Support

Kalimbas with 8, 10, 17, 21 or 34 keys, in any key. Choose yours with the settings button at the top of your library. If some of your tines are tuned differently, you can change each one under Tines, low to high. If your kalimba is tuned to a reference pitch other than A4 = 440 Hz, set it under Microphone (430–450 Hz); playback follows it too.

Check that the number of keys and the tuning in settings match your instrument. Tines Studio numbers notes by scale degree: 1 is the home note of your kalimba’s key (C on a C kalimba, G on a G kalimba), so a song looks the same whatever key you play it in. You can switch the labels between numbers and letters in settings.

Dots show the octave, the same way they’re usually engraved on kalimbas. One dot above a number is one octave up, two dots is two octaves up, and a dot below is an octave down.

Tap the speed button in the player to cycle through slower and faster speeds. For learning a new song, try wait mode: the song pauses at each note until you play it, either on your own kalimba with listening turned on or by tapping the tine on screen. To change a song’s own tempo, open it in the editor and tap the BPM button, where you can drag a slider or tap the beat.

Check that the player isn’t muted and your volume is up. While the player is listening to your kalimba, the app’s own sound is turned off on purpose so the microphone only hears your instrument. Tines Studio plays even when your iPhone’s ringer is set to silent. If you’re using Bluetooth headphones, make sure they’re connected. To make notes ring longer, raise Note length in settings.

Tap + next to My Songs. You can tap the on-screen tines to enter notes, type or paste text, or tap the record button and play it on your kalimba. Press several tines at once and they play together and write a chord, like (1 3 5). Turn your iPhone sideways for bigger tines on 17-, 21- and 34-key kalimbas. The notation guide explains the format, and the ? button in the editor opens the same guide, How To Write Songs, inside the app.

Usually, yes. Number tabs paste straight in. Bar lines | and commas are ignored, and an apostrophe or ° after a note works like * for an octave up. Tabs that mark octaves with dots above the numbers need a * added instead. See octaves.

Put a line starting with > under a line of notes. Each word or syllable goes with the next note; split words with hyphens, like Twin-kle. See lyrics for holding a syllable over several notes.

Open a song, tap the … button in the player, then tap the microphone to start listening. A level meter and the last note heard show what the app is picking up. Then choose how you want to play:

• Wait mode on: the song pauses at each note until you play it. Best for learning a new tune.
• Wait mode off: you play at tempo and get scored. See the next question.

Chords count whether you play the notes together or one after another.

With the microphone on and wait mode off, the song counts you in for four beats and then scrolls at your chosen speed. Each note is judged as it passes: Perfect if you play it within 0.1 seconds, Good within 0.22 seconds, otherwise Miss. You’ll see your accuracy and streak as you go, and a results card at the end with up to three stars and your best score for that song. Use the speed control (0.5× to 1.5×) to practice slower and build up. Best scores are kept on your iPhone only.

In the song editor, tap the red record button, choose a tempo and, if you like, a click to play along to. After a four-beat count-in, just play. Tines Studio shows each note as it hears it and writes the tab live, including rhythm, rests and chords. Tap stop to review what it heard, then Add to Song. You can fix any wrong notes in the editor afterwards.

Try a slower tempo and turn on the click, so your notes land on the beat. Pluck each tine cleanly and let it ring, and keep the phone close to the kalimba. If notes are missed or extra ones appear, adjust Sensitivity as described below. You can always tap Record Again, or add the result and tidy it up in the editor.

• Make sure Tines Studio is allowed to use the microphone: iPhone Settings → Tines Studio → Microphone.
• Adjust Sensitivity in the My Kalimba settings under Microphone. Slide toward Quiet room if soft plucks are missed, or toward Loud room if background noise sets it off.
• Check that the kalimba setup in settings (keys, tuning, reference pitch) matches your instrument, and tune it with Tune My Kalimba if it has drifted.
• Keep the phone close to the kalimba, and let each note ring clearly.

Open the My Kalimba settings from your library and choose Tune My Kalimba. Pluck a tine and the gauge shows how far off it is, with a hint such as “13¢ flat. Tap the tine toward the bridge to raise it.” Tapping a tine further in, toward the bridge, raises its pitch; tapping it out lowers it. A tine counts as in tune when it stays within 5 cents for about a second. In Auto mode the tuner follows whichever tine you pluck; in manual mode you pick a tine, and it moves on to the next untuned one when you’re done. The Play button sounds a reference tone for the current tine.

No. Despite the name, it writes down notes, not sound. Whenever the microphone is on (in the tuner, wait mode, play along or Record from Kalimba), the sound is analyzed on your iPhone to work out which notes you played and when. Audio is never recorded, saved or sent anywhere; only the resulting tab text is kept, like any other song. See our Privacy Policy.

Long-press the song in your library and choose Share. Tines Studio writes it out as a readable message, with the title, kalimba, tempo, notes and lyrics, that you can send with Messages, Mail or any other app. Starter songs can be shared too.

Copy the whole message, then in Tines Studio tap + and choose Paste from clipboard. The song arrives with its title, kalimba and tempo.

No. Everything works without one, including writing songs, and nothing leaves your iPhone. Sign in only if you want your songs backed up and on your other devices.

Make sure both devices are signed in with the same method and email address. Sign in with Apple and an email link to the same address can create two separate accounts, especially if you chose “Hide My Email”. Then open Tines Studio with an internet connection; songs sync when the app is open.

Check your spam or junk folder, and that the address is spelled correctly. Links expire after a while, so request a new one if it’s been more than an hour. You can also type the code from the email into the app instead of tapping the link.

Tines Studio saves any last changes to your account and then removes that account’s songs from the device. They come back when you sign in again.

In Tines Studio, tap the account button at the top of your library and choose Delete account. This permanently deletes your account and all its songs from our servers. If you signed in with Apple, you’ll be asked to confirm with Apple, and Tines Studio is disconnected from your Apple ID. If you can’t get into the app, email [email protected] from your account’s address. More in our Privacy Policy.