Multi-key Mbira

Fair Trade African Musical Instrument multi-KEY THUMB PIANO: kalimba EAST AFRICA
Country:	Tanzania,	Description and Details The genuine, traditional African box-style percussion instruments were hand crafted in= Tanzania, East Africa. Known locally as ‘kalim= ba’ these musical instruments are ubiquitous throughout Africa with more than a 100 names including miramba, mbira, sanasa, kalimba; etc is played with both thumbs that pluck its metal keys. The instrument is played with the two thumbs plucking down on the tines. NPR website has simple and advanced mu= sic. The kalimba we offer differs from other African thumb pianos by having small metal barre= ls (made from recycled soda or beer can metal) added to the steel tines. This prod= uces secondary metallic vibrations to the note. The tines (lamella) are mounte= d on a hollow box resonator that amplifies the vibrations. They are tuned by adjusting forward or backward and/or adjusting the spring of= the tine. The wood casing provides resonance. There are hundreds of different tunings, different note layouts, and different instrument designs. This thumb piano is a personal instrument played by the owner quietly and not as one would think in a band. = When two kalimbas are played together, the interlocking parts result in rich polyphony and polyrhythms. The extensive possibilities for rhythmic and melodic variation render each musical performance unique. Detail: The instrument maker determines the length of the keys and hence the tune of = the instrument. After manufacture, the instrument maker plays it to tune and adjust the sounds. The tuning of most kalimbas has the notes in the scale ascending on the tines from the center outward in an alternating right-le= ft fashion, results in chords being made by adjacent tines. When any tine is plucked, the adjacent tines and barrels also vibrate, and these harmonizi= ng secondary vibrations serve a similar role to the harmonic overtones of a string instrument, they increase the harmonic complexity of an individual note, though in a strange yet pleasing way. East African music: a wide range of musical instruments and music come from this region. Décor uses:<= /span> when not used as a musical instrument the kalimbas are often a home décor decoration for cultural, music, or eclectic themed styles.
Region:	East Africa<= o:p>
Artist:	To come=
Date:	Current=
Type:	Lamellaphone (Thumb piano)
Medium:	Wood and Ste= el
Original:	Kalimba=
Style:	7 to 15-Keys (tines) with resonators
Photgraphs:	Generic*
<= /o:p>
Nominal Dimensions and Data
Africans enslaved in the Americas brought with them the tradition of making both the small and large forms of the thumb piano. The small type = once was widespread in parts of the Caribbean, South America, Central, South America, and the United States (one form, the so-called marimba Brett, was documented in Louisiana in the late 1800s). Over time, however, it become extinct except for in a few pockets such as Suriname, where a split-cane = type called papái bèntá continues to be made and played by the Saramaka people. The large box type (featuring anywhere from four to eight metal keys moun= ted on a packing case) has fared considerably better. It occurs widely in the Caribbean and in South and Central America under several names, including marímbula (Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Panama), manouba, manimba or mal= imba (Haiti), mento box, rumba box (Jamaica), and bass box (Trinidad). In those areas, the instrument provides the bass rhythm in folkloric ensembles. Th= ese musical instruments occur virtually throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Variet= ies of indigenous names exist and they are played as part of an ensemble of indigenous instruments like the xylophone style marimba.<= /span>
7 -11 Tine	height x length= x width (variance)
inches	1= ½ x 6½ x 3¾ (+½)
millimeters	38 x 165 x 95 (+12)=
Weight [Mass]	8= (+1) oz [227 (+28) g]
12 -15 Tine	height x length= x width (variance)
inches	1= ¾ x 7¾ x 5¼ (+½)
millimeters	46 x 197 x 132 (+12)
Weight [Mass]	1= 2 (+1) oz [340 (+28) g]	*This is a general description of the i= nstruments in our possession. Thus, data are approximate and there could be slight variations in number of tines, size, base color, and resonance barrels fr= om the accompanying photographs. Satisfaction guaranteed! Should you be dissatisfied for any reason whatsoever, the product may be swapped for a similar or any other product of similar or lesser value.<= /span>
© Kwaze-Kwasa [USA] Inc.