Editorial Review:Product Description:Kalimba. Origin Country: Pakistan. 7' L x 7' W x 11' H. 2.1 lbs. Made by Mid-East.
Rosewood thumb piano, 5' x 7', 17 steel keys and two vibrato holes on the back. The thumb piano originates in Africa. It is also known as the mbira or likembe. The metal keys are mounted on a wooden box that acts as the resonating chamber. To play, rest the thumb piano on the fingers of both hands and hold it between your palms. Cover the vibrato holes with your fingers. Then pluck the keys with your thumbs. As you play you can un-cover and cover the vibrato holes as you like. Many different tunings are acceptable, according to personal preference. Specific tuning of a thumb piano is only an issue when two instruments are played together; then they should generally agree in tuning. Otherwise, the tuning is subjective and should only be pleasing to the player. The longer keys have lower pitches and shorter keys have higher pitches. The keys can be adjusted by tapping them in or out to adjust their length, and therefore their pitch.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
-
nice toy, late arrival
It is a nice toy, makes really nice music. I will not order from this vendor again. I was very disappointed in the delivery time, on this. It was bought for Christmas, and arrived two days late. The express mail I requested didn't happen. I was not charged for it, but it was indicated when I ordered it that I would receive in in two to three working days.
Rating: 
-
lots of fun... for only 30 bucks!
a s a working musician/songwriter I'm always looking for new ideas, and inspiring sounds... I stumbled across a video clip of a guy playing a kalimba (just like this one) and instantly loved the sound (like a mini vibraphone)... so i figured... $30 seems pretty cheap for something thats sounds so cool...
this was one of the best purchases i've made in a while...
I tuned it to the key of G... it took a little while to tune but sounds great... it looks great, and is lots of fun to play.
Rating: -
Wonderful value! perfect for the musical traveler
I just received this little wonder in the mail a couple of days ago & love it! I'm a local truck driver who's been playing guitar for a hobby for 31 years. I love the ability to carry a musical instrument to get me through my layovers. I did not find it difficult to tune at all considering I'm tuning 17 tines instead of just 6 strings. I'm very impressed with the big sound that comes out of this little thing. When I first got it my wife rolled her eyes because I bought another instrument. Then later that day when I came home from an errand there she was plunking away! This thumb piano is definitely worth the price
Rating: 
-
African Instrument - Made in Pakistan
I've been playing the Hugh Tracey Kalimba for many years.
I bought a Mid East Kalimba from eBay.
It was advertised as a Hugh Tracey Kalimba and came
in an old Hugh Tracey box. I thought I had gotten a good deal.
In the picture it looks exactly the same.
The first thing I noticed different was the paint on the tines.
It was a more of a translucent color. I thought it had been
repainted (and kind of a sloppy job at that).
The next thing I noticed, as soon as I took it out the box
was that it was a much heavier wood. It did not have the light
feel of the Hugh Tracey models which are made from an exotic,
resonant Kiaat wood. This thing was thick.
It looked very pretty though.
The big disappointment came when I started to play the instrument.
First off, it was out of tune. I had a rough time trying to tune
this beast. With the Hugh Tracey models, I just wiggle the tines
side to side or use a coin to push the tines.
The tines don't move easily on this Mid East Beast... Damn!
Unless you know what you are doing, you won't be
able to get this thing in tune. It's very difficult.
After fighting with it for almost an hour, I finally got it tuned.
The sound is OK but kind of tinny (if that's a word).
It doesn't have the full, deeper sound of the Hugh Tracey.
It's probably because the tines are thicker.
It doesn't have the mellow tamber nor maintain the sustain.
I also notice the edges of the tines are not smooth.
It's a little rough on your thumbnails.
You probably should sand them down some to smooth it out.
All in all, it looks pretty but not much fun to play.
I would never buy another one
(and wish I could get my money back).
You'd be much better off with a Hugh Tracey Model.
They come tuned, don't scratch your thumbnails
and give you a much fuller, more mellow sound.
Rating: -
Not For Beginners
At $30, this kalimba is an excellent value and I plan to buy a couple more for various tunings. However, the MidEast Music kalimba is not an instrument for beginning musicians. As noted in the negative reviews below, it is very difficult to tune due to the thicker tines. However, once tuned the added mass provides a much warmer tone than the Hugh Tracy kalimba. That added thickness also makes the instrument a bit more difficult to play, but more difficult like a guitar set up for jazz or the heavier action of a concert piano.
Also, the MidEast Music kalimba comes with no manual or tuning instructions and finding that information on the web was not an easy Google search. To tune this instrument, I had to buy a small punch and a tack hammer; pliers didn't cut it and I doubt anyone could tune this instrument without these tools. That said, once this kalimba IS tuned, it stays in tune!
Finally, the tines arrived rough and unpolished, and they would tear up someone's nails within minutes. However, a file and some metal polish took care of the rough edges.
Beginning musicians or anyone afraid of handtools should consider paying double or triple the price for the hand-holding service of Hugh Tracy kalimba models. The HTK's are quieter, brighter sounding and require constant tuning due to the thinner tines, but more suited to beginning musicians who have not yet built up the strength in their hands.
