The Kalimba
What is Kalimba? The Kalimba is a simple structure music instrument, also known as the finger piano or thumb piano. Kalimba was originally a traditional instrument of the African tribe. It uses a coconut shell or a wooden box with a piece of iron to vibrate and sound. The appearance looks simple, but the sound is fascinating and easy to use. The playing method is rich and varied, and it is held in the hands. You can play a unique ethereal sound with your hands on the keys!
History of Kalimba
Hugh Tracey was an english music lover who traveled widely in African countryside in the 20th century. He is the reason Kalimba is known and loved by people today. During his journey in Africa, he was exposed to many traditional African music. The uniqueness and beauty of traditional African music made him deeply fascinated. In his five years of African history, he particularly liked a musical instrument that was later called the “thumb piano”. These thumb pianos have many different shapes, tonalities, playing styles and names. They are called differently and played differently in each area. After learning about the instrument, Tracey decided to make the instrument himself and decided to use the name “Kalimba” – a name he believed could be widely spread in the West. At the end of the 1950s, he founded a company called AMI. AMI began selling and imported the Kalimba to the western United States. Over time, in the early 1960s, the Kalimba was slowly sold from the western United States to the eastern United States of New Jersey, and spread slowly.
Resonant Box VS Flat Board Kalimba
Some traditional African thumb pianos are assembled on hollow wooden bodies (resonant box), but some are mounted on flat panels (flat board). The thumb piano with the resonance box is louder and can also be used to achieve a unique “wah-wah” sound effect by covering the sound hole behind it.
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