The Singing Zoologist befriended us when he started using Sansulas in his children's educational video channel "Science Up!" on YouTube. It was then we discovered his puppet masterpiece music video: The Cheetah Song. Basically a video teaching kids about the hunting habits of carnivores, it's a silly delight from beginning to end and a profound-play work of puppetry art.
Actually, there's no instruments of ours featured in this Cheetah video, yet we urge you to watch it anyway as it's guaranteed to bring joy. And don't we all really need some help finding joy right now? If you wanna watch the Cheetah in action scroll down to the bottom of the page and enjoy...
We also want to share how thrilled we were when Lucas Miller a.k.a. The Singing Zoologist wanted to make some dedicated educational videos for his audience with our Sansula. Produced lovingly by hand in a solar powered family-run factory in Germany, the Sansula is created by Hokema Kalimbas and features a Kalimba mounted on a drum head that amplifies the sound and gives it a special kind of resonance.
In this first video, Lucas offers a lovely introduction to the Sansula, demonstrating playing with a Sansula Deluxe (which is the version made with an animal skin head) a Sansula Renaissance Melody (with a synthetic drum head and more tines to create songs), and an Electro Kalimba that you can plug into a sound system and amplify. He also shares about the free Hokema App plus how to place a clip-on tuner and use a hammer with the tuning tool to retune your kalimba or Sansula.
Our Singing Zoologist shares how he uses his kalimbas to enchant children in his live educational live show. Our favorite moment is when he talks about how one child said the Sansula took him in his imagination inside "a powdered donut shop" (clearly this little guy's happy place :)
The Sansula Renaissance ($209) has a artificial skin and is durable and best of all moisture resistant and great for kids and grown ups and can be used indoor and outdoors.
The Sansula Deluxe ($261) has a goat skin and as the goat skin will react to moisture best to keep this as an indoor studio instruments that also can be played by kids and grown ups and is durable.
In this second video, Lucas demonstrates some playing tips utilizing the Sansula Deluxe to demonstrate. We'll add that these tips are for playing the Sansula in a musical improv context - which is a slightly more advanced than playing Sansula in a fully intuitively way (playing fully intuitively meaning there are no rules - playing whatever you feel.) There are however ways to play this instrument intuitively but make it sound more like music. For this, we recommend you watch the video, and we've highlighted the tips he shares in writing here:
Did you know you can custom change the tuning of your kalimba or Sansula with our Tuning Tool? Lucas tuned one of the A tines to a G so that he could have more musical options available for melody and chord creation.
Try to play the individual tines of the Sansula as hard as you can, but with a clean gesture and not hitting it with too much pressure as can can create an overly "buzzing" sound.
Don't let your thumbs rest on the wood block or drum head, as it cuts out the sound by muting it (though some players may want to purposefully mute as an advanced playing technique!) Mostly you'll want the sound to resonate freely and clearly for a long time.
Think in short musical phrases: little groups of notes together (If you play continuously it can sound "more like wind chimes" - which is also ok if you want it to sound that way) Short phrases will create more micro melodies and express more like a composition.
Try tapping a rhythm on the side of the instrument and then playing melodies keeping in that rhythm to play with more musicality.
Try playing "chords" by plucking two tines at the same time using your thumb and a finger. (If you understand musical chords you can figure out chord progressions. If you don't, just play around with which two tines sound harmonious together and create little sequences.)
Take a part that you like, make a recording of it then try playing something else you like on top of it. He recommends using a program called Loopie Pro (available on iOS iPhones or iPad)
Try playing arpeggios: which is the playing chords but instead of playing two or more tines together, play them in a sequence of notes following each other.
About 4 minutes into this video, Lucas plays his chords in a rhythmic way and invites you to play along melodies using your Sansula at home. If you have a Sansula tuned to A-minor you can try this!
We hope you:
1) Learn more about the Sansula instrument from Hokema Kalimbas and some new ways to play yours
2) Become inspired by how different people in our community use our instruments in creative ways: in this case for early child education and getting kids jazzed about science. Thank You Singing Zoologist!
What creative and unique plans can you create with your instruments? (Let us know!)
Ok... now here finally is that joy we promised!
Watch and be entertained by The Cheetah Song:
(Note: if you're a vegan you may not enjoy the meat-eating aspect of this video, though cheetahs have evolved as meat eaters in the natural world so this a celebration of their particular speed and strength as they're skilled natural hunters!)
I am new to the Monolina world but have been around stringed instruments all my life. I'm so excited about its possibilities as a solo instrument for use in Reiki, as well as in an ensemble setting. It helps me to meditate as well.
We have a full set of crystal bowls, and the low C monochord adds a wonderful depth to their sounding. I also find myself humming/singing over the low C drone in a quite natural way. Very happy with my new instrument.
I've wanted to purchase a Sansula ever since I first heard one, two years ago. I finally purchased one and upon receiving it was disappointed in it's sound. Customer service was extremely helpful and promptly replaced it. Couldn't have been a better experience. I highly recommend the instrument and the company is top notch.
