Kalimba

Kalimba is a respectfully borrowed term referring in a general sense to a broad array of instruments that have Keys secured to a bridge where the unanchored end is plucked with thumbs and fingers. This general use of the term became Global with Hugh Tracey from his "Kalimba Factory" in South Africa sending his instruments to music stores worldwide. The KALIMBA originates as a specific instrument from the regions of Malawi and Zambia and designates as a small fan shaped sound board or small box with or without mirliton ( attached Buzzer affect). These original small instruments have between 7 and 9 Keys.

A generic term for any of these types of instruments which I make use of is

"Lamellophone".

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An African person holding a musical instrument in the grass, playing Ngoma - traditional African music.

A person is holding a red Ngoma, an African musical instrument.

Box Kalimba Lamellophone

Painted Acrylic Burned Design with Goat Skin and Glass Beads

A wooden box is an excellent resonating body to express the voice of the Kalimba mechanism.

All Crossroads Lamellophone are made with Hand Forged Spring Steel Keys

A red and black Ngoma sitting on a wooden bench.

A person is holding a red Ngoma instrument.

A person is holding a red book with an African Sun on it.

A person holding a red and black ukulele, playing Ngoma music.

A Ngoma inspired black box with a red, yellow, and blue African Music design on it.

A person holding a red and black box filled with Ngoma music, a vibrant genre of African music.

A person holding a Ngoma, an African musical instrument.

A person is playing an African xylophone known as a Ngoma, producing captivating traditional melodies.

Peruvian Walnut, Spanish Cedar Box; Purple Heart Wood Bridge

Small Wooden Box Kalimba

Crossroads Wooden Box Kalimba from very small to much larger.

From very small to much larger...

A person playing an Ngoma, a traditional African music instrument with numerous tines.

A person playing a Ngoma, a traditional African wooden xylophone.

A person holding a wooden xylophone, playing Ngoma, traditional African music.

An African Ngoma instrument made of wood, featuring metal tines.

A person is holding a wooden ukulele in their hand while playing Ngoma, an instrument commonly used in African music.

A Ngoma xylophone sitting on top of a wooden bench.

A person playing an African xylophone, also known as a Ngoma.

An African Ngoma, a wooden xylophone, sitting on a wooden bench.

An individual carrying a Ngoma, a traditional African wooden instrument with a strap.

A wooden xylophone, inspired by Ngoma and African Music, sitting on top of a wooden table.

An Ngoma, a traditional African xylophone, hanging on a wooden fence.

A Ngoma musician with a beard holding a wooden box.

A man is holding a Ngoma, a wooden instrument used in African music, with a lot of different utensils.

Painted Design Kalimba

See images below of this special Kalimba with Burned and Painted Design celebrating Zebra; Wenge' Wood Soundboard; Goat Skin and Glass Beads Head Piece.

A person holding a Ngoma, a wooden accordion used in African music, with blue and silver tines.

Zebra Design Kalimba

A person holding a Ngoma, a wooden accordion commonly used in African music, with blue and silver tines.

A black and white accordion, also known as Ngoma, sitting on top of a table.

A person playing a zebra print accordion at an Ngoma performance, showcasing the vibrant rhythms of African music.

A person holding a black and white zebra print bag inspired by Ngoma, African music.

A man is holding up an African Music instrument called Ngoma.

Painted Design Small Box Kalimba

Another example of Crossroads Painted Box Kalimba, see below...

Photo Gallery

A person playing a Ngoma harmonica, emitting soulful melodies inspired by African Music.

A person is holding a Ngoma, an African musical instrument, in their hand.

A person is holding an African musical instrument, called Ngoma, in their hand.

A person holding a blue accordion while playing Ngoma music.

A person playing Ngoma, a traditional African music instrument, while holding a blue and turquoise harmonica.

A hand holding a turquoise and black box containing an Ngoma, a traditional African music instrument.

Crossroads Large Box Kalimba Demo

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A few more Painted Crossroads Box Kalimba Lamellophone examples...

An intricately painted hummingbird perched on a wooden board, inspired by the vibrant rhythms of Ngoma, African music.

An African wooden musical instrument adorned with hummingbirds and flowers, commonly known as Ngoma.

An Ngoma drum sitting on top of a blanket.

A person holding an African Ngoma, a blue and brown musical instrument.

A woman is holding a black and yellow case filled with Ngoma, African Music.

