learn to play the kalimba

...and bought a 15-tine alto kalimba from www.kalimbamagic.com – it is such a beautiful instrument. I have learned a simple version of Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (very little harmony) and I’m trying to put together a version of Let the River Run. I think I can say that this goal is achieved.

I will start a new goal of learn to play a new song on the kalimba every month.

Finally purchased an electronic tuner (because there’s really only so far you can go with a tuning fork). So, done. Apparently, I’ve tuned it left-handed (because it came that way). I think having the bass note on the left makes more sense to me anyway.

Sort of learned “Feelin’ Groovy” a la Mark Holdaway, although I’ll have to learn the counterpoint to the riff at the end of the song.

Next step: learn a few more songs. I’m also now seriously considering getting a 15-note kalimba, since I can already see the limitations of the 8-note one I currently have.

Done. Now to tune it…

My first task was a bit daunting: retune my Kalimba to the C scale and set it up correctly. I bought this instrument from an African Drum store downtown and it’s not the best quality Kalimba I could have purchased. It also came tuned to D, and the arrangement of the tines was incorrect for most tabulature.

I had to retune it (mostly by ear, but I did use my Korg guitar tuner a bit) and set it up correctly.

Playing a Kalimba is not difficult once you have the gist, but playing it well takes practice and resources. I found two useful websites.

The first website is mainly for children, but it’s cute and fun:
Thumb Piano Tunes

The second has some good resources, though it heavily plugs the KTabs software which is useless to Mac users:
Kalimba Magic

i got one not too long ago, it’s hard but I’m trying to figure it out

Im allileponge’s brother. I have one. I suggust everyone should go buy one.

my brother has one, im sooo jealous lol