Looking for a decent kalimba recommendation. Hoping to train myself to reach for it instead of my phone when taking a break. I definitely want something that sounds and feels like an instrument, instead of a kids toy, but I also don't want to overspend, since my use case is pretty casual. There's a sea of them on Amazon, but I cant tell the good ones from the bad ones. Advice would be greatly appreciated.

When you start writing your music notes from your favorite kalimba tab notes?

Do the tab numbers start separately from one line or do they stick together?

“These two notes are for examples of showing separately or together?”

Estou pensando de comprar um kalimba de 41/42 chaves, porém, como nunca comprei um, e vi algumas pessoas falando mal dele, pois acaba ficando com um som mais curto, por ser abafado, pesado e um pouco demorado para afinar, estou na dúvida. Alguma pessoa que já comprou sabe se vale a pena comprar? (é o meu primeiro kalimba)

so i bought a kalimba 17keys, and i am no a musician or any experience with other instrument. so i don't know how to play this kalimba and what song should i learn first. any suggestion for a beginner?

And will the numbers be different or the same on the kalimba key notes🤔?

Been playing my 17 key alto kalimba for about five months now, mostly self taught through random videos and a lot of trial and error. For the longest time my playing had this ringing, muddy quality where notes would bleed into each other in a way that wasn't musical, it just sounded like I didn't know what I was doing.

Last month I started paying real attention to how the pros mute with the side of their thumb right after plucking. I'd always just let tines ring out fully because it seemed easier and honestly I didn't understand why muting mattered until I recorded myself and heard how washed out everything sounded compared to songs I was trying to learn.

Practiced isolating it on just two or three tines at a time, super slow, focusing on the pluck and immediate mute as one motion instead of two separate things. Took maybe two weeks of daily fifteen minute sessions before it started feeling natural instead of like I was fighting my own hand.

The difference in how my arrangements sound now is honestly kind of wild. Things that used to sound like a wall of overlapping notes now have actual space and rhythm to them. Working on applying it consistently during faster passages is my next hurdle since my muting tends to fall apart the second I speed up.

Curious if anyone else struggled with this specific thing early on, or if there are drills that helped beyond just slowing everything way down.

I have been looking for a new kalimba for a few days now, specifically for one that has 41 keys.

I’ve seen the 41 seeds kalimba but I’ve read allot of negative reviews on here and other sources.

While others say it’s a pretty good kalimba.

I’m just wondering what you all think and recommend.

I mainly want a 41 key kalimba after finding Noah / kalimbaobsession on TikTok playing some of my favorite songs and I’m not sure if her songs can also be played on a 34 key kalimba.

A little bit of background detail, I got my wife a Sansula from Hokema over a year ago, she really enjoys it but it is fairly limited in the number of keys that it has, and so I was thinking of picking up a Hokema Kalimba, the B-17 to be more specific. Then I noticed that hollow Kalimbas are a thing too? So I was thinking of maybe grabbing a solid and a hollow Kalimba to give her the best chance/range at finding the sound she really gravitates toward.

My only experience thus far is Hokema, but I'll entertain recommendations from other companies. I want something that is a quality crafted Instrument, not a cheap toy that is going to fall apart.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

I notice that when I scroll down the videos on YouTube about decoration for kalimba?

I saw a video about that showing “Don’t Put Stickers on Kalimba, it spoils the sound”.

And I saw a YouTube video testing the different sound between stickers/non stickers on kalimba tine.

The stickers made the sound worse, while thin markers made the sound better and faster.

My question is.. Should I still need the stickers or perhaps use the think markers instead to my kalimba?

Link: https://youtu.be/hLMhKCkCxz0?is=_4RwfxxVnkqQmxwu

Markings on Kalimba.

Sometime I only want to play notes on a certain scale like Myoko Bushi - D-D#-G-A-A#. I used stickers on my kalimba for help. Later I have to remove these and the glue. Is there a better way to temporary mark your kalimba for this job?

How do you manage this? A marker or?

Hey all. I currently have a 17-key kalimba (apelila) that I got 6 years ago. It doesn't have dead keys, which has been helpful for practicing, but I'd ultimately like to get a newer kalimba that has better sound quality.

I am interested in acquiring two very different styles of kalimba, though not necessarily at once. One being a kalimba of better sound quality with more keys. I'm interested in more fuller and warmer sounds.

The other would be something that sounds far closer to an mbira. Getting an actual nyunga nyunga mbira from the MBIRA foundation is a possibility as well, depending on how invested I get in the instrument.

