We have been receiving a myriad of great musical donations lately – for those looking for more creative musical outlets, this week’s feature will not disappoint – we are featuring an African Kalmiba Thumb Piano.  The kalimba (“little music”) is said to have originated in Zimbabwe more than 1,000 years ago.

The website AfricanTreasures notes that the kalimba “consists of a set of tuned metal or bamboo tongues of varying length fitted to a board, box or calabash resonator, their free ends being twanged by the player’s thumbs and fingers. Board mounted kalimbas are often played inside gourds or bowls for increased resonance.”

According to the website, Kalimba Magic, the kalimba was brought to the western world by an Englishman, Hugh Tracey.  He “fell in love with African music over the course of his 50 year stay in Africa, started a company in the late 1950′s called African Musical Instruments (AMI). AMI began shipping kalimbas with the western “Do-Re-Mi…” scale in the early 1960′s, and now people all over the world are building and playing kalimbas.”

Listen to the kalimba here – it has a very beautiful sound – almost a deeper, more robust version of the harp.  Bidding is now open! Opening bid starts at $14.99 – many kalimbas on the market start at $30 or $40, so this is a great opportunity!