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

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