Kalimba, Box, Natural, 12 Keys (KLMBB-12) Box Kalimba with natural finish 5W x 8L inches, and 12 steel keys. The thumb piano originates in Africa. It is also known as the mbira or likembe. The metal keys are mounted on a wooden box that acts as the resonating chamber. To play, rest the thumb piano on the fingers of both hands and hold it between your palms. Several reeds or tines are plucked with the thumb or fingers, and the reed vibrations are amplified by a hollow box resonator or a sounding board. Many different tunings are acceptable, according to personal preference. The tuning is subjective and should only be pleasing to the player. The longer keys have lower pitches and shorter keys have higher pitches. The keys can be adjusted by tapping them in or out to adjust their length, and therefore their pitch.
E**I
Good starter kalimba
I wanted to start playing the kalimba so I bought this one, which seemed to be good quality at an affordable price. When I got it, it was severely out of tune, and tuning it in general is very difficult because you have to loosen the bridge with a wrench and then all the tines kind of fall out of place - so there is no retuning one tine without having to tune all of them again. I was disappointed that this box model does not come with sound holes on the bottom to create some vibrato and the wood is not as polished and sanded as I had expected. Overall though, this kalimba is quite playable when you get the tuning down (there are many types of tuning and it will need to be retuned monthly or so) and the sound quality is pretty good.If you are just starting out on the kailmba and want an affordable model, this is a good pick, but make sure you read up on how to tune and care for the kalimba beforehand so you know what you're getting yourself into. I think I'll move onto a better model once I can play this one pretty efficiently, though.
C**L
decent
it sounds nice, except for the lower pitch tabs that will give an annoying vibrating "slap" if played too hard. also one key has barbed metal on the end from the cutting process, which i will have to file down. but you get what you pay for. it is tons of fun to play and i am satisfied overall with this kalimba.
M**E
great intonation and playability
this Kalimba doesnt come tuned but its a lot easier to move the tines then most kalimbas, (easier to tune)the kalimba is low in pitch (Alto Kalimba)and the tines are easier on the thumbs than the large thumb piano model from Mid-east.
Trustpilot
1 month ago
1 month ago
