Kalimba Solo for Lotus
You can buy a full video tutorial of the Kalimba Solo for Lotus for $12 USD. A File Download dialog box will automatically appear a few seconds after payment. Choose "Save File" and click OK. Please make sure that pop-ups are enabled in your browser. High quality audio file can be obtained in exchange for a donation (please use "donate" buttons halfway down the page).
Similar video tutorial of my another kalimba composition - Air is available for $10.
"Kalimba Solo for Lotus" is the most viewed kalimba video ever. Lotus is my daughter's name. When she was just a few months old, I used to play for her improvised tunes on Kalimba before bedtime. Eventually, I recorded a composition based on those tunes and uploaded it to YouTube under the title "Kalimba Solo for Lotus".
Three years had passed, the video got about 20,000 hits and then, somehow it went viral. 200,000 views came just in one day and since then it's been on the rise. Currently it's exceeded 3 million views. Naturally, my inbox is overloaded with messages concerning the instrument and composition, so below is all the information you need to know.
Similar video tutorial of my another kalimba composition - Air is available for $10.
Three years had passed, the video got about 20,000 hits and then, somehow it went viral. 200,000 views came just in one day and since then it's been on the rise. Currently it's exceeded 3 million views. Naturally, my inbox is overloaded with messages concerning the instrument and composition, so below is all the information you need to know.
- Kalimba is a traditional African musical instrument, a type of plucked lamellophone, known as Thumb Piano in the Western world. There are many different types and variations of this instrument.
- The brand I play in this video is a Hugh Tracey African-Tuned Karimba from kalimbamagic.com.
I applied my own tuning to the instrument and replaced its buzzers with softer ones that don't make too much noise.
- If you want the tuning chart and a high quality audio file of this composition, you can receive them for a donation.
- After the huge success of this composition, Kalimba Magic is now offering SaReGaMa's Lotus-tuned Karimba. Also available with built-in electronic pickup.
- Due to numerous requests I prepared sheet music and MIDI score for the composition. You can donate whatever amount you think is fair and I'll send them to you as soon as I see your donation. Here's how the MIDI file looks, the blue color indicates that the note should be played with the right thumb and the yellow color - with left. In FL Studio it's possible to open the scores in the same channel or in separate channels for each hand.
By the way, sheet music and MIDI score of Air are available as well.
Traveling Man - NY Kalimba
Here's another great kalimba — a custom work by a talented craftsman Caleb Schepart from nykalimba.com
Colorado Soundscapes Kalimba
Recently I got a very special kalimba from a new kalimba maker Colorado Soundscapes. This superbly crafted instrument has a neat design, highly esthetic look and the most pure sound I have heard in kalimbas.
The instrument is entirely handmade and built of exquisite high quality materials. The hand hammered tines are made of very hard steel and because of that they produce sharp and clear tones with rich harmonics. They ring like little silver bells and their sound resembles glockenspiel rather than lamellophone, which is very cool and unique. The body has an excellent resonant soundbox capable of producing strongly marked wah-wah effect. You can hear its sound in the video below.
The instrument is entirely handmade and built of exquisite high quality materials. The hand hammered tines are made of very hard steel and because of that they produce sharp and clear tones with rich harmonics. They ring like little silver bells and their sound resembles glockenspiel rather than lamellophone, which is very cool and unique. The body has an excellent resonant soundbox capable of producing strongly marked wah-wah effect. You can hear its sound in the video below.
When I was introduced to this 15 tines kalimba my first impression was that it's too pricy. Yes, it's not cheap, but after you get it in your hands you understand why. It's just a league above any other high-end kalimba I know. It's the Rolls-Royce of kalimbas. As the saying goes: you get what you pay for. In this case, what you pay for is the best kalimba available on the market today.
