The Kalimba or Mbira is a family of instruments hailing from South Africa. Also known as the thumb piano, finger harp, gourd piano, ikembe, kilembe, marimbula and the sansa. They are plucked instruments part of the lamellaphone and idiophone families of traditional finger plucked instruments.
The Kalimba was popularised in Western culture in the 1960's by Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire. The Kalimba has been proven to be excellent accompaniment for modern rock instruments, and can stand alone in full sounding solo performances.
Traditionally made of bamboo, the lamellae or tines are now made of metal to produce a bright and rich reverberation. The tines are easily tunable which makes the Kalimba extremely variable in its musical applications. The Kalimba is fantastically purposed in spiritual healing applications where it truly shines. It is believed that it reaches its maximum potential as a tool for Chakra alignment which benefits both emotional and physical well-being.
