A kalimba, also known as the African thumb piano, is a musical instrument. It’s typically made of a wooden platform or a slightly hollowed wooden block the size of an adult hand. Metal tines are played by plucking with the thumbs on the top section of the wood. The mbira, an African instrument that dates back centuries, was the inspiration for the kalimba. After moving to Africa in the 1920s, ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey, who was known for his studies of Western and Central African music, began to create and export his own styles of the instrument, kalimbas came to the attention of the rest of the world.
A kalimba’s note arrangement differs significantly from the linear progression of notes found on many other instruments. The instrument’s lowest notes are played on the center and longest tines. Each tine on each side of the center gets shorter as it gets closer to the center, producing higher notes. Though a kalimba can be tuned in a variety of ways, Tracey created one based on the G scale. It takes some getting used to playing notes on the musical scale that are right next to each other with different thumbs, but the sound produced is well worth the effort.
If the tines — also known as lamellas — are attached to a flat piece of wood, kalimbas can produce light sounds depending on the style chosen. A central small hole is often located below the longest tine when a hollowed piece of wood is used. A slight vibrato sound can be created by placing the thumb over the hole or moving it in and out of the hole after a note has been played. Hollowed kalimbas produce a richer, more resonant sound, similar to that of a xylophone but quieter.
Kalimbas are available in a variety of sizes, with celeste, treble, and alto being the most common. The celeste style is made on a flat board and has 17 tines, producing a brighter and higher sound. The hollowed box structure is used on treble kalimbas. The alto kalimba has 15 tines and a lower, deeper note range than the other kalimbas.
Mbira and kalimba are common instruments in African and Afro-Caribbean music. In the United States, the instrument is used in a variety of modern musical forms. Earth, Wind, and Fire, a funk fusion band, makes extensive use of the instrument. Hugh Tracey kalimbas are still in high demand, with prices ranging from $100 to $120 USD (USD). Other manufacturers produce different styles of the instrument, with different numbers of notes and a round or semi-circular shape instead of the traditional rectangular shape.