Kalimba mudoko

This instrument class represents a range of kalimbas from Central Mozambique and Zambia that generally share some common characteristics:

Heptatonic (7-tone) scale
Played with two thumbs (unlike the "big" karimba)
The bottom rank of keys is basically the Kalimba Core with occasional extensions
Amplified with a small calabash resonator, over which the kalimba is held with the fingers

The various instrument types differ primarily in the arrangement of the keys in the upper manuals, specifically in which scale degrees are available to the left or right thumb. This aspect seems to be rather consistent across regions and cultures, while the addition of various “extension keys” is a highly personal decision of individual players.

Currently, the notations of this instrument class include the key ranges of two types of small kalimbas:

The Kalimba mudoko - literally "small karimba" - from central Mozambique, and
The Nsenga kalimba from the Petauke district of Zambia's Eastern Province.

Kalimba mudoko from central Mozambique

This heptatonic kalimba is played for entertainment, spiritual and modern secular ceremonies. According to Sekuru Kapampanta, Sekuru Keni, and others, it originates from the Tonga people and is referred to as the kalimba dzaVaTonga (~kalimba of the Tonga people). It also goes by the more generic name chisansi (~big keys).

Although the key layout is congruent to the kalimba nkulu (karimba) and the nyunga nyunga, the kalimba mudodo is played with two thumbs only (often at breakneck tempo). The keys are usually strongly curved upwards.

Their 9-key bottom rank corresponds to Andrew Tracey's Kalimba Core, with a RL7, bass key added as the seventh scale degree. For all the instruments considered so far, the middle rank resembles that of Veruca's instrument (above). Keys in the LX and RX manuals, considered "extra" keys in our notations, seem to be a very individual choice.

Resonator and Buzzing

The relatively quiet sound of the small and thin sound boards is amplified by a Kachikasi (~small gourd resonator), held underneath with the remaining fingers (the index fingers stabilize the kalimba).

It is a halved calabash covered with reptile skin. On top of an opening in the skin, the player positions a circular hole in the soundboard. The hole is covered with a soft, elastic elastic Mvema (~membrane) that spider produce to cover their burrows. It is glued loosely to the sound board with saliva, so that the air vibrations from the gourd produce a characteristic muffled buzzing sound.

This distortion effect sounds different than the high-frequency clinking of the bottle tops, which are also used - two types of buzzing on one instrument!

Players often keep a number of spare membranes underneath the keys in the tray-shaped upper part of the soundboard.

Nsenga kalimba

All information about the Nsenga kalimba from the Petauke district of Zambia's Eastern Province comes from John Blacking's 1961 article Patterns of Nsenga Kalimba Music and its accompanying recordings Music from Petauke of Northern Rhodesia (Vol.1, Vol.2 on Youtube).

Instrument class info

Reference key

The lowest key of the kalimba (RL1 in Pitch.1 notation) serves as our reference key.

Notations

Currently there are four notations. They are called

Pitch.1
Pitch+Octaves.1
Pitch.4
Pitch+Octaves.4

All of them employ an additional track for Hosho [down]beats (denoted by a dot ".").

There are six playing areas:

LX: Top left extra keys (optional)
LU: Left upper manual
LL: Left lower manual (the three bass keys are played with either thumb)
RX: Top right extra keys (currently not used)
RU: Right upper manual
RL: Right lower manual (the three bass keys are played with either thumb)

All notations are convertible to and from Pitch.4. If a direct translation between two notations is not available, use an intermediate step across Pitch.4.

Pros and cons of different counting schemes

In Pitch.1 and Pitch+Octaves.1 notations, scale degrees 1-3 and 5-6 denote the notes of the kalimba core as in Andrew Tracey's The Original African Mbira?), which can be useful to compare [transcriptions on] different instruments.

Pitch.4 and Pitch+Octaves.4 are there for compatibility with the "big" karimba, where this scheme works similar to a position notation on most manuals.

Click on the tabs below for a description of each notation:

Scale degrees are numbered from 1 to 7; 1 being the reference key of the instrument (which in most cases is the lowest key, as in the picture above). It is the same as the Pitch+Octaves.1 notation, with all octave indication omitted where it can be deduced from the playing area.

Key Overview

The table below shows all keys of the notation, from lowest to highest. Each row contains all possible keys for that playing area. Each column contains all keys of the same pitch.

Not all instruments may have keys matching all these notes. Red notes are alias names for the same key, if it can be played with different fingers.

Hosho	.
LX																		5
LU											4	5	6	7	1	2	3
LL		1,	3,	4				1	2	3
RU								1			4	5	6	7	1'
RL		1	3	4	5	6	7

Aliases

The table below lists all alias keys. Row names are shown in black, cell content in red.

Key	Alias	Notes
RL1	LL1,	RL1 key played with left thumb
RL3	LL3,	RL3 key played with left thumb
RL4	LL4	RL4 key played with left thumb

Same numbers as the Pitch.1 notation, but full octave indication.

Key Overview

The table below shows all keys of the notation, from lowest to highest. Each row contains all possible keys for that playing area. Each column contains all keys of the same pitch.

Not all instruments may have keys matching all these notes. Red notes are alias names for the same key, if it can be played with different fingers.

Hosho	.
LX																		5'
LU											4	5	6	7	1'	2'	3'
LL		1,	3,	4,				1	2	3
RU								1			4	5	6	7	1'
RL		1,	3,	4,	5,	6,	7,

Aliases

The table below lists all alias keys. Row names are shown in black, cell content in red.

Key	Alias	Notes
RL1,	LL1,	RL1, key played with left thumb
RL3,	LL3,	RL3, key played with left thumb
RL4,	LL4,	RL4, key played with left thumb

This is similar to the Pitch.1 notation, just assigning 4 as the reference key's scale degree.

Key Overview

The table below shows all keys of the notation, from lowest to highest. Each row contains all possible keys for that playing area. Each column contains all keys of the same pitch.

Not all instruments may have keys matching all these notes. Red notes are alias names for the same key, if it can be played with different fingers.

Hosho	.
LX																		1
LU											7	1	2	3	4	5	6
LL		4,	6,	7				4	5	6
RU								4			7	1	2	3	4'
RL		4	6	7	1	2	3

Aliases

The table below lists all alias keys. Row names are shown in black, cell content in red.

Key	Alias	Notes
RL4	LL4,	RL4 key played with left thumb
RL6	LL6,	RL6 key played with left thumb
RL7	LL7	RL7 key played with left thumb

Same numbers as the Pitch.4 notation, but full octave indication.

Key Overview

The table below shows all keys of the notation, from lowest to highest. Each row contains all possible keys for that playing area. Each column contains all keys of the same pitch.

Not all instruments may have keys matching all these notes. Red notes are alias names for the same key, if it can be played with different fingers.

Hosho	.
LX																		1''
LU											7	1'	2'	3'	4'	5'	6'
LL		4,	6,	7,				4	5	6
RU								4			7	1'	2'	3'	4'
RL		4,	6,	7,	1	2	3

Aliases

The table below lists all alias keys. Row names are shown in black, cell content in red.

Key	Alias	Notes
RL4,	LL4,	RL4, key played with left thumb
RL6,	LL6,	RL6, key played with left thumb
RL7,	LL7,	RL7, key played with left thumb