Just” tuning and A = 432 Hz

An Easy Way To Do It, Even If You Don’t Do Math The tuner registers a perfectly tuned A referenced to 432 Hz “Just” intonation is tuning based on the notion that ratios of frequencies should be ratios of simple whole numbers. That is a complicated way of saying: the distance between notes in a scale should be simple. And it turns out the ear agrees: “just” intervals sound more pleasing than what your $20 digital tuner or your cell phone app will lead you to tune. We’ll explain a simple way you can get most of the benefit of a just tuning. Oh, and 432 Hz? We’ll talk about

Read More »
Blog
Mark Holdaway

There is Music Everywhere

Customer Linda Hears that Music Do you experience music everywhere? Linda called me one afternoon earlier this year to order a kalimba – she wanted the pentatonic kalimba. She wanted this kalimba not just for herself – she really wanted to pass this kalimba on to her son and grandchild when she was gone. “There is music EVERYWHERE! I see and hear music just everywhere. In the evening, I hear the music on the breeze, and see the music of the stars, and the song of the clouds as they blow in and cover the stars, and blow out again to release the stars. And I want the kalimba to

Read More »
Blog
Mark Holdaway

Easy Alto Download

This tired old download just got a total rewrite Click to get the Easy Alto Download There are three resources that I have recommended to beginning Alto players: the Alto Fundamentals Book, the Alto Primer, and the Easy Alto Download. I include a free, paper Primer when people purchase an Alto kalimba. The Alto Fundamentals Book is sold only as a hard copy. And the Easy Alto Download, though electronic, used to resemble a pile of music dropped into your lap with little instruction by your crazy uncle. Until now. I am happy to announce the NEW and GREATLY IMPROVED Easy Alto Download! If you purchased the Easy Alto Download

Read More »

Search Blog

SUBSCRIBE AND GET A FREE EBOOK

Sign up for our newsletter and free resources with your email address:

We pinky promise not to spam you and to only send good stuff.

Recent posts

ASK DR. KALIMBA

Get an expert answer to your kalimba question!

MOST POPULAR

FEATURED PRODUCTS