House of Musical Traditions
7010 Westmoreland Ave.
Takoma Park, MD 20912
TEL: 301-270-9090
FAX: 301-270-3010
HOURS: 11 am - 7 pm
Tuesday through Saturday
11 am - 5 pm Sunday & Monday
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| Catalog > Percussion > Kalimbas | updated December 19, 2011 |
Also called thumb pianos, mbiras, gourd pianos, sansas, and other indigenous names, these percussion instruments originated in Africa. Mbiras vary widely in appearance, size, materials, and tuning, but usually consist of 4 to 20 metal tongues mounted across a bridge attached to a board or resonator. Plucked with fingers or thumbs, these instruments produce a haunting, liquid percussive music. Since you can play either simultaneously or alternating between both thumbs, lovely harmonic and rhythmic effects are possible. These can be virtuoso instruments, but they're also great for just playing around.
The Story Behind the Kalimba
Tracey returned home to England a year later, and sang some of these songs on the BBC. Influential people, including composers Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gustav Holst, heard him and encouraged him to make a study of African music. This was the start of Dr. Hugh Tracey's lifelong dedication to the preservation and dissemination of African culture. He recorded in the villages of East, Central and Southern Africa. He founded the International Library of African Music to house his vast collection, and to act as a research center for African music. During his travels Tracey came across many different musical instruments, but the one that fascinated him the most was the one commonly known as the "thumb piano." He developed a version of the mbira which would not be simply nailed to the wall like so many African artifacts, but actually played and enjoyed. Tracey named this instrument the KALIMBA -- a word that literally means "little music." It was created to play simple melodies, but it also has the capacity of playing harmonies at the same time... and with only the use of two thumbs on the keys. The kalimba first appeared in the 1960s and made its international debut in a stage show that featured Tracey's sons Andrew and Paul. The show was called "Wait a Minim!" and it played to delighted audiences on four continents for 7 years. Today Tracey's sons keep their fathers' work alive. Andrew has now taken over the running of his father's library and continues his own research into African music, studying with masters of traditional African music and instruments. He produces the kalimbas with the help of African craftsmen, using the "Kyatt" wood his father found to be the most effective 35 years ago. Paul is a songwriter and storyteller. His one-man shows often introduce audiences to the wonders of African culture, and he plays enchanting tunes on his kalimba.
Box-style construction with resonator hole and two vibrato holes. 17 keys, tuned diatonically from B to D. Flat board style, tuned like the Treble: 17 keys, tuned diatonically from B to D. Box-style construction with resonator hole and two vibrato holes. 15 keys, tuned diatonically from G to G. Flat board style. Unique traditional African tuning. (How to tune the Hugh Tracy Karimba) Two rows of keys (17 total) with metal rings that make a traditional buzzing sound. Rings are removable. Goshen Art School Thumb Pianos Not all models may be in stock. Please contact us for our current selection.
Small "Baby" 8-key, 6 inches x 4 inches -- $20.00 Small "Baby" 8-key, 6 inches x 4 inches in Paduk -- $24.00 8-key 6 inches x 5 inches, short bridge -- $24.00 8-key 6 inches x 5 inches, long bridge -- $26.00 11-key -- $28.00 
8-key, 4 inches x 6 inches -- $44.00 11-key, 4 inches x 6 inches -- $50.00 Medium
11-key, 6 inches x 7-1/2 inches -- $52.00 Large
11-key, 7-1/2 inches x 10 inches -- $60.00 Extra Large
Double Bridge: Single gourd with 2 rows of keys, 8 keys on top row, 8 keys on bottom row -- $58.00 Mate Model: Single hourglass-shaped gourd with 2 playing ends tuned to the same key.
Mountain Melody Thumbdrums are made by Pension Mountain Woodworks, a small company in the Ozark Mountains. The resonators for these Thumbdrums are selected hard shell gourds, handcrafted wooden boxes, or solid cedar boards. All have 8 keys and are available in two different scales, diatonic and pentatonic -- except for the Coconut Thumbdrum and the Double Gourd Thumbdrum (diatonic only). |
The word "Kalimba" is actually a registered trademark name that has become part of our vernacular through common use. In the early 1920s, a young Englishman named Hugh Tracey set out for Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to help his older brother run a tobacco farm. Hugh became interested in the culture of the local Karanga tribe. He learned their language and began to sing some of their folk songs to the accompaniment of a homemade banjo.
