Kalimba

The kalimba is a percussion instrument of South Africa which is held in the hands and played with the thumbs or fingers.  The metal tines are each tuned to specific notes and may be adjusted to fit any scale.

After spending many years studying the ethnic instruments of Africa, Hugh Tracey began making his own kalimbas and quickly sold thousands to Creative Playthings, a toy store specializing in innovative toys and furniture.  Before long the Hugh Tracey kalimba made a name for itself as being much more than a toy and in fact a great musical instrument capable of making real music.

Often referred to as a thumb piano, the kalimba is a modernized version of the mbira of Zimbabwe, and is also related to hundreds of similar thumb pianos found throughout Africa.  While the keys of the mbira are set inside of a hollowed gourd to amplify the sound, the keys of the kalimba are placed above a hollow box to produce a similar effect.  This design makes the kalimba small and easy to transport, as you might expect from a Bantu word meaning “little music”.

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