When we released our first eBook, The Complete Kalimba Player, we didn't expect it to become one of our best-selling products. At the time, Carved Culture stocked approximately 250 physical musical instruments, yet one digital guide was selling consistently alongside them. Seeing how much value a book could provide made us want to develop more educational resources and find out whether that success could extend to other instruments.
Building on What Musicians Asked For
Our next two books grew directly from the tutorials and requests we were already receiving. Kalimba players wanted more songs, particularly Christmas music, while viewers of our xylophone tutorial series, which began in August 2024, wanted written educational resources. We developed both books alongside one another to meet those different needs.
Two New Books, One Natural Next Step
Released in October 2024, the two books marked an early expansion of Carved Culture's digital publishing collection. One supported learners of another instrument; the other offered kalimba players a seasonal repertoire. Both grew from the same approach: listen to what people ask for, build on the tutorials we create and turn that work into resources musicians can return to at their own pace.
The Complete Glockenspiel Player
Our xylophone tutorials had shown us that learners wanted more than videos alone. Turning those lessons into a glockenspiel guide meant arranging music carefully and presenting it in a format that players could understand and use while practising. This was our opportunity to see whether the success of our first eBook could extend to another instrument.
Download The Complete Glockenspiel Player β
The Christmas Kalimba Player
People who enjoyed The Complete Kalimba Player were asking for Christmas songs, and we were already creating seasonal arrangements for our YouTube tutorials. Rather than expand the original book, we brought those pieces together in a dedicated seasonal collection. It gave existing players something new to learn and allowed us to test demand for a more focused songbook.