Carved Culture published The 17-Note Kalimba Songbook, our first dedicated songbook. It marked a new direction for our music education library: instead of concentrating on how to learn an instrument, we created a collection of music for players to enjoy once they were ready to put their skills into practice.
From Learning Techniques to Playing Songs
Our Complete Player books teach the fundamentals of an instrument, from understanding its notes to developing playing techniques. The new songbook serves a different purpose. It brings together 80 arrangements so kalimba players can practise through familiar melodies and gradually build confidence, timing and accuracy by playing real music.
Developing Our Own Kalimba Notation
For this publication, we developed our own kalimba notation to present the arrangements in a way designed around the 17-note instrument. Creating a consistent way to follow each song was an important part of making the collection practical for players, rather than simply compiling a list of tunes.
A New Addition to Our Music Library
The 85-page downloadable PDF includes a mix of nursery rhymes, folk music, classical melodies and seasonal pieces, arranged for 17-note kalimbas in C major. It complements our instructional books by giving musicians a resource they can return to as they progress.