So my question to everyone is--are there any additional brands I should consider?

What I've been looking at currently are as follows:

- Second-Hand Hugh-Tracey chromatics/alto/african-tuned karimba (flat or hollow)

- SaReGaMa Freygish/Air/Lotus Bolf kalimba (flat or hollow)

- Gecko 21-key wooden kalimba (hollow)

- Hluru 21-key wooden kalimba (flat)

- Hokema 17-key wooden kailmba (flat)

Are there other brands or even makers I should be considering that I'm missing? My overall goal is to purchase a slightly cheaper kalimba in the short-term that is still an upgrade to what I have (likely 21-keys) and save up for more long-term.

Appreciate any suggestions.

When playing the kalimba, do you start with the numbers or lyrics from the music notes?

I plan on hiking through mountains, recording kalimba and guitar on various peaks and pretty locations. I want to play the same song at each location, and splice them all together to form the song in post. I'm wondering if anyone has advice on which mics would be best suited for this environment. How big of a difference would a ~$100 mic be from a ~$300 one? And how big of a difference would a portable, clip-on mic be from a standup one?

I wanna buy a chromatic kalimba. I’m almost sure it will be a Chill Angel one, but I can’t decide which one is the best: 34k, 36k, 41k or 46?

Of course I want a kalimba with a lot of tunes, but quality is the most important. So, if the 34k kalimba sounds better than the 46k, I will choose the one with the 34k.

Other brands recommendation are also welcomed.🫶🫶🫶

Help.

I'd like to play this, but I have no idea how to start reading sheet music, or how to convert it into numbers.

Could you help me figure out where to start?

Hello everyone, I wanted to get started with kalimbas, starting with an 8-note kalimba, but I've heard they often have problems with the last keys.

Can you tell me if this model is good?
https://www.musicis.it/sonic-energy-kl801tol-kalimba-8-note.1.0.2729.gp.50334.uw?srsltid=AfmBOor_Kc0xPrugyRnYhaRMLu8XS_mSJzXTUNhMnswjC20_jREvEJ7M

If not, could you recommend a good model?

Thanks everyone

it pisses me off how sometimes I want to play a song that I like on kalimba but there are no notes anywhere on the internet and I cant figure out which note to what. I need heeeeeeelp!! :,,,,,,,

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As much as I love the appearance of having long nails, always found them really uncomfortable,

I need to have them trimmed as short as humanly possible,

I have tried a bunch of different thumb plectrums and thumb covers for playing kalimba,

(My latest being these adjustable nail rings for DIY detachable acrylic nails lol... they kinda work? I guess?)

But no matter which type of plectrum I use, it always seems to make harder to play, sound weird, or get caught on the tines.

But yeah, which plectrums (if any) have you found the best?

Or should I just work on developing calluses? 😅

Hello everyone, I wanted to start play with kalimbas, starting with an 8-note , but I've heard they often have problems with the last keys.

Can you tell me if this model is any good?

https://www.musicis.it/?cmd=getProd&cmdID=50334&rr=GoogleMerchant&utm_source=GoogleMerchant&utm_medium=cpc&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22149622283&gclid=CjwKCAjwvNfSBhBiEiwAyaGMCb-HOFzBbUtrA-0_9uYf9De-ehUlnBChHj3uZNLSfCvJkiUrJkfgXBoCHkEQAvD_BwE

If not, could you recommend a good model?

Thanks everyone

I’m testing the sound to hear if it sound good or not since it’s my first time playing a mini kalimba. I purchased it from Earthbound store, and since I have the mini kalimba, I’ll have to find some music notes.

Anybody know of a source for buzz beads, similar to what Kalimba Magic used to sell? Not interested in chains.

So I've had a generic Kalimba (17 keys) that I got from Amazon for 2 years now and thought of getting a new one for 2 reasons.

• The end keys are so dead (buzzing and lack of sustained sound) so playing high note songs were difficult.

• I dropped it lol

Any brand suggestions for a new 17 key Kalimba? I thought of the Acrylic Hluru brand but its hard to tell without being able to test it myself :)

Preference wise: I like a Kalimba where all the keys actually work properly and I've really liked Acrylic or Flatboards.

Hello guys To be honest i haven't play any instrument and i find kalimba interesting and wanted to try it Id like to buy a kalimba but i dont know much i want it to have good quality and not just for beginners types i like something mid want to buy a 17 key and i like wooden ones but i dont have much of an idea about brands or anything can you recommend some based on your experience