How the Hokema Sansula Gives You Creative Permission
Needing some support to bring your vision forward? Get out your Sansula and read on.
Last month's Kalimba Campfire featured Broadway composer, performer, and performance coach Will Reynolds, who described an instrument like the Sansula as a "key for unlocking creative permission." His insight: a limited number of notes doesn't restrict creativity — it actually encourages it.
He shared two quotes that say it well:
"The enemy of art is the absence of limitations." — Orson Welles
"Art lives from constraints and dies from freedom." — Leonardo da Vinci
Building an Affirmation Song on the Sansula
In the video below, Will demonstrates how he uses sight, voice, breath, environment, attention, and energy to arrive in performance presence — what he calls "Claim Statements." He then shares a song template he created specifically for the Sansula, built around a series of personal affirmations.
Fill in the blanks with whatever words you wish to be:
I AM _______ And I will always be ________ I AM _______ And I have always been ________ I AM I AM Yes, I AM!
Each line of the song gets two runs on a row of tines. The rows of the Sansula — regardless of tuning — form major and minor chords, and when played in a repetitive pattern, this creates a simple, beautiful song form. Play along with Will's beat in the video and shape your own self-empowering mantra.
A Mini Drum Lesson Too
Will is then joined by Teacher Brandon Blake, who gives him a live lesson on how to play rhythm on the Sansula's drum head — turning it into a mini drum set where you can create both a beat and a melody simultaneously. Will's willingness to learn something new in real time, in front of everyone, is a beautiful reminder to stay open and curious. That spirit is exactly what our Kalimba Campfire is all about.
Watch & Play Along
Claim Will's free gift — a digital download of his "Claim Statements" to use as positive affirmations and lyrics to sing with your Sansula.
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