Kalimba (thumb piano)


Kalimba (thumb piano), handmade in Burkina Faso from natural calabash gourd, recycled food tins and reclaimed wood.

The kalimba is a westernized version of a traditional plucked instrument from Zimbabwe called an mbira. Similar instruments such as njari and zanzu have existed all over Africa for thousands of years. The metal tines are tunable, so you can play however you like! Simply sliding the tines up or down to adjust the pitch. When a tine is plucked, the adjacent tines also vibrate. This increases the harmonic complexity of each note in an interesting and pleasant way.

Dimensions
Small (4-5 Notes) Approx. 7cm diameter x 5cm depth