Are you an aspiring kalimba player looking for a set of easy kalimba songs to learn as a beginner (or maybe you know someone who needs such kalimba songs )?
Then look no further - you have landed on the right page!
The kalimba is an instrument that has been around for thousands of years and has a rich musical history and a wide repertoire. As a diatonic instrument, the kalimba is also wonderful for melodies, making it an ideal choice for musicians just starting out. Do you need fingernails to play the kalimba? Can you take it anywhere?
If you are new to this instrument and want to start playing Kalimba songs easily , you may have noticed that many Kalimba players use their fingernails or fingertips to play the instrument. How should you learn to play Kalimba songs ? Questions upon questions to which you will find concrete answers here.
In this article, our team of Kalimba-loving writers have compiled interesting aspects of learning Kalimba songs for beginners, including how to get our Kalimba songs for free and an explanation of why those Kalimba songs are suitable for beginners . So stick to your Kalimba and read on!
What are Kalimba songs?
Kalimba songs are normal songs that you can play on the kalimba. The kalimba or “thumb piano” is a percussion instrument with slats.
The instrument, which comes from Africa, is small and easy to transport. It is played by pressing the fingers on the keys, causing the metal keys of different lengths to vibrate. You therefore have to adapt the musical notes to the Kalimba in order to play Kalimba songs easily .
There are stickers that you can stick on the keys so that you know where the notes are. The Kalimba songs can then be played very easily. Here is an example of the notes and lyrics for the song Jingle Bells :
E E E E E E G C DE
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
FF FFFE EEE
oh, what fun it is to ride in a
E D E D G
one-horse open sleigh.
E E E E E E G C DE
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
FF FFFE EEE
oh, what fun it is to ride in a
G G F D C
one-horse open sleigh.
Download our free Kalimba songs as PDF
You can get sheet music and Kalimba songs easily and for free by going to this page at Sonodrum and adding this item to your shopping cart:
Free Kalimba Songbook - 17 Keys - C Major - PDF for Download
Now you're wondering why you're putting it in your shopping cart when it's a Kalimba Songs free PDF . It's listed as a product and has a price for purely technical reasons. You immediately see that the price is €0, it's actually a Kalimba Songs free PDF that you won't pay for, but you're completing an order. That's all!
Ordering Kalimba Songs free in this way will help you immensely to start playing Kalimba easy songs and to get used to the melodies as a beginner. Later you can compose your own Kalimba songs !
How similar are the piano and the kalimba?
Is the Kalimba a smaller version of the piano or is there something else? The Kalimba is a westernized version of the Mbira and follows the music theory used in Western music. This means that the notes on the Kalimba are the same as on the piano. However, there are a few differences between the two instruments. By the way, our Kalimba Songs free PDF is for the 17-key Kalimba in C major. Here you can learn Kalimba Songs easy .
Today there are many different types of kalimba on the market. There are models with just five keys, but also kalimbas with over twenty keys. In addition, these instruments can have any key and be tuned in any scale. Order the Kalimba songs for free to download ! The most common kalimba, for example, is tuned in C major and has seventeen keys. But there are also several other keys and different modes.
What's interesting is that regardless of the kalimba you choose, you can find these notes on the piano as well. A normal piano has 88 keys and offers just over seven octaves. The kalimba, on the other hand, has far fewer keys, and these are identical to those of the piano. And if we go even further, we see that the piano goes from C1 to C8, while the kalimba only covers the notes from C4 to E6. Of course, if you choose a smaller kalimba, your range of notes on the kalimba songs will be even more limited. The C kalimba has the same notes as the white keys of the piano.
This means that you won't get any semitones and that you won't be able to play some songs if you don't compensate for them. That's why it's important to start by sticking to Kalimba songs that have been proven, like the ones you can order from us for free as Kalimba songs . They were specifically rewritten for our C major 17-key Kalimba and are well-known songs that you can sing along to. This way you'll learn to play the Kalimba songs easily .
