17-note solid mahogany Kalimba kit

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The 17-note mahogany Kalimba is recommended by the community!

This 17-note mahogany Kalimba is a high-quality wooden instrument. It comes with a tuning hammer and storage bag.

Description of the 17-note mahogany kalimba :

The kalimba is an African musical instrument consisting of a wooden section (often assembled with a resonator) with staggered metal teeth, played by holding the instrument in the hand and pinching the blades with the thumb. Two thumbs are enough to produce a sound. The kalimba is a member of the lamellophone and idiophone musical instrument families.

Features :

• Perfect for beginners and children
• Easy to use, simply pinch the teeth of the 17-note mahogany kalimba to play, and practice your finger flexibility and coordination.
• Easy to learn, simple to use, it will develop your musical talent.
• Made from high-quality wood: a beautiful, solid wooden body creates a warm, comforting sound as only natural products can.
• Exceptional craftsmanship: our thumb piano keys are precision-tuned on high-grade steel rods to deliver clear, crisp sound and tone. A job well done that will bring you beautiful music.
• Safety protection : the storage bag effectively protects the 17-note mahogany kalimba, preventing moisture, oxidation, scratches, falls, etc...
• Portable musical instrument : Its compact size and light weight make it the product of choice. Our 17-note mahogany kalimba is lightweight and portable, so you can make music anywhere, anytime.
• 17 steel blades and 2 vibrato holes: the metal keys are attached to a wooden case that acts as a resonance chamber. As you play, you can cover and uncover the vibrato holes as you wish to create customized sounds.

17-note mahogany Kalimba material : Mahogany solid wood / Koa Polyphony

Number of keys: 17 tones

Resonance box material: Mahogany

Soundboard material: Solid wood

Weight (kg): 0.263 

Package weight: 0.5480 kg

Packaging dimensions (L x W x H): 23.00 x 19.00 x 8.00 cm / 9.06 x 7.48 x 3.15 inches

Package contents: 1 x 17-note mahogany Kalimba, 1 x English learning book, 1 x tuning hammer, 1 x cloth bag, 2 x thumb guard, 2 x stickers.

What type of Kalimba do you need?

There are so many factors that may be important to you if you're looking to get a kalimba. Among the questions you need to ask yourself is what kind of musician you are.

 If you're a beginner who's never had the opportunity to play a musical instrument, a simpler kalimba might be the perfect choice for you. You can find one with five, six, seven or eight keys. 

This way, you'll learn more about music and how instruments work, and you'll have no trouble navigating and improving.

Of course, this is not the rule, and even beginners can buy a 17-note mahogany kalimba if they want to avoid buying a new instrument when they tire of their old one.

This brings us to the second type of player - people who have some experience of music but are new to the world of the kalimba. If you're one of them, you can skip the beginner instruments, and buy something like the Alto kalimba. 

This thumb piano has two octaves and fifteen keys, and can be a good starting point for you. 

And if you're an experienced kalimba player, you should probably buy a 17-key instrument. Although the number of keys doesn't often exceed 17, you can still get a top-quality instrument. 

Finally, depending on your musical preferences, you should look for a kalimba that matches your style and personality. Whether you like hymns, classical music, modern songs or something else, you can find a kalimba that perfectly matches your tastes. 

Search for octave pairs

From age-old mbira dzavadzimu players to secular Western composers such as Beethoven, to classic rock bands like Van Halen, the doubling of octaves conveys the strength of the music.

How do you find the octaves on your 17-note mahogany kalimba? Look at the tuning chart and review each note name (usually a letter).

Are there any duplicates? If the name of the duplicated note is on a tooth of the same length, these are redundant notes. If one tooth is longer and the other shorter, they are octaves.

They'll both be «A» or «B» grades (or whatever), but one is a higher version and the other a lower one.

You can always play two or three notes separated by octaves, and they'll still sound good. Part of learning the layout of your 17-note mahogany kalimba is understanding where the octave pairs are.

Look for range segments

Most kalimba chords have scale segments. This scale may be major or of some other type. There are many different minor scales, and this only scratches the surface of the richness that can be found in different scales. Some kalimbas have a full octave or more of the scale.

Other kalimbas have only parts of the scale. Learn where they are and how to use them.

What are scale segments for? Most melodies spend a lot of time moving parts of the scale up and down, so scale segments are very useful for melodies.

Look for chords

In the Middle Eastern E chord, the three upper right teeth form an E major triplet, while the three upper left teeth form a D minor triplet. Some kalimbas «hide» their chords, and you'll have to work a little harder to find them or remember the chord teeth.

However, if the chords are presented simply, as in this Middle Eastern tuning, it helps to make the kaliimba simple and intuitive to play, which always increases the fun factor.

What are chords for? Highlighting the notes of a chord one by one is a useful strategy for creating melodies. But chords can also be «strummed» or arpeggiated to accompany a melody played at the same time.

Look for practical pulleys

A two-tiered 17-note mahogany kalimba like the B11 lets you slide your thumb over an upper tooth, then pluck the neighboring tooth in the lower row. You can play both teeth simultaneously, or you can put a little space between the two notes. In some chords, you won't get many consistent intervals with this natural way of playing. 

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https://thekalimba.com/histoire-du-kalimba/

Learn to play «A Whole New World» from the Disney film «Aladdin» on the 17-note mahogany kalimba with our tutorial!