I am looking at making one, and wondering if anyone has built one. I was checking out kalimbamagic.com and I can buy the tines there, but I thought maybe some bicycle spokes might work, though they might be hard on the fingers when playing.
Any suggestions?
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"OK, so I built a little 9 tine kalimba, with a piezo of course.
This was just kind of a proof of concept thing for me, I made the tines out of bamboo skewers from the grocery store. I am kind of in the dark about how to tune it, I have to do some more reading I guess. ."
I could write a book on kalimba tunings, but it's been done already. I'll start a "Tuning" thread on the cigar box kalimba group and put up some pages. If you find them helpful, you COULD tell me what you know of piezos. I've only done one, and I'm not impressed with the results.
BTW... next one you make, don't let the keys hang over the sound hole. You want access to that. waving one thumb into the soundhole gives a nice "wah wah" effect, especially on the middle notes. You could always drill two small holes in the back, where your index fingers (or middle fingers) go. By lifting these two fingers, you change the sound nicely.
"OK, so I built a little 9 tine kalimba, with a piezo of course.
This was just kind of a proof of concept thing for me, I made the tines out of bamboo skewers from the grocery store. I am kind of in the dark about how to tune it, I have to do some more reading I guess. ."
I could write a book on kalimba tunings, but it's been done already. I'll start a "Tuning" thread on the cigar box kalimba group and put up some pages. If you find them helpful, you COULD tell me what you know of piezos. I've only done one, and I'm not impressed with the results.
BTW... next one you make, don't let the keys hang over the sound hole. You want access to that. waving one thumb into the soundhole gives a nice "wah wah" effect, especially on the middle notes. You could always drill two small holes in the back, where your index fingers (or middle fingers) go. By lifting these two fingers, you change the sound nicely.
Hey there, Iggy. I have never built a cigar box kalimba, but have built about a dozen box kalimbas. I have used bike spokes, as well as those steel bristles street sweepers leave behind, coathanger wire, and electric fishing wire. That last item sounds like something fish and wildlife would regulate, but it's really used in home construction to "fish" electric wire through walls. You can get a roll of this stuff at any big box hardware store.
Bike spokes work OK -- they are free (get a handful at your local bike repare store) and are cute with those little buttons. Sound is only average, and they are a bit hard on the thumbs. There's a logo or something on those little buttons that needs filing off and sanding. Then you need to keep the spokes from twisting around while you play, so you need to flatten the parts where the spoke will be held down. I used an anvil and a ball peen hammer. BANG BANG BANG. Good therapy, but people nearby got very annoyed.
Best results come from the kalimba magic wire, but the fishing wire comes in a close second. But if you like bikes, go for it!
(take a look at the photos of the kalimbas I've made on my page)
...here's mine. I also made my own box. One piezo disc installed, 5 open tuned strings (using both nylon guitar strings and fishing line) run INSIDE the box, accessible underneath. I call it a Lyra Mbira.
OK, so I built a little 9 tine kalimba, with a piezo of course. This was just kind of a proof of concept thing for me, I made the tines out of bamboo skewers from the grocery store. I am kind of in the dark about how to tune it, I have to do some more reading I guess.
Replies
Alan Roberts said:
Bike spokes work OK -- they are free (get a handful at your local bike repare store) and are cute with those little buttons. Sound is only average, and they are a bit hard on the thumbs. There's a logo or something on those little buttons that needs filing off and sanding. Then you need to keep the spokes from twisting around while you play, so you need to flatten the parts where the spoke will be held down. I used an anvil and a ball peen hammer. BANG BANG BANG. Good therapy, but people nearby got very annoyed.
Best results come from the kalimba magic wire, but the fishing wire comes in a close second. But if you like bikes, go for it!
(take a look at the photos of the kalimbas I've made on my page)
...here's mine. I also made my own box. One piezo disc installed, 5 open tuned strings (using both nylon guitar strings and fishing line) run INSIDE the box, accessible underneath. I call it a Lyra Mbira.Iggy said:
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/group/cigarboxkalimbas?commentId=2592...