This is true for all diatonic kalimbas, which are most instruments you can find. And even if you buy an instrument in the key of G, the notes will follow the same pattern as the C scale. However, instead of F, the G major kalimba has F#, and the notes are G, A, B, C, D, E, F#.
Is it difficult to learn Kalimba songs?
With our Kalimba easy songs it is easy to learn the Kalimba and start playing Kalimba songs right away without having any musical experience at all. Anyone can do it with the Kalimba Songs free PDF that you can download after you order it. It is a PDF with Kalimba songs free for you!
The Kalimba is one of the easiest instruments for a beginner to play. Anyone with a touch of musicality can understand how a well-tuned Kalimba works and play a few simple tunes in just a few minutes if you follow the Kalimba easy songs from the PDF.
Playing it well... well, that takes a little longer, but don't worry, it doesn't take decades. Although the instrument is small and has a limited number of pitches, it is possible to play hundreds of simple tunes, and with a little time and practice, you can even play some simple two-part melodies/harmonies on your own!
But be very careful not to adjust the reeds (the playing bars) and move them forwards or backwards. Even a small movement can throw the reed(s) out of tune and then the Kalimba songs will no longer sound as good as they did at the beginning. A well-tuned instrument is a prerequisite for you to be able to learn the Kalimba songs and fully benefit from the Kalimba songs for free .
The free Kalimba Songs guide
The Kalimba Songs free PDF , which you can order from us for free, contains 5 Kalimba songs for a 17-key Kalimba in C major that you can play straight away.
You will find the following Kalimba songs:
- Across the Rocky Mountains
- A Song for Sailors and Soldiers
- Adam Had Seven Sons
- Ain't That Rockin' All Night
- Aeolian Lullaby
Download Kalimba songs for free at sonodrum.net
Order the Kalimba Songs easy PDF and you will quickly see that each song is provided with the numbers of the notes/keys to be played in C major. The notes/letters in the Kalimba Songs free instructions correspond to the letters/keys of the Kalimba. It has never been easier to learn Kalimba songs and train on the Kalimba. Order the Kalimba Songs free PDF for free today from sonodrum.net, on this page , and after a bit of practice you will be composing your own Kalimba songs !
Learn Kalimba songs as a beginner
Of all the instruments in the world, the kalimba is probably one of the few that brings joy to both the player and the listener, even when you're just learning it. It's popular for its relaxed sounds and simplicity, and has long been a great starting point for those looking to begin their instrumental career. But is the kalimba easy to learn?
What makes the instrument so much more interesting is the range of skills you can achieve on the way to mastering the instrument. With its soft sounds and pleasant melodies, the Kalimba is very popular with beginners. Kalimba songs can be learned in a few hours, especially if you can use great tools like our Kalimba Songs easy -to-learn PDF.
One of the best ways to learn the kalimba songs is to use visual aids. Most kalimbas have painted letters or numbers or stickers that tell you which notes are where. The first kalimba had every third key painted, and many other manufacturers followed this method.
This way, you don't have to spend time counting the keys to see which note to play next. The seventeen-tone Kalimba has five or six painted keys that can make navigation much easier and that correspond to the letters in the Kalimba Songs free PDF. Order the Kalimba Songs free and you'll quickly understand what we mean.
What can you do after learning the Kalimba songs
Most kalimbas you order online today come with semitones when they arrive, but that's OK. Most kalimba songs don't need them, and even if you want your kalimba to have semitones, it only takes a few moments to retune it. And that's where the "after" lies. First you learn Kalimba easy songs with the PDF and then you can tackle the next stages.
The great thing about playing the kalimba is that it's all right in front of you. You can see the whole instrument, all the notes, and everything it can do at a glance. You may not understand it yet, but you can easily see that it's understandable. Assign the shorter kalimba tines to the higher notes and the lower tines to the lower notes.
In addition, chromatic kalimbas allow you to play any note without retuning. So after the diatonic kalimba, you can try a chromatic kalimba to further perfect yourself. The process of learning the kalimba never ends and it starts with simple kalimba songs to play along to.
