Buying your Kalimba is the right decision, and the fact is you must take all the necessary steps to make sure that you will buy the right Kalimba. There a lot of Kalimba brands and type on the market, selecting the right Kalimba might be a hard task.
To be honest, most of the Kalimba sellers will give you biased advice just to make you purchase from them.
This post will enable you to make the right decision once you want to buy Kalimba. Here I will share with you what to look for when you want to buy Kalimba.
What to Look for When You Want to Buy Kalimba
Portability
This is the first thing to look at when you want to buy Kalimba. Since Kalimba is hand piano portability is a key easy to hold and easy to carry Kalimba may give you comfortability and good feeling which may lead you to fall in love with your Kalimba.
Example of very portable Kalimba includes The Donner Kalimba, The Andoer Kalimba, The M Y Fly Young (weighs about 7.2 ounces), Walter.D Kalimba (weighs about 1.21 pounds)
Body Size and Shape
Like what they say, Size Matters, and it is applicable in Kalimba as well. Not all Kalimba has the same size and shape. The original shape is a rectangular box shape, but there are lots a newer version with curves on the side for the easier handle. We can also see irregular shapes, like animal shapes or very curvy sides. This consideration is with regards to your hands, if you’re hands and fingers are quite small, we prefer you to buy something with a curvy side. Though the design would still be a lot even you start preferring a curvy side or a smaller Kalimba.
Sound
Your Kalimba must sound good to enjoy playing it. The sound must be deep and resonant. The sound produced by Kalimba depends on how Kalimba has been tuned. In short, any Kalimba which has been tuned perfectly produces better sound.
For example, Donner Kalimba is easy to play Kalimba which produces high-quality sound and resonance.
Hollow, Flat Board or Acrylic
As part of the size and shape, we can add these types of the body a kalimba has. The hollow box tends to be bigger and thicker than the flat board and acrylic. Flat board and acrylic tend to be heavier on the other hand.
Wood Materials
The wood used to make the Kalimba will determine the attractiveness and durability of your Kalimba. You must look for the fine tonewoods like the timber and Koa designs. Also, you may get the good Kalimba which is made with layered plywood lower for the budget.
Find a well-furnished Kalimba which will resist water and sun damages. The best Kalimba which falls under this aspect includes Gecko Kalimba (made from solid mahogany wood), ADM Kalimba, Donner kalimba, etc. All of them have made with the ability to resist wood rot.
Affordable Price
Your budget will determine which Kalimba to buy. What is affordable to me might not be affordable to you. What makes the price variations is material used to make the Kalimba and performance.
Luvay Kalimba is the best choice when it comes to affordable prices and performance. This Kalimba is available in less than 15$. But if you somewhat have a good budget we advise you to go buy Gecko Kalimba. And for luxury, go for the Hugh Tracey Kalimba.
Keys or Tines
Keys on Kalimba are also important things to consider before buying it. Generally, there are 10 keys Kalimba and over 10 keys Kalimba. If you want to be a good Kalimba player you may look for 17 keys Kalimba while if you are beginner 10 keys Kalimba may fit you. You should also check the distance between tines since it will help you when you play glissando or sliding technique. The width of tines as well needs to consider if you have a bigger finger to avoid hitting 2 at the same time.
With 17 keys you can play any music you want and also it will enable you to compose your own sounds
Make sure the Kalimba you buy has adjustable keys.
Example of good 10 keys Kalimba includes Luvay Kalimba, the Andoer Kalimba, The M Y Fly Young Kalimba, etc.
Example of good 17 keys Kalimba includes ADM Kalimba, Ammoon Kalimba, Gecko Kalimba, Hluru, Lingting, etc
Stainless steel
Kalimba is mainly made by wood and steel; Make sure you buy Kalimba with stainless steel to ensure durability and maintain the look of your Kalimba. Example of best Kalimba which comes with stainless steel you may consider buying includes Newlam Kalimba, ADM Kalimba, Mid-East Kalimba, etc.
User support/guide
This is a very important thing to consider for beginners. Make sure the Kalimba you are buying has a user manual to help you handle the basic stuff. There is Kalimba which comes with a learning manual as well as a songbook. Thus, it is possible for you to learn how to play the Kalimba with ease. Here you may choose Kalimba like Mugig Kalimba, Walter.D Mahogany Kalimba, etc.
Another Kalimba comes with a tuning hammer, tone stickers, bag for example UK Dream Kalimba.
Conclusion
My task was to share with you what to look for when you want to buy Kalimba, the bottom line is. In case you need to buy Kalimba, you should look for portability, sound, keys user support/guide price, and materials used to make the Kalimba.
Hope you have found this post useful. Kindly share it with others to spread the knowledge.
In case you have further query please use the comment box.
