Instrument: Kalimba
Orchestra Section: Percussion (Idiophones)
Brand: Kalimba
Model: Bahamas Souvenir
Purchased: July 5, 2025
Cost: $5
A Kalimba is a type of lamellophone that makes sounds by plucking thin metal or wooden tines mounted on a resonating body. It is also called a thumb piano. I already had a 17-key kalimba at home. I saw this Coconut kalimba at a “Pop Up Pop” sale at Samuel’s Public Library, hosted by the Friends of Samuel’s Library as a fundraiser. It wasn’t in good shape, with oxidation on the bars and tines, tines out of tune, and some bent too far to be usable. What attracted me was the deeper tones of the tines, the handcrafted design, the surface texture, the coconut shape, and the ability to adjust the tines to almost any scale I wanted.
Someone donated this musical instrument for sale, and we weren’t sure what price to set. I searched online for prices but found it didn’t look like most coconut kalimbas, with the tines held differently. Normally, wooden blocks are used with a thin metal pin that rests between the wood and tines, but this one seemed a bit more crude, with three steel rods. Given its condition and construction, I donated $5. I had already donated a portable 88 Key folding piano to the event, which they turned into a raffle prize.
I then spent an hour fighting with tuning it. The round rods roll away as soon as the top rod is loosened, and the round, coconut-shaped bottom makes it difficult to keep the surface level. Some of the tines remained loose during tightening of the rods, adding another layer of difficulty to tuning.
I appreciate the sound and appearance of this kalimba, but because of its awkward shape and limited number of keys, I use my 17-key kalimba most of the time. This one is more for a bass track or exploring sounds while relaxing.
Review, Comparison
and playing Amazing Grace