After playing Kalimba Songs easy PDF for the first time, try the following:
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Closing your eyes while playing will help you develop a physical map of the kalimba keys in your head. You must try to hold the kalimba exactly the same every time, as the details of the way you hold the kalimba will provide a reference for your thumbs and fingers.
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For a first experience, close your eyes and slowly explore each note of the instrument. Listen carefully to how each tone sounds. You will probably find some tones that you don't quite like for further Kalimba songs .
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Figure out what's wrong: is it a hum, a note out of tune, or something else? Remember it, but come back later to fix it. For now, we're tuning in to exactly what the kalimba in your hands has to offer, tuning in to what makes this kalimba tick at this moment. This will help you understand your kalimba better and compose new kalimba songs .
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Next, try playing a simple song you know very well (probably from the free PDF we have) with your eyes open. Close your eyes and play very slowly, but try to keep the kalimba song .
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If you can't get through the song, figure out what you're doing wrong (you may need to open your eyes again).
When you find that you can play the notes correctly, try gradually increasing the speed until you are playing some Kalimba songs at the right tempo . This is exactly where you want to be, but it took you a while to get there to be able to learn Kalimba songs . You finally get there, mistakes & slow starts included, and you probably had a little eye opening along the way.
Kalimba Songs - What we guarantee
With the quality of our kalimbas, we can guarantee that learning kalimba songs will be a quick process. They are pre-tuned and the markings will help you find the notes and tones you need to play.
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We guarantee that you can start playing your Kalimba right away with our five free songs as a PDF. The songs are marked with the numbers/letters to play on the respective keys in C major.
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After ordering the free Kalimba Songs product, we will immediately send you the free songbook to the email address you provided. There will be no costs for you.
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We guarantee that you will get the free PDF quickly and that you can quickly start learning Kalimba songs .
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And there is a competent customer service that can help you at any time!
Conclusion Kalimba Songs
If we compare the piano and the kalimba, we can see that there are some similarities between the two. However, the piano has many more notes than the kalimba. A standard piano has 88 notes , while kalimbas only have five. A thumb piano usually has seventeen notes and is usually in the key of C major. This is also the case with Sonodrum's kalimbas. That's why we've put together songs specifically for our PDF kalimba songs that you'll quickly be able to play along to.
It's all about playing a few Kalimba songs quickly and then developing further later. Everything happens step by step. So first you should order the Kalimba Songs free PDF , which you will receive free of charge.
While it is possible to change the tuning of the kalimba or find a key other than C major, all of these notes follow a single scale, meaning the kalimba is generally a diatonic instrument. So are the notes on the kalimba the same as those on the piano?
The answer is yes, but the piano offers semitones and more octaves. The piano's keys are arranged from bottom to top, with the lowest note on the far right. On the kalimba, the lowest note is in the middle and the higher notes are arranged alternately from right to left.
That's why it's much easier to work with the Kalimba Songs songbook, because there you'll find the arrangement and names of the notes, just as you find them on the keys. Order the PDF now for free from Sonodrum and your Kalimba songs are saved!
FAQs: Frequently asked questions about Kalimba Songs
Kalimba songs, what is it?
Kalimba Songs are popular songs tailored to the Kalimba and adapted for learning the Kalimba in the free PDF. The numbers in the PDF are tailored to the 17 keys of your C major Kalimba.
Where can I buy Kalimba Songs PDF?
There is a large Kalimba songbook that you can order from Sonodrum and that you can buy. It contains 30 Kalimba songs. But to start with, we recommend the 5 Kalimba songs that you can order for free.
Are there any free Kalimba songs?
Yes, there are free Kalimba songs available online and especially at sonodrum.net. Go to this site and order the free PDF with five Kalimba songs.
How much do Kalimba songs cost?
Our PDF with five Kalimba songs is completely free. Go to this page , put the item in your shopping cart and complete the order with 0 €. You will receive the PDF sent to your email address at no cost to you.
Where can I download Kalimba songs for free?
Kalimba songs free to download - you can find them at sonodrum.net . Place your order for the item and pay €0. For technical reasons, the free product is offered as a purchase, but there are currently no costs for you.
