The kalimba - also called a thumb piano among other things - was popularized in America in the 1960’s. I won’t go into all the faux cultural interests and folk music experiments that involved kalimbas. Suffice it to say that this small African instrument has a beautiful, delicate sound and that anyone can play it. It’s small and backpack-durable, and perfectly suited for lullabies and Christmas melodies.

We’ve seen a lot of kalimbas on the market in recent years, but this proliferation seems to be more about table decorations than actual music appreciation. The main reason I say this is that most of the kalimbas I’ve tried out are absolute junk as musical instruments.

Blame my Western musical sense, but the more rudimentary and ornate kalimbas don’t play so well. They’re hard to tune, have limited note range, and use a poor choice of materials. Many are set up with non-Western tuning scales, making them far less intuitive for the American player. Many have annoying rings that bounce and clatter as you pluck out a tune, giving an “exotic” (junkie) sound.

Also blame the fact that I bought a Hugh Tracey kalimba in 1967, and no brand has ever made a better instrument. Made in South Africa, the metal tines have rounded edges that roll off your fingers effortlessly, and are set comfortably low to the wood. Tuning is easily accomplished by slightly leveraging the tines with a coin. The wood is smooth and resonant. The construction allows for seemingly endless vibrato variations as you move your fingers over the three holes (one above, two below).

Most of today’s knock-offs are heavier and smaller, are difficult to tune, have inferior wood, and have rough tines that cut your fingers. Many versions aren’t even hollow, so controlled vibrato is impossible. In fact, many kalimbas aren’t even made in Africa, for those of you who seek some degree of authenticity. The more ornate ones are pretty on the wall or coffee table, but don’t have the cleanest sounds.

Although this instrument almost plays itself as you move your thumbs up and down the left and right scales, with a little bit of practice you can play very intricate pieces. Below are a couple of great examples of kalimba playing.

Broadus

• Your Very Own Bumper Sticker Maker My old man took us to Carlsbad Caverns many moons ago (about 550 moons, actually). We wandered the drippy, cold caves, saw the blind, colorless cave fish, and watched the...
• Number Nine Number Nine Number Nine Finally! The original 13 Beatles albums have been digitally remastered for the first time and are being released on September 9, 2009 (09/09/09), along with a 14th album of singles...
• How the Grinch Stole Our Hearts My boss here at SnarlyBoodle.com makes videos from time to time. What follows is one from a couple of years ago. He's a sad, bitter man when it comes to...

• Learning the Acoustic Guitar When learning how to properly play the acoustic guitar, versatility is a major goal that you should work towards as best as you can. It is very important to learn...
• Earn Money To Reviewing Products Would you like to earn extra cash for reviewing products you normally use? Below are a few online companies that pay for reviews. The article also includes other ways to...
• Playing Bass Guitar in a Band People choose one instrument over another, like a bass guitar over a regular guitar, for a variety of different reasons. What makes someone choose a tuba over a flute or...