A person is holding a Ngoma, a blue and white African musical instrument.

A person is holding a Ngoma, an African wooden hummingbird ukulele.

A man holding up a Ngoma in front of a house.

Cigar Box Kalimba

Cigar Boxes come in a wide variety of types of wood and sizes; many are a thin veneered plywood which produces a certain ghostly musical voice.

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Cigar Box Kalimba come in many forms and accommodate a certain character of Spirit

A person is holding a black box with the words torbodo 6 6 s that contains Ngoma, an African music instrument.

A man is holding up an accordion in a wooded area, playing African music.

A person is holding a Ngoma, a wooden musical instrument used in African music.

A Ngoma, a traditional African music instrument, resting on a wooden bench.

A black and white photo of a wooden box with an Ngoma, a traditional African musical instrument, inside.

A Ngoma musician with a beard skillfully playing the accordion, creating mesmerizing African music.

A person holding an Ngoma, a wooden accordion used in African music, inside a wooden box.

An Ngoma, a traditional African musical instrument, is resting on a wooden table.

Black and white photo of a person playing an accordion.

A Ngoma musician showcasing the traditional African music with a wooden accordion in front of a house.

A black and white photo of a person holding an accordion, playing Ngoma, a traditional African music instrument.

A person is holding an Ngoma in front of a wooden box, creating captivating African music.

A person is holding an Ngoma, a traditional African musical instrument, in front of a wooden table.

An Ngoma, a traditional African wooden instrument, is sitting on top of a wooden bench.

Gourd Kalimba

Using Gourds as the resonating body for Kalimba/Lamellophone and other Musical Instruments is an excellent choice. The great gift of Gourds comes in a tremendous variety of sizes and shapes. Lagenaria siceraria is the botanical genus that refers to Gourd species that are favored for making Musical Instruments and other sculpture and utensils. The "Lagenaria" gourds have a honey comb structure in the outer shell that gives great strength making them ideal vessels for human innovation.

A group of pumpkins sitting on the ground, surrounded by the vibrant sounds of Ngoma music.

Kalimba to be.......

Gourd Kalimba Photo Gallery

A colorful ball, reminiscent of the vibrant beats of Ngoma African Music, sitting on top of a wooden table.

A blue, red, orange, and black ball sitting on a wooden table, surrounded by an Ngoma drum and other African musical instruments.

A person is holding a Ngoma in the woods.

An African-inspired pillow in black, red, blue, and orange placed on a wooden table.

The ngoma's shadow reminiscent of a large pumpkin.

A Ngoma performer holding a colorful ball.

A black and white photo of a person holding a xylophone during an African music performance.

The silhouette of a pumpkin casts a haunting shadow on the wall.

A person is holding a wooden ukulele, commonly known as Ngoma, in their hand.

A person holding a Ngoma, a wooden African musical instrument.

A person holding a wooden ukulele in front of a Ngoma.

A person holding a Ngoma drum adorned with colorful designs, creating vibrant African music.

A person holding a Ngoma in front of a fence.

A person is holding a coconut while enjoying the vibrant beats of African music.

A person is holding a Ngoma, an African music instrument, in their hand.

A person is holding a wooden Ngoma in their hand.

An Ngoma artist holding a black and brown carved pumpkin.

A person is playing a ngoma, a wooden musical instrument popular in African music.

A wooden bowl with a colorful Ngoma design

A rock adorned with a beautifully painted cross, showcasing the cultural aesthetics of Ngoma or African music.

A black and white photo of a group of pumpkins on a wooden deck, reminiscent of Ngoma music.

A man holding a Ngoma, a traditional African wooden ball adorned with colorful designs.

An African Music instrument called Ngoma, made of wood, sitting on a woven mat.

A person playing an African ukulele (Ngoma) made of wood, producing enchanting African music.

A vibrant Ngoma drum is cradled in a hand amidst lush grass.

A person holding a Ngoma drum in front of bushes.

A person is holding an Ngoma, a traditional African musical instrument, in their hand.

A person is holding a Ngoma, a wooden instrument used in African music, with spoons in it.

"Tinlimba"

I coined the term "Tinlimba" to refer to Lamellophone I make using cookie and other tins as the resonating body. I discovered that many contemporary cookie tins have relatively thin bottoms and in order to get a good sound it's necessary to adhere a thin piece of wood or plywood. Tinlimba have a unique wonderfully haunting